5 Most Promising Freshmen From Mizzou's 2025 Campaign

Olugbode looks like he's going to be a star. It's pretty simple.

After taking over for Marquis Johnson and sending him to the bench, Olugbode basically took control of the entire wide receiver room. He became a top target of both Zollers and Beau Pribula, finding ways to place his fingerprints on a game regardless.

He also quickly gained the respect of his teammates as he became further acclimated with the offense, leading him to make more plays and help his team win.

"He's that guy," running back Ahmad Hardy said following a 23-17 win over Auburn. "He's 18 years old, but when we need him, when we call on him, he comes through."

In a time where players can leave a roster in a flash during the offseason, there's an argument to be made that Olugbode is the most important of Drinkwitz's players to retain. His contributions as a true freshman at the wide receiver position are eerily similar to now-Chicago Bear Luther Burden III, making the case for Olugbode to be a future star that much greater.

Senior Kevin Coleman Jr. led the Tigers in receiving yards with 715 and Olugbode finished in second with 352. He made most of that up in the final six games of the season and never had more than five catches in a game. If the passing game can get further on track with Olugbode as the centerpiece, who's to say what the ceiling of the Missouri offense could be?

Matt Zollers, QB

Zollers was thrown into a situation that was always going to be hard to overcome. The offensive front of Missouri struggled all season to protect Pribula, who had a better gauge of when to take off and run or sit in the pocket. So, when Zollers took over, he wasn't exactly in the worlds best situation.

That being said, Zollers does have the traits to be a starting SEC quarterback in the future. He clearly has the arm talent and showed glimpses of elite ball placement, but it also seems as if he has the leadership and mental traits to lead a team.

"I think there's just something about quarterbacks that just have this innate ability to lead and they're ready," Drinkwitz said on Nov. 4. "They have a belief in themselves. They're kind of gunslingers, fighter pilots, quarterbacks, right? And Matt's got all of those attributes."

In his six appearances, Zollers recorded 402 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception. His lone pick came against Mississippi State, a game where he also threw two touchdown passes. He struggled in the efficiency department in those games, recording a 53% completion percentage on 66 attempts.

Zollers had no choice but to be ready against Vanderbilt when Pribula went down with his ankle injury. He nearly did enough to tie the game against the Commodores, with their final drive coming to an end just inches before the goal line to even the score. That was a game that showed that Zollers truly can be special, but that it's going to take some time for him to get there.

Daeden Hopkins, EDGE

Even if Hopkins played sparingly (a whopping 52 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus), he made the most of when he did take the field. When his name was called against Mississippi State after losing Nate Johnson and Langden Kitchen, he stepped up in a big way, recording six tackles and half a sack.

The only other game where Hopkins played was in a blowout against Louisiana, where he recorded a single tackle. He didn't get a ton of run this year, but his performance against the Bulldogs was more than enough to mark him as a potential future starter for the Tigers down the road.

In fact, depending on who the Tigers bring in during the offseason to replace the production of Damon Wilson II and Zion Young, Hopkins could be called upon to take a quicker jump than expected for next season and make a leap into the rotation.

Marquise Davis, RB

Davis ended the season as Missouri's fourth-leading rusher. That might come as a surprise to some, but when he earned opportunities against UMass and Louisiana, he took full advantage of them. He recorded 113 yards and a score against Louisiana and 77 yards against UMass. His only other appearance was in Week 1 against Central Arkansas, where he scored his first career touchdown.

It's hard to point to where Davis could've contributed more this season, with the production of Hardy and Jamal Roberts becoming as prominent as they did. In fact, there was no reason for Davis to be on the field unless either of the two was injured.

If anything, Davis' three-game outing this year is more proof of running backs coach Curtis Luper's ability to recruit and develop the position. Whether it's in Columbia or elsewhere, Davis has all the makings to be a starting running back.

It might be hard for Davis to find opportunities once again in his redshirt freshman season, especially if he's once again the third running back behind Hardy and Roberts. Only time will tell where Davis will be next season, but there's no doubt that he can contribute for the Tigers down the road.

Dante McClellan, LB

The Tigers have shown their willingness to throw freshman inside linebackers into the fire in recent seasons and McClellan looked like he was going to be the next man up to do so. He did appear in more than four games, meaning his redshirt status is burned, but he made the most of it while he was in.

McClellan finished the season with seven tackles and an interception. He brought back an emphatic pick-six against Central Arkansas that was undoubtedly the best highlight of his freshman season.

With the dominance of Josiah Trotter and the improvements of Nicholas Rodriguez and Khalil Jacobs, McClellan didn't have a clear path to seeing the field this season, outside of being a consistent special teamer. That's where he made his presence felt the most and likely caught the eyes of the coaching staff.

The linebacker room could look completely different next season, with Jacobs graduating and Trotter mulling an NFL draft decision. If both of those guys leave, it should be anticipated that a transfer portal addition will be brought in. At the same time, if the coaching staff believes they saw enough from McClellan, he may be in line for more snaps as a sophomore.