Why Jamal Roberts was 'Home at Mizzou'

How do you convince somebody to stay when it feels they have every reason to leave?

As the 2026 offseason began and Mizzou players began to hit the transfer portal, standout running back Jamal Roberts seemed like a prime candidate to be one of many departing Tigers. While fresh off a stellar season in which he rushed for 753 yards and six touchdowns, Roberts wasn't the RB1 at Mizzou and didn't have a clear path to be it in 2026 — Doak Walker finalist and Mizzou's single-season rushing leader Ahmad Hardy was sticking around.

From the outside, it seemed Roberts had reasons to leave for more favorable opportunities. Luckily for Missouri, the outside didn't matter.

"I just had no reason to leave," Roberts said. "I was home at Mizzou, and I started there and I wanted to finish there. And I'm just looking to have another good season that I had last year, not dwelling on last year, but having a better season than I had last year."

As Roberts said, he's aiming to improve upon his breakout 2025 campaign with a better 2026. As an upperclassmen, part of that now entails stepping up as a leader in the running back room — he's actually the oldest and most-experienced scholarship back in the room, given the departure of Tavorus Jones over the offseason.

Transfers like redshirt freshman Xai'Shaun Edwards and redshirt freshman Malae Fonoti have never played at the FBS level, while incoming freshmen Preston Hatfield and Max Warner haven't played at the collegiate level. Roberts' success at Missouri can be passed down to the younger guys looking to find their footing.