Mizzou ended the regular season with its first series win as the Tigers took 2-of-3 against the Bulldogs.

From On3 senior national recruiting analyst Jaime Shaw:

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I switched over to Taylor Stadium for today's series-opening matchup between the Tigers and Bulldogs.

The Tigers will throw Brady Kehlenbrink (0-3, 9.75 ERA). Sam Horn will start Game 2 tomorrow and Wil Libbert will start Game 3 on Sunday.

Mizzou's lineup will be

SS Jackson Loivch (.352, 8 HR, 40 RBI)
RF Pierre Seals (.305, 4 HR, 17 RBI)
CF Kaden Peer (.284, 5 HR, 28 RBI)
1B Cayden Nicoletto (.286, 5 HR, 20 RBI)
3B Chris Patterson (.257, 1 HR, 16 RBI)
2B Keegan Knutson (.257, 2 HR, 11 RBI)
LF Brock Daniels (.260, 3 HR, 19 RBI)
C Mateo Serna (.224, 7 HR, 31 RBI)
DH Gehrig Goldbeck (.263, 0 HR, 8 RBI)

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When it came to offering Jaylen Scott, there was no better person than Al Pogue.

With his fingerprints all over his home state, Pogue traveled Wednesday to his alma mater, Mobile (Ala.) Williamson, to offer Scott, a Class of 2027 four-star nickel. Scott, who is pledged to Florida State, immediately clicked with the Missouri cornerbacks coach.

"He has a great personality, very fun to be around," Scott said. "Definitely going to be an interest."

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Pogue was attracted to the Rivals250 defensive back's physicality and speed displayed this past season. Scott verbally committed to the Seminoles on Jan. 18.

The Tigers got a little help for the defensive tackle room yesterday. Here’s a look at what Mizzou brought in with Bralen Henderson.

We’ve got questions this week about the basketball roster, Mizzou draft prospects, which teams have used NIL best and punting. All that in this week’s mailbag.

Even after doing the unimaginable, Missouri finished this season with a sour taste in its mouth.

The Tigers went from a winless conference campaign in Dennis Gates' second year as head coach to winning a conference tournament game and receiving the sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament a season later.

But losing three out of their final four regular-season games, the Tigers stumbled into postseason play before being handled by Drake on March 20. Missouri will now turn fully to the NCAA transfer portal, which opened March 24 and runs through April 22.

With the coming implementation of revenue sharing and NIL changes, basketball will receive a cutdown to a 15-player roster limit, with all 15 eligible to receive scholarships. The Tigers had 18 players on roster this season with three walk-ons. So essentially, the walk-on spots are being removed.

Remaining eligibility​

Missouri has 10 scholarship players retaining eligibility from this past season. After missing most of the year with a lower-leg injury and not playing in a single game, freshman center Trent Burns became eligible for a redshirt.

In accordance with a new NCAA ruling, Tennessee-Martin transfer guard Jacob Crews received a waiver for an extra year of eligibility after spending a season at junior college Daytona State. Crews said he will return to Missouri for his final year of eligibility.


Missouri signed Randall and Rowe in the 2025 class. Bolded names are transfer additions.

Transfer timeline​

March 25: Aidan Shaw enters the transfer portal.

March 27: The Tigers receive the commitment of Jevon Porter.

March 31: Shaw commits to Boston College.

April 4: Marcus Allen enters the transfer portal.

April 6: The Tigers receive the commitment Luke Northweather.

April 7: The Tigers receive the commitment of Sebastian Mack.

April 9: Josh Gray enters the transfer portal.

April 13: The Tigers receives the commitment of Shawn Phillips Jr. Peyton Marshall enters the transfer portal.

April 23: Marshall commits to Georgia Tech. Allen commits to Miami (FL).

Out of eligibility​

Missouri said goodbye to Tamar Bates, Josh Gray, Caleb Grill, Tony Perkins and Marques Warrick. All six Tigers transferred into the program. Bates and Grill played two seasons while Gray, Perkins and Warrick all spent one year in Columbia.

Gray entered the transfer portal April 9. There's belief Gray made the move in the case eligibility rules change this offseason and allow the center one more season of college basketball.

Biggest needs​

Shooters

Losing Grill, Bates and Warrick takes a significant amount of the 3-point shooting ability off the roster.

The Tigers still have Crews, plus Robinson and Pierce made some strides as deep shooters this season, but adding an extra 3-and-D wing or two would be very helpful.

Depth guards

That's also a whole lot of guards leaving the roster.

With Robinson, Barrett and Boateng returning, that's a good base to start off with, but Gates likes to run a lot of guards out there throughout the game. There will need to be a few coming in, and probably more than one with a significant amount of experience to help guide the young guys.

A scoring 5

Gray was a solid addition to the Tigers this season, his rebounding came in very handy at times. But it's no secret the Tigers lacked a scoring presence in the interior at times.

Adding a center who can score and help guide Burns into his college career would be very helpful. If he could also serve as a rim protector on defense, that would be huge.

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Missouri reinforced its interior defensive line Saturday.

The Tigers received the commitment of Ohio transfer Bralen Henderson after the defensive tackle visited Monday. Henderson, a former two-star strongside defensive end in the 2021 class, will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Henderson started 14 games for the Bobcats during his redshirt junior season. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound tackle tallied one sack and 26 tackles -- 14 solo and two for loss. Across his previous three seasons, he appeared in 18 games, making two starts and totaling 25 tackles.

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Henderson will enroll at Missouri as a graduate transfer. He'll join a defensive tackle room that lost captain and starter Kristian Williams to exhausted eligibility this offseason, but the position group returned key contributors in Marquis Gracial, Jalen Marshall, Chris McClellan and Sterling Webb this spring.

A graduate of Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic, Henderson became the fourth Pennsylvania product to join Missouri this offseason, with quarterbacks Beau Pribula and Matt Zollers and linebacker Josiah Trotter enrolling in January.

Rated a two-star transfer, Henderson chose Missouri over California, Georgia Tech, Utah, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Washington State among others. The Tigers offered Henderson on Thursday.

Kellie Harper has her fifth transfer, bringing the roster to 10 players with another expected to be announced soon, with Purdue guard Jayla Smith according to her instagram

Eliah Drinkwitz watched the draft with Armand Membou and once again got to experience one of his player’s dreams coming true.

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Ahead of his official visit with the Tigers, Noah Best received an in-home visit from Missouri offensive line coach Brandon Jones.

Best, who camped at Missouri in June, returned for an unofficial visit in late September for the Vanderbilt game. The Class of 2026 four-star interior lineman scheduled his official visit with the Tigers for May 30-June 1.

"He just explains how much he wants me and is helping me with the pressure," Best said of Jones. "He's very laid back talking to me, so it's easy. Also, my family loves Coach Jones. He's as real as real can get. He doesn't B.S. you. He tells you straight up what’s going on, and that's what my family likes about him."

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With a Top 5 of Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Southern Methodist and Texas Tech, Best has official visits set with the latter four programs. He's also received four FutureCasts to the Sooners.

Tigers offer Best's teammate​

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Class of 2027 wide receiver Brendyn Jackson added a scholarship from the Tigers on Tuesday from wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler. Jackson, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound wideout, jumped on Missouri's radar with his smooth route running in a practice.

"It's pretty nice," Jackson said about being offered by a school also recruiting his teammate, "because I think Noah plays a role in some of my offers."

Jackson reeled in 47 passes for 692 yards and seven touchdowns during his freshman season at Midlothian. Missouri joined Oklahoma and Tennessee as the loan SEC programs to offer him.

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As Missouri puts more focus into production over potential, the Tigers will have another stretch of weeks to retool for the 2025 season.

The spring transfer portal window opens April 16 and runs through April 25. Across those days, non-graduate players will officially enter their names into the portal, and even after it closes, the transfer portal will still holds players looking for new schools.

Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz addressed the media after spring practice with positive remarks around his roster, but he also recognized the team would los up to eight players to the second transfer window.

As of Friday, Missouri has 82 scholarship players, with a total of 101 players on its roster. The Tigers currently have four open roster spots for the 2025 season.

Transfer timeline​

April 1: Quarterback Drew Pyne enters transfer portal.

April 7: Pyne commits to Bowling Green.

April 9: Defensive end Jahkai Lang announces intentions of entering the transfer portal.

April 10: Linebacker Mikai Gbayor enters the transfer portal. Cornerback Ja'Marion Wayne announces his intentions of entering the transfer portal.

April 14: Center Talan Chandler announces his intentions of entering the transfer portal.

April 15: Defensive end Eddie Kelly Jr. announces his intentions of entering the transfer portal. Safety Sidney Williams enters the transfer portal.

April 16: Chandler, Kelly and Lang enter the transfer portal. Gbayor commits to North Carolina. Walk-on quarterback Brett Brown enters the transfer portal, but he later deletes his announcement.

April 17: Wayne, running back Austyn Dendy and walk-on running back Bryce Jackson enter the transfer portal.

April 18: Iowa transfer tight end Gavin Hoffman commits to Missouri. Punter Luke Bauer commits to Michigan.

April 19: Illinois State transfer wide receiver Xavier Loyd commits to Missouri.

April 20: Kelly commits to West Virginia, and Lang signs with Southern Methodist.

April 22: Florida State transfer offensive lineman Jaylen Early commits to Missouri.

April 25: Chandler commits to Northwestern.

April 28: Wayne commits to Coastal Carolina.

May 3: Ohio transfer defensive tackle Bralen Henderson commits to Missouri.

Biggest needs​

National transfer portal analyst @RivalsFriedman:

Despite losing some notable players to the portal in the winter, Missouri did a great job addressing its top needs and currently has the No. 4 overall class in the transfer team rankings.

The Tigers have only signed one defensive lineman so far this transfer cycle so expect them to be major players in the defensive tackle market once the portal opens. Don't be surprised if Missouri pursues cornerbacks, receivers, offensive tackles or even a linebacker.

Grace Slaughter had a decision to make a the end of the season when the coach she committed to wasn't brought back. And though it meant adjusting to a new staff and system, she decided to stay at the college she's called home.

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- There's no hiding it.

Missouri baseball has been behind the times in the SEC.

As the program spirals towards a possible 0-30 record in conference play, it also flirts with history. The last winless season in the SEC came in 1962 from Vanderbilt, a school now seen among the top of the sport in the past two decades.

The notion Missouri will regain strength and resources to compete at a regional level next season is an unfair expectation, but athletic director Laird Veatch remains confident the school is taking the right steps to support coach Kerrick Jackson and his program.

"It is a challenge, right?" Veatch said Tuesday about resuscitating the baseball program during his "ZOU to YOU" Tour media session. "We got to continue to support our coach and help him be successful, and that's a process, right? It doesn't happen overnight. You look at what happened with say Mizzou football here just a handful of years ago.

"We weren't quite there, but we stood through it. And we supported the coach, and we continue to knock out the things you need to to get there. It's a part of its investment, part of its support. We need to have a plan. We need to roll up our sleeves and get after to get there."

That supports starts with a large investment.

Missouri issued a release April 22, advertising for bids to replace the turf field at Taylor Stadium. The request came with an estimated cost of $1.3-1.4 million.

"It's a driving need," Veatch said. "Candidly, we have several areas, particularly in our Olympic sports, from a facility standpoint, that are just woefully behind. That was one of them. It got to the point where it is not a luxury. It's a necessity. In order to have safe competitive competition, we got to be able to provide those services and do those things."

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The majority of SEC teams have full turf fields, but this movement from the athletic department isn't addressing a new issue. Former players have spoken out about the lack of funding to the program.

"No turf outfield, it's not a good look," former Tigers first baseman Peter Zimmermann said in June 2023. "There are public high schools throughout the state of Missouri that have turf outfields, and your flagship institution can't have a turf outfield? That hurts."

Zimmermann, who spent two seasons with the Tigers, addressed the needs for the baseball program ahead of Jackson's first offseason with the Tigers. While former athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois hired Jackson, Zimmermann still believed his former coach, Steve Bieser, got an unfair shake at the end of his time at Missouri.

"I think he got the short end of the stick," Zimmermann said. "He had to deal with having just the smallest budget in the SEC, the worst facilities in the SEC, the worst travel schedules in the SEC, and all that stuff coupled against him without really much help behind him."

Veatch reiterated that Jackson took over a difficult situation in his return to Missouri, but he also expressed his trust in Jackson continuing to approach the position in the right way with what's available right now, especially for a roster riddled by pitching injuries.

"We'll just keep supporting him," Veatch said. "You look at what happened with men's basketball. Last year, we had a similar struggle, and then flip it around to this year and made a big step. We need to continue to support our coach to get to that point."

Yes, I cancelled my PowerMizzou subscription. Since the change from Rivals to 247, it has so much non-Mizzou stuff. I've followed Mizzou sports since 1957 and I'll stick with MIZZOUTODAY as long as you keep producing great content.

While previously expected to make up his visit to Missouri, Jaylin Caldwell will no longer take his trip to see the Tigers, a source said Friday.

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This update was also shared in The Friday File.

Isaac Jensen received an in-home visit from Missouri tight ends coach Derham Cato on April 24. The Tigers feel in good shape here, like the other three expected official visitors at the position, but there's no movement on a commitment right now, per source.

Yet Jensen picked up a second prediction to Missouri on Thursday.


I'll start sharing more overlap coverage with the new parent site as things become more official in the next two months.

There's going to be a couple of these galleries from the game yesterday, I accidentally took way too man photos.

May is one of the slower times on the athletic calendar, but recruiting is year-round. So, we start with how the Tigers are poised to pivot depending on the House Settlement regarding NIL and scholarships.

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Wilson Rigg always harped on how great Missouri was to him.

The Palmyra (Mo.) High product spent one season with the Tigers in the early 2010s, and now years removed, working for Anna (Tex.) High, he still praises the program to the players he now coaches, including Peyton Miller.

Miller, a three-star interior offensive lineman in the 2027 class, received an offer from Missouri offensive line coach Brandon Jones on Wednesday. Jones, who has been on a recruiting trip through Texas, watched Miller work out.

"His character stood out for sure," Miller said, "really great guy, definitely relatable, and it was great to meet him."

Jones admired Miller's ability to move around the offensive line at 6-foot-5, 305 pounds. That versatility was crucial in Jones' assessment of the No. 10 interior offensive lineman among rising seniors.

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Tight ends coach Derham Cato might be in the market for two high school tight ends again, given his push to recruit higher-end talent compared to years past for the Tigers.

Here are two regurgitated notes and one new on a third tight end to receive a visit from Cato:

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Marietta (Ga.) Kell has become a premier stop for Missouri coaches this offseason.

Linebackers coach Derek Nicholson was the most recent staffer to check in with the Longhorns' staff Thursday. He met with Class of 2026 recruits Jowell Combay and Tony Forney Jr., a pair of defensive backs scheduled to officially visit the Tigers the final weekend in May.

"He had an opportunity to see Jowell and Tony, talk with them for a second and build that relationship with them," Kell recruiting coordinator Chris Pack said. "So I know they're excited about getting over there for their their OV date."

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Combay backed out of his spring visit with the Tigers in March, looking to make an unofficial at a later date. The four-star safety hasn't rescheduled that trip, while his official visit nears in the coming month.

Transferring to Kell from Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison at the start of the spring semester, Combay saw his recruitment take off. He also mixed right in with a loaded secondary after playing both ways for Harrison.

"He worked his tail off since he's been here," Pack said. "Our back seven is pretty dang good, and they all push each other. They work hard, and he jumped right in and fit right in with that group."

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Forney originally planned to visit Missouri from June 20-22, but with his new teammate also considering the Tigers and building a strong relationship with safeties coach Jacob Yoro, Forney moved up his visit to join Combay on their first trip to see the program.

"Football has changed," Pack said. "It's now a sideline-to-sideline game, and you throw the ball a lot more. So being able to defend against the pass is important, and we're really excited about our backend and the talent that we have back there. And those guys should be able to make some noise this year."

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Nicholson extended an offer to Kamoni Adams, who played both ways his sophomore season, finding snaps in the secondary. The Class of 2027 cornerback also stepped in at running back one game when starter Quinterrius Gipson was out with an injury.

That versatility put Adams on the map this offseason, as he garnered more attention from colleges. But Pack still tabbed Adams a "baby," in the sense his cornerback is just getting started.

"He's just a really athletic kid, really fluid, great hips, great movement, great coverage skills, fast," Pack said. "He's just at the tip of the iceberg of what he's going to be able to do."

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An instant starter for Kell, Gipson matured more during his sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back, who Nicholson also offered, carried a larger workload as the primary option for the offense. Ranking No. 106 in the 2027 class, the four-star averaged 7.1 yards per rush and recorded 17 touchdowns this past year.

"He's got great balance, great feel for the game," Pack said.

Nicholson also asked about Pack's son, Brayden Rouse, a Rivals250 linebacker, but with Rouse recently narrowing his list down to four schools, Missouri was late to rekindling interest after former linebackers coach D.J. Smith offered Rouse during the fall.

Missouri cornerbacks coach Al Pogue stopped by Kell during the NCAA Contact Period in January. With another round of offers coming through, the Tigers sent Nicholson out to further a relationship with a school that's kept its doors wide open to colleges this offseason.

"I think we had 73 schools or something come through there in the winter," Pack said, "so we should have over 100 come through this spring. ... We have a talented group of kids that drive recruiting through the school, so it's really good for for those kids and really good for our other kids, because that's a good way for other kids to get noticed."

The Unwritten Rule jumps into a discussion on what Dennis Gates is looking for in his hire of a general manager. The guys give their thoughts on suggested candidates, what qualities the GM should have and how Mizzou could use famous alums as assistant GMs. The show gives the latest transfer portal updates for football, and the guys discuss Gates hiring Steve Wright as an assistant before closing the show with Quick Hits: Judd finds a new home, Corey Flagg gets a minicamp invite and Mizzou's way-too-early bracketology projection.

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Defensive line is always a position of need in the NFL, where the game is won from the trenches out. Kennedy Jr. boasts size and athletic traits as a versatile interior DL who is an active run stuffer and has upside as a pass-rusher from the inside, too.

Missouri has a rich history of outstanding defensive linemen and the program is high on this three-star DL from Arkansas.

More from @samspiegelman: