Spring football has given us some clarity, as well as additional questions, around the quarterback position. A number of top recruits are heading to campus this weekend, and there is a lot to discuss in both men’s and women’s basketball in this week’s Friday File.
After getting to see Sam Horn throw routes for the first time this year at practice on Tuesday, he looked impressive. The arm is strong, he was throwing accurately and his teammates are talking about him being impressive so far. They’re saying the same about Beau Pribula, though, so that isn’t necessarily a definitive indicator.
I’m sure the staff has told players, receivers especially, to never let on anything about which one of them is doing better in the competition. We can see that when we’ve gotten to talk with Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson - when they are asked about the quarterbacks, it takes them a second to figure out the diplomatic way to answer the question without letting anything on.
I do think I and others might have bought a little too much into Pribula automatically being the guy because Drinkwitz was working hard to bring in a portal quarterback, and Pribula reportedly has a big NIL deal. After further evaluation, I think this is going to be a real competition that Horn has a legitimate chance to win.
The Basketball Portal moves quickly and I’m not sure at this point who the Tigers are going to target. We are, however, starting to hear some rumblings about players who might leave.
Let’s start with Aidan Shaw. I think him heading out of Columbia for his senior year just makes a bit too much sense. He was recruited by Cuonzo Martin and has never really fit into Dennis Gates’ scheme or developed much within it. Shaw is an exciting player because his athleticism is off the charts, but it seems like Gates’ system just isn’t where he is going to work best. So, I think it’s reasonable to expect him to head out.
We have also heard whispers and seen posts on X that T.O. Barrett and Peyton Marshall’s camps aren’t super happy with their situations this season. Why? I’m not sure. There’s certainly going to be efforts to keep them around, but those are two more who I think might be on the way out as well.
Although, Gates is apparently a very convincing man, so talking to two young guys poised for a next step could be right in his wheelhouse.
Finally, there’s word Trent Burns wanted to play this year after coming back from injury, which could be why the Tigers never officially did redshirt him this season. Gates has talked a lot about not wanting to use the word redshirt around him, but I just can’t imagine he’s going to get into a game at this point.
I don’t really see the benefit in not just taking the redshirt if I am Burns. As a team, I get the benefit if they were able to play him, but the idea that the team has the confidence to throw him into do-or-die games without him ever playing serious competition seems unlikely. I doubt he plans to stick around for four years, but I just don’t get the difference, if he were to declare early, doing it after a junior season or after a redshirt sophomore season.
I saw the report yesterday from a national writer who said she’s down to just Arkansas and Arizona State as a top two, but I don’t know how much confidence to have in that specific report. Not to say he’s wrong or has been before, I just don’t know his work.
It does seem like the Tigers might have to move on to another candidate after Miller. Charmin Smith, a St. Louis native who has coached at California for five years, signed an extension to stay with the Golden Bears on Thursday, so she’s off the table.
I think that leaves the Tigers at Beth Cunningham from Missouri State or Jeff Mittie from Kansas State among active head coaches. However, it sounds like Mittie’s agent might just be throwing his name in these conversations to get some extra leverage for an extension, much like it now seems Smith did at Cal. I’ve heard Mittie really likes Manhattan and wants to keep his family there.
So, it feels at the moment like the momentum is turning in Cunningham’s favor as the likely top current head coach candidate, with Kellie Harper always hanging around as an option in the background.
Most likely to commit: None. But Missouri will have a commit on campus in Class of 2026 three-star Anthony Kennedy Jr. His brother, Bryson, is a Class of 2029 quarterback who was in Columbia this past January as well. MizzouToday is awaiting confirmation of Bryson also visiting or not.
Most likely to be offered: Austin Coles. The No. 219 recruit in the 2027 class announced a later confirmed visit to Missouri after previously being invited to Junior Day in January. As the Tigers set focus to Illinois for future pass-catchers in the upcoming cycles, they have another four-star to monitor in Coles. Offers to Landon Blum and Jaxx DeJean -- brother of Cooper -- could also expect offers as top sophomore prospects.
Big names to know: There’s a trio of top 2026 recruits scheduled to be on campus. Arguably the top offensive tackle target for the Tigers behind Jackson Cantwell, Sam Greer leads three offensive targets with a two-day visit starting Friday. The four-star could see foreshadowing of a future offense with three-star quarterback Jett Thomalla, a recent offered recruit making a return to Columbia, and three-star tight end Issac Jensen, who has an official visit locked in. Thomalla and Jensen are top three targets for Missouri at their respective positions and high school teammates. Thomalla has leaped on the scene since his Missouri offer, being rated by multiple recruiting networks. He likely took the focus away from Bowe Bentley, who is seeing more powerhouses coming to him with offers and interest. Thomalla has a FutureCast to Iowa State.
Ohio frenzy: Along with Greer, Missouri will host Ohio prospects Lual Aleu, Elijah Berman and PJ MacFarlane. Aleu sounded excited about his offer from the Tigers in January and sounded optimistic of making the further trip to Missouri during spring practice, but he got it figured out. Berman returns after visiting in January, but he’s still waiting for that one big offer to trigger Power Four opportunities. He currently has seven offers. McFarlane got his scholarship after tight ends coach Derham Cato watched him workout. The Tigers have shown a willingness to land two tight ends a cycle, and Cato has been active with offers this off-season. It’ll be a busy weekend for pass game specialist and Ohio recruiter Brendan Boylan.
In-state tight ends: Speaking on Cato, he has the future sitting in St. Louis. Jack Brown, a Rivals250 recruit in the 2027 class, has grown into a massive target at St. Peters (Mo.) Francis Howell Central. He watched Brett Norfleet growing up, and even with more top schools on his list, he’s making returns to Missouri. Ridge Janes, the son of Ron “Rino” Janes, has emerged as one of the top in-state recruits in the 2028 class, playing at St. Louis (Mo.) De Smet. Ridge mapped out visits on short notice following an unexpected end to his baseball season this past week.
Two young names to know: Caden Jones and Carter Barrett. A Class of 2027 four-star quarterback, Jones saw a slight dip in the Rivals250 following his sophomore year, but he still remains a top player in the nation in football and basketball. He’s received offers for both sports as an individual and dual-sport athlete. Jones is making his rounds to the numerous schools that have offered him, but Missouri hasn’t offered him as a basketball player. Barrett is listed as an athlete who could end up on the offensive line, but he has time to figure that out while only a freshman.
Punter answer: After talking about the lack of specialists, especially the lack of a backup punter, this past week, Erik Link will host a Class of 2026 punter for back-to-back weeks. On Friday, the Tigers will get Michael Bukauskas on campus for a second time in three months after hosting Jackson Shevin this past Saturday. Missouri will still look to the spring portal for a backup this upcoming season.
FOOTBALL
Eli Drinkwitz has said before that he is not going to decide on a quarterback in spring camp. This QB battle is going to go through the summer, and I think it’s going to be an actual battle.After getting to see Sam Horn throw routes for the first time this year at practice on Tuesday, he looked impressive. The arm is strong, he was throwing accurately and his teammates are talking about him being impressive so far. They’re saying the same about Beau Pribula, though, so that isn’t necessarily a definitive indicator.
I’m sure the staff has told players, receivers especially, to never let on anything about which one of them is doing better in the competition. We can see that when we’ve gotten to talk with Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson - when they are asked about the quarterbacks, it takes them a second to figure out the diplomatic way to answer the question without letting anything on.
I do think I and others might have bought a little too much into Pribula automatically being the guy because Drinkwitz was working hard to bring in a portal quarterback, and Pribula reportedly has a big NIL deal. After further evaluation, I think this is going to be a real competition that Horn has a legitimate chance to win.
BASKETBALL
It’s annoying how quickly this is happening, but even though the postseason is just beginning, the Transfer Portal is right around the corner. The Men’s Basketball Portal is open from March 24 through April 22, so it opens just after the conclusion of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.The Basketball Portal moves quickly and I’m not sure at this point who the Tigers are going to target. We are, however, starting to hear some rumblings about players who might leave.
Let’s start with Aidan Shaw. I think him heading out of Columbia for his senior year just makes a bit too much sense. He was recruited by Cuonzo Martin and has never really fit into Dennis Gates’ scheme or developed much within it. Shaw is an exciting player because his athleticism is off the charts, but it seems like Gates’ system just isn’t where he is going to work best. So, I think it’s reasonable to expect him to head out.
We have also heard whispers and seen posts on X that T.O. Barrett and Peyton Marshall’s camps aren’t super happy with their situations this season. Why? I’m not sure. There’s certainly going to be efforts to keep them around, but those are two more who I think might be on the way out as well.
Although, Gates is apparently a very convincing man, so talking to two young guys poised for a next step could be right in his wheelhouse.
Finally, there’s word Trent Burns wanted to play this year after coming back from injury, which could be why the Tigers never officially did redshirt him this season. Gates has talked a lot about not wanting to use the word redshirt around him, but I just can’t imagine he’s going to get into a game at this point.
I don’t really see the benefit in not just taking the redshirt if I am Burns. As a team, I get the benefit if they were able to play him, but the idea that the team has the confidence to throw him into do-or-die games without him ever playing serious competition seems unlikely. I doubt he plans to stick around for four years, but I just don’t get the difference, if he were to declare early, doing it after a junior season or after a redshirt sophomore season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Current Grand Canyon University head coach Molly Miller has done a zoom interview with the Tigers and it feels like they’ve made it into her top three alongside Arkansas and Arizona State. All three have connections for her: Arizona State allows her to stay where she’s built a life over the past five years, Mizzou brings her back to her home state and Arkansas gets her closer to her hometown (Springfield) than Columbia would (just by about a half hour, but still).I saw the report yesterday from a national writer who said she’s down to just Arkansas and Arizona State as a top two, but I don’t know how much confidence to have in that specific report. Not to say he’s wrong or has been before, I just don’t know his work.
It does seem like the Tigers might have to move on to another candidate after Miller. Charmin Smith, a St. Louis native who has coached at California for five years, signed an extension to stay with the Golden Bears on Thursday, so she’s off the table.
I think that leaves the Tigers at Beth Cunningham from Missouri State or Jeff Mittie from Kansas State among active head coaches. However, it sounds like Mittie’s agent might just be throwing his name in these conversations to get some extra leverage for an extension, much like it now seems Smith did at Cal. I’ve heard Mittie really likes Manhattan and wants to keep his family there.
So, it feels at the moment like the momentum is turning in Cunningham’s favor as the likely top current head coach candidate, with Kellie Harper always hanging around as an option in the background.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Missouri will host its second and final Junior Day of March on Saturday, but it won’t be the end of unofficial visits before spring practices end in a few weeks. Here’s a look at who to know on campus this weekend:Most likely to commit: None. But Missouri will have a commit on campus in Class of 2026 three-star Anthony Kennedy Jr. His brother, Bryson, is a Class of 2029 quarterback who was in Columbia this past January as well. MizzouToday is awaiting confirmation of Bryson also visiting or not.
Most likely to be offered: Austin Coles. The No. 219 recruit in the 2027 class announced a later confirmed visit to Missouri after previously being invited to Junior Day in January. As the Tigers set focus to Illinois for future pass-catchers in the upcoming cycles, they have another four-star to monitor in Coles. Offers to Landon Blum and Jaxx DeJean -- brother of Cooper -- could also expect offers as top sophomore prospects.
Big names to know: There’s a trio of top 2026 recruits scheduled to be on campus. Arguably the top offensive tackle target for the Tigers behind Jackson Cantwell, Sam Greer leads three offensive targets with a two-day visit starting Friday. The four-star could see foreshadowing of a future offense with three-star quarterback Jett Thomalla, a recent offered recruit making a return to Columbia, and three-star tight end Issac Jensen, who has an official visit locked in. Thomalla and Jensen are top three targets for Missouri at their respective positions and high school teammates. Thomalla has leaped on the scene since his Missouri offer, being rated by multiple recruiting networks. He likely took the focus away from Bowe Bentley, who is seeing more powerhouses coming to him with offers and interest. Thomalla has a FutureCast to Iowa State.
Ohio frenzy: Along with Greer, Missouri will host Ohio prospects Lual Aleu, Elijah Berman and PJ MacFarlane. Aleu sounded excited about his offer from the Tigers in January and sounded optimistic of making the further trip to Missouri during spring practice, but he got it figured out. Berman returns after visiting in January, but he’s still waiting for that one big offer to trigger Power Four opportunities. He currently has seven offers. McFarlane got his scholarship after tight ends coach Derham Cato watched him workout. The Tigers have shown a willingness to land two tight ends a cycle, and Cato has been active with offers this off-season. It’ll be a busy weekend for pass game specialist and Ohio recruiter Brendan Boylan.
In-state tight ends: Speaking on Cato, he has the future sitting in St. Louis. Jack Brown, a Rivals250 recruit in the 2027 class, has grown into a massive target at St. Peters (Mo.) Francis Howell Central. He watched Brett Norfleet growing up, and even with more top schools on his list, he’s making returns to Missouri. Ridge Janes, the son of Ron “Rino” Janes, has emerged as one of the top in-state recruits in the 2028 class, playing at St. Louis (Mo.) De Smet. Ridge mapped out visits on short notice following an unexpected end to his baseball season this past week.
Two young names to know: Caden Jones and Carter Barrett. A Class of 2027 four-star quarterback, Jones saw a slight dip in the Rivals250 following his sophomore year, but he still remains a top player in the nation in football and basketball. He’s received offers for both sports as an individual and dual-sport athlete. Jones is making his rounds to the numerous schools that have offered him, but Missouri hasn’t offered him as a basketball player. Barrett is listed as an athlete who could end up on the offensive line, but he has time to figure that out while only a freshman.
Punter answer: After talking about the lack of specialists, especially the lack of a backup punter, this past week, Erik Link will host a Class of 2026 punter for back-to-back weeks. On Friday, the Tigers will get Michael Bukauskas on campus for a second time in three months after hosting Jackson Shevin this past Saturday. Missouri will still look to the spring portal for a backup this upcoming season.
