In the Friday File, the MizzouToday staff opens up their notebooks and drops the news, rumors, tidbits and speculations you need to know heading into the weekend. Surprise, Surprise, we're talking Brady Cook injury status, but we're also preparing for a big week of college football recruiting visitors. Here we go...
FOOTBALLThe football team kept the media away from practice again this week, which is a big reason I was so surprised Brady Cook was listed as questionable on the injury report. Everything I’d heard was he wouldn’t be close to being back for Saturday.
There have been pretty tight lips about the quarterback room since a day or two after the Alabama game, which I think might mean there’s some gamesmanship going on here. The status report flip on Cook, though, feels so crazy.
Going into the Alabama game, Brady was listed as doubtful on the first injury report and everyone around the team was sure he’d end up being able to go. Now he’s listed as questionable and from everything I’ve heard, there’s no way he would be able to play against Oklahoma. Maybe he’s just a superhero with fast-recovery powers.
I still haven’t been able to get a real answer about what happened to Mookie Cooper. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Mitch Walters still rotates in a lot at left guard even though Cayden Green is trending toward playing this weekend.
I also expect to see a lot of the freshmen tonight. Payton Marshall was the lone freshmen to see the floor Monday and that was only because Josh Gray got in foul trouble. I’m excited to see how Annor Boateng, especially, looks in game action. He had some turnover issues in high school, so hopefully that’s under control, otherwise he won’t see much future playing time once opponents get tougher in December. But, maybe Anthony Robinson’s development we saw Monday will just claim that spot over Perkins and Boateng.
Thursday night’s game against Southern never felt close or that there was a possibility the Tigers might lose, but if an early team on the schedule is able to create a greater turnover disparity, it is going to be tough to pull out a win.
Now that the Wolverines have added another Class of 2025 pass catcher, they'll need to keep their eyes on current commit Jacob Washington, because Missouri is gaining momentum with the four-star wide receiver out of New Orleans. Washington verbally committed to Michigan in June after his official visit, but he is set for another visit to Missouri on Saturday after taking an official visit to Columbia in early June. This situation could be shaping up similar to the Daniel Blood recruitment when the Tigers grabbed his commitment in November 2022, just weeks before the Early Signing Period that year.
The Tigers have four offensive skill players in the current class: Donovan Olugbode, Jamarion Morrow, Shaun Terry and Dakotah Terrell, but Terrell is likely going to need a season to develop into his frame to play tight end in the SEC.
Missouri will lose three starting wide receivers this offseason, with Luther Burden III expected to enter the NFL Draft and Theo Wease Jr. and Cooper exhausting their eligibility. It's apparent the staff wants another pass-catching option in this class to develop, and after the recent developments, Jackson and Washington are the two primary targets.
It may behoove the program to target a wideout in the transfer portal as well to fortify a wide receiver rotation that will most likely feature Blood, Courtney Crutchfield, James Madison II, Joshua Manning, Mekhi Miller and Marquis Johnson in 2025.
In regards to a defensive secondary addition, there's no steam in the direction of Minnesota commit Zack Harden and Washington commit Rylon Dillard-Allen, who visited his Huskies last weekend and told Rivals.com he won’t make any other visits, planning to shut down his recruitment soon. Former Indiana pledge Byron Baldwin is likely to end back with the Hoosiers after decommitting Oct. 2, despite a strong push from Colorado. The Tigers also made a push for Baldwin, but he is planning to be back visiting Indiana on Saturday and announcing a commitment Nov. 15, which means the Tigers won't have a shot to get him on campus before he announces.
FOOTBALL
There have been pretty tight lips about the quarterback room since a day or two after the Alabama game, which I think might mean there’s some gamesmanship going on here. The status report flip on Cook, though, feels so crazy.
Going into the Alabama game, Brady was listed as doubtful on the first injury report and everyone around the team was sure he’d end up being able to go. Now he’s listed as questionable and from everything I’ve heard, there’s no way he would be able to play against Oklahoma. Maybe he’s just a superhero with fast-recovery powers.
I still haven’t been able to get a real answer about what happened to Mookie Cooper. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Mitch Walters still rotates in a lot at left guard even though Cayden Green is trending toward playing this weekend.
BASKETBALL
It was good to see Tony Perkins out there Monday night and I haven’t heard anything about him being questionable for tonight, so hopefully we’re through that and don’t have to deal with another long-term injury to a guard that keeps a portal addition out for most of the season. We’ll definitely see some playing around with rotations tonight and through the next handful of games. It’s a lot easier to mess around with pairings on the court in games you should win by 30+.I also expect to see a lot of the freshmen tonight. Payton Marshall was the lone freshmen to see the floor Monday and that was only because Josh Gray got in foul trouble. I’m excited to see how Annor Boateng, especially, looks in game action. He had some turnover issues in high school, so hopefully that’s under control, otherwise he won’t see much future playing time once opponents get tougher in December. But, maybe Anthony Robinson’s development we saw Monday will just claim that spot over Perkins and Boateng.
WOMEN’S HOOPS
After covering Monday’s game and last night’s game, it is clear this team is going to lose at least a game or two they really shouldn’t until they get the turnovers under control. I will say, Vermont actually doesn’t count as one of those games they shouldn’t lose. That’s a good team, even if Missouri didn’t play its best in that contest.Thursday night’s game against Southern never felt close or that there was a possibility the Tigers might lose, but if an early team on the schedule is able to create a greater turnover disparity, it is going to be tough to pull out a win.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Missouri expected two official visitors this weekend in Nebraska commit Jeremiah Jones and North Carolina State commit Jamar Browder, but only the former will make it to Columbia for the Oklahoma game. Browder -- who scheduled three consecutive weekends of official visits with Michigan, Missouri and Kentucky -- backed off what would have been his first-ever trip to see the Tigers and announced his flip to Michigan this morning.Now that the Wolverines have added another Class of 2025 pass catcher, they'll need to keep their eyes on current commit Jacob Washington, because Missouri is gaining momentum with the four-star wide receiver out of New Orleans. Washington verbally committed to Michigan in June after his official visit, but he is set for another visit to Missouri on Saturday after taking an official visit to Columbia in early June. This situation could be shaping up similar to the Daniel Blood recruitment when the Tigers grabbed his commitment in November 2022, just weeks before the Early Signing Period that year.
The Tigers have four offensive skill players in the current class: Donovan Olugbode, Jamarion Morrow, Shaun Terry and Dakotah Terrell, but Terrell is likely going to need a season to develop into his frame to play tight end in the SEC.
Missouri will lose three starting wide receivers this offseason, with Luther Burden III expected to enter the NFL Draft and Theo Wease Jr. and Cooper exhausting their eligibility. It's apparent the staff wants another pass-catching option in this class to develop, and after the recent developments, Jackson and Washington are the two primary targets.
It may behoove the program to target a wideout in the transfer portal as well to fortify a wide receiver rotation that will most likely feature Blood, Courtney Crutchfield, James Madison II, Joshua Manning, Mekhi Miller and Marquis Johnson in 2025.
In regards to a defensive secondary addition, there's no steam in the direction of Minnesota commit Zack Harden and Washington commit Rylon Dillard-Allen, who visited his Huskies last weekend and told Rivals.com he won’t make any other visits, planning to shut down his recruitment soon. Former Indiana pledge Byron Baldwin is likely to end back with the Hoosiers after decommitting Oct. 2, despite a strong push from Colorado. The Tigers also made a push for Baldwin, but he is planning to be back visiting Indiana on Saturday and announcing a commitment Nov. 15, which means the Tigers won't have a shot to get him on campus before he announces.
