In the Friday File, the MizzouToday staff opens up their notebooks before the weekend and drops the news, rumors, tidbits and speculations they have not already shared throughout the week. Injuries are a hot topic again this week, and we also get into some women’s basketball before finishing with football recruiting.
I think Cooper being out could make a great situation for Josh Manning. He's really impressed me the past couple of weeks and him having success could be the key to a win tomorrow.
For the other guys, I think Noel probably won't go, which sucks. He looked so good those first four games and just hasn't been able to stay on the field in the middle third of the season. Hopefully a bye week can get him back to full health for the stretch run.
Brady is going to play if he can walk. I know Pete Thamel had the report early in the week that he wasn't likely, but I think that's a national guy going off his 'doubtful' listing on the injury report instead of going off of knowing who Brady is. If he's at all able to push off that back leg, he's going to force himself onto the field to try to get the marquee win of the season.
I’m less worried about Norfleet being questionable than I was the past couple of weeks. It didn’t look good when he was hanging his shoulder heading into the tent last week, but when he came back and almost immediately tried to hurdle a guy that told me he’s pretty confident. It seems like a ridiculous decision when you’ve been hurt so much this year, but he did it, so I think he was feeling alright. The questionable listing just comes from not fully participating in practice, so I think the team is just trying to keep him on the road to recovery with a long-lingering issue.
But all those injuries have led Vegas bookmakers to move the line four more points in favor Alabama since Tuesday, and it’s going to take a lot to go right for the Tigers to win this week. I think Cook is a necessity, though if Drew Pyne plays, I think he’ll look better than last week just because he’s been taking the main reps at practice. I’ve been talking all week about how impressed I’ve been with Josh Manning, and without Cooper, he’s going to have to have a big game. Alabama has a great defensive backfield, but if they have to spend any amount of focus on Manning, that leaves more openings for Luther Burden and Theo Wease that wouldn’t have been there before.
The defense is going to have to play incredible, and I’m not real worried about the safeties on the injury report. Questionable is usually the designation for guys who are probably going to play and just need a little extra rest. Since none of them were downgraded Thursday, I feel pretty confident about the group. If they can use the poor decisions that have led to Jalen Milroe throwing a couple of interceptions the last two games to steal a possession or two, that will go a long way toward a good Mizzou outcome.
Then the press just got to mingle with the players a bit around the court.
I'll say, Tionna Herron might not get a ton of time early this year because she's still working her way back into playing shape, but she was very open to talking about having open-heart surgery two years ago and what that recovery process has been like. It's not an easy conversation for a lot of athletes, especially when it's an unusual medical situation, but she was very open and honest about her feelings along the way. I'll have a feature out on her next week that I expect you will enjoy.
Hannah Linthacum and Grace Slaughter both really highlighted how much stronger they feel this year and the work they've done to get to the level of physicality the SEC requires. I think that's going to be huge for the team this year. Plus, the Tigers went from having one freshman who wasn't quite strong enough as the lone option in the post, to four players who know what it takes to play at a high level. I think Missouri’s play down low is going to look a lot different this year.
The Tigers are in a good spot with Haastrup. Eli Drinkwitz, Brian Early and Maurey Bland all impressed Haastrup in his first trip to Missouri. From going the extra mile with making him feel a part of the program, connecting into his religious faith and, in his words, treating his mom like royalty, Missouri checked off a lot of the boxes.
Now, it's just a matter of keeping that relationship strong. Haastrup -- who is a naturally gifted athlete at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds -- specifically mentioned his athletic similarities to Darris Smith and Zion Young, the latter of whom Haastrup admired for how he came in and contributed quickly as a transfer.
Haastrup has future official visits on tap with Vanderbilt, Florida State and Illinois, and Michigan is trying to get him on campus after a late offer. While newer to the football landscape, Haastrup has had assistance from his cousin and others to navigate this process, but one plus is that he’s not accustomed to the history and prestige of programs. He’s looking for the best fit from a relationship and development standpoint. It's been an accelerated recruitment for the Class of 2025 recruit, but Missouri remains firmly in the fold for the edge rusher.
The Tigers’ only opportunity to get Sieg on campus would be Nov. 30 for the final regular-season contest. The No. 187 recruit in the class already has plans to be at Penn State on Nov. 9, when Missouri will host Oklahoma. It's still possible Sieg will visit for a game this season, but nothing is set in stone.
On the topic of Nov. 9, the visitor list for the Oklahoma game is shaping up. Multiple wide receivers from different classes are expected on campus: Kenyon Alston, Jamar Browder (official visit), Chance McPike and Lebron Hill (former Purdue/Louisville commit). That list also already features other ranked recruits and will continue to grow over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Lamont Rogers missed his initial flight to St. Louis on Oct. 19 and ended up arriving at halftime in Columbia for an unofficial visit. I connected with four-star offensive tackle Jack Lange -- who was supposed to pick up his fellow Missouri commit from the airport -- and he said he still got plenty of time to talk with Rogers in-person.
Lange admitted he doesn't know what goes on behind the scenes in Rogers' recruitment, but he believed Rogers sounded comfortable with his Missouri commitment based on their conversations. Rogers is now set for another unofficial visit to Texas A&M this weekend, though, returning to Kyle Field for a second time this month, Sam Spiegelman confirmed. It’s still a race to signing day for both Missouri and Texas A&M, but similar to his past visit to Missouri, we'll see if Rogers makes it to Kyle Field on Saturday.
Football
The reports on injuries have been a bit overwhelming this week, with Mookie Cooper not set to play and Brady Cook and Nate Noel doubtful. Add in the number of safeties listed as questionable, along with Brett Norfleet and Cayden Green, and I had to do a double-take of Wednesday's report when it came out.I think Cooper being out could make a great situation for Josh Manning. He's really impressed me the past couple of weeks and him having success could be the key to a win tomorrow.
For the other guys, I think Noel probably won't go, which sucks. He looked so good those first four games and just hasn't been able to stay on the field in the middle third of the season. Hopefully a bye week can get him back to full health for the stretch run.
Brady is going to play if he can walk. I know Pete Thamel had the report early in the week that he wasn't likely, but I think that's a national guy going off his 'doubtful' listing on the injury report instead of going off of knowing who Brady is. If he's at all able to push off that back leg, he's going to force himself onto the field to try to get the marquee win of the season.
I’m less worried about Norfleet being questionable than I was the past couple of weeks. It didn’t look good when he was hanging his shoulder heading into the tent last week, but when he came back and almost immediately tried to hurdle a guy that told me he’s pretty confident. It seems like a ridiculous decision when you’ve been hurt so much this year, but he did it, so I think he was feeling alright. The questionable listing just comes from not fully participating in practice, so I think the team is just trying to keep him on the road to recovery with a long-lingering issue.
But all those injuries have led Vegas bookmakers to move the line four more points in favor Alabama since Tuesday, and it’s going to take a lot to go right for the Tigers to win this week. I think Cook is a necessity, though if Drew Pyne plays, I think he’ll look better than last week just because he’s been taking the main reps at practice. I’ve been talking all week about how impressed I’ve been with Josh Manning, and without Cooper, he’s going to have to have a big game. Alabama has a great defensive backfield, but if they have to spend any amount of focus on Manning, that leaves more openings for Luther Burden and Theo Wease that wouldn’t have been there before.
The defense is going to have to play incredible, and I’m not real worried about the safeties on the injury report. Questionable is usually the designation for guys who are probably going to play and just need a little extra rest. Since none of them were downgraded Thursday, I feel pretty confident about the group. If they can use the poor decisions that have led to Jalen Milroe throwing a couple of interceptions the last two games to steal a possession or two, that will go a long way toward a good Mizzou outcome.
Women's basketball
Media day was fun. It started with a press conference with Robin Pingeton and she did well handling the awkward question that had to be asked about this being the last year of her contract. She played it very well, just saying she has enjoyed her 15 years working for Mizzou and being part of the athletic department, then pivoting to talking about how excited she is about this group - which is about as well as that can be handled. There was never going to be a yes-or-no answer to that question. Of course it's on her mind, but if she says that to the press, it’s a bad look.Then the press just got to mingle with the players a bit around the court.
I'll say, Tionna Herron might not get a ton of time early this year because she's still working her way back into playing shape, but she was very open to talking about having open-heart surgery two years ago and what that recovery process has been like. It's not an easy conversation for a lot of athletes, especially when it's an unusual medical situation, but she was very open and honest about her feelings along the way. I'll have a feature out on her next week that I expect you will enjoy.
Hannah Linthacum and Grace Slaughter both really highlighted how much stronger they feel this year and the work they've done to get to the level of physicality the SEC requires. I think that's going to be huge for the team this year. Plus, the Tigers went from having one freshman who wasn't quite strong enough as the lone option in the post, to four players who know what it takes to play at a high level. I think Missouri’s play down low is going to look a lot different this year.
Recruiting
Tobi Haastrup said Missouri was among his top four schools following his official visit this past weekend. The four-star weakside defensive end -- who only began his football career this season -- will announce his commitment Dec. 2, two days before the early national signing period opens.The Tigers are in a good spot with Haastrup. Eli Drinkwitz, Brian Early and Maurey Bland all impressed Haastrup in his first trip to Missouri. From going the extra mile with making him feel a part of the program, connecting into his religious faith and, in his words, treating his mom like royalty, Missouri checked off a lot of the boxes.
Now, it's just a matter of keeping that relationship strong. Haastrup -- who is a naturally gifted athlete at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds -- specifically mentioned his athletic similarities to Darris Smith and Zion Young, the latter of whom Haastrup admired for how he came in and contributed quickly as a transfer.
Haastrup has future official visits on tap with Vanderbilt, Florida State and Illinois, and Michigan is trying to get him on campus after a late offer. While newer to the football landscape, Haastrup has had assistance from his cousin and others to navigate this process, but one plus is that he’s not accustomed to the history and prestige of programs. He’s looking for the best fit from a relationship and development standpoint. It's been an accelerated recruitment for the Class of 2025 recruit, but Missouri remains firmly in the fold for the edge rusher.
Upcoming visitors
The Tigers have a top 2025 commit from Pennsylvania in Matt Zollers, but how about one for 2026? Four-star athlete Matt Sieg has been planning a trip to Missouri this fall, but eight weeks into the season, he's yet to visit Columbia.The Tigers’ only opportunity to get Sieg on campus would be Nov. 30 for the final regular-season contest. The No. 187 recruit in the class already has plans to be at Penn State on Nov. 9, when Missouri will host Oklahoma. It's still possible Sieg will visit for a game this season, but nothing is set in stone.
On the topic of Nov. 9, the visitor list for the Oklahoma game is shaping up. Multiple wide receivers from different classes are expected on campus: Kenyon Alston, Jamar Browder (official visit), Chance McPike and Lebron Hill (former Purdue/Louisville commit). That list also already features other ranked recruits and will continue to grow over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Lamont Rogers missed his initial flight to St. Louis on Oct. 19 and ended up arriving at halftime in Columbia for an unofficial visit. I connected with four-star offensive tackle Jack Lange -- who was supposed to pick up his fellow Missouri commit from the airport -- and he said he still got plenty of time to talk with Rogers in-person.
Lange admitted he doesn't know what goes on behind the scenes in Rogers' recruitment, but he believed Rogers sounded comfortable with his Missouri commitment based on their conversations. Rogers is now set for another unofficial visit to Texas A&M this weekend, though, returning to Kyle Field for a second time this month, Sam Spiegelman confirmed. It’s still a race to signing day for both Missouri and Texas A&M, but similar to his past visit to Missouri, we'll see if Rogers makes it to Kyle Field on Saturday.
