The No. 25 Missouri Tigers had a tough sport in opposition to the Alabama Crimson Tide this Saturday, shedding 34-0 with out their beginning quarterback and operating again, falling to 6-2 on the season.
Nonetheless, they continue to be a top-25 workforce within the nation, with losses coming to Alabama and now-No. 10 Texas A&M, whereas beating Boston Faculty, Vanderbilt, and Auburn already.
The Tigers have been led by quarterback Brady Cook dinner, who has thrown for 1,575 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. However, the bread and butter of their offense has been star vast receiver Luther Burden III, who has 40 catches for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns this season.
Burden has been seen by many draft pundits as the highest receiver within the 2025 NFL Draft, as he might doubtlessly go contained in the Prime 5, making him a near-lock to go away Missouri on the finish of the yr.
As well as, the Tigers might lose prime receivers Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper subsequent yr, as each are at present seniors, which means they’ll want an abundance of latest expertise on the place for the 2025 season.
Insert 2025 four-star wideout Donovan Olugbode, who’s a top-40 participant within the class, in response to Rivals, rating because the seventh-best receiver within the cycle.
Olugbode, who performs for IMG Academy, stands 6’1’’, 200 kilos, and dedicated to Missouri again in July following official visits to USC, Florida, and Washington.
Identified for his pace, shiftiness in open house, route-running, and dependable fingers, Olugbode might very nicely be an early contributor for Missouri as they navigate with a brand new receiver room in 2025.
Whereas he has been banged up with accidents this yr, the longer term freshman does have a number of video games with over 60 yards this yr, serving as one of many workforce’s prime wideouts alongside freshman star Eric McFarland.
His greatest sport of the yr got here in opposition to Venice, the place the wideout caught 4 passes and almost eclipsed the 100-yard mark, due to a 62-yard catch-and-run for a rating from quarterback Ty Hawkins.
The four-star has been locked into Missouri, popping out for 2 gameday visits this yr, together with being available for the 21-17 win over Auburn two weeks in the past. However, different applications are seemingly reaching out, trying to gauge the curiosity of the top-100 receiver because the Early Signing Day interval reaches nearer and nearer.
Trying to the longer term, Missouri at present has eight scholarship vast receivers for subsequent yr: rising senior Mekhi Miller, rising juniors Marquis Johnson, Joshua Manning, and Daniel Blood, rising sophomores James Madison II and Courtney Crutchfield, and rising freshmen Olugbode and three-star Shaun Terry.
Ought to the room keep the identical, Miller and Manning venture because the workforce’s prime outdoors receivers, whereas Blood and Johnson might be extra seen as inside/outdoors choices. That leaves open room within the rotation for the youthful guys to step up and Olugbode can be one of many extra high-profile names that’ll look to cement himself early.
Being a crisp route-runner, it wouldn’t be stunning if the freshman impresses the teaching employees early, however getting wholesome can be vital for him to begin off sturdy on the subsequent stage.
