Daeden Hopkins just kept forcing Missouri to notice him.
The sophomore defensive end added another notch to an already loud season Saturday, piling up 3.5 sacks in Missouri’s 31-24 loss to Mississippi State. That performance earned him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors for the second time, and it came with some rare company: his sack total was the second-highest single-game mark by any Missouri player since sacks became an official stat.
Hopkins first picked up the weekly conference award after a Week 2 outing against Kansas, when he finished with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Through four games of his 2026 campaign, the Hermann product has already put together a stat line that jumps off the page: six sacks, two forced fumbles and 14 tackles.
His six sacks trail only Zion Young (6.5) and Damon Wilson II (9) on Missouri’s 2025 sack leaderboard, while defensive tackle Chris McClellan also reached six. The difference, of course, is volume - all three of those players did it across 13 games, while Hopkins has reached that number in just four games this season.
For all the production, Hopkins wasn’t interested in treating Saturday like a finished product. Missouri lost, and the Tigers had issues stopping the run.
"It's awesome, but at the end of the day, there's always more work to be done," Hopkins said of his performance.
Hopkins is the only Missouri player this season to collect two SEC weekly honors. He’s joined on the Tigers’ weekly award list by starting quarterback Austin Simmons, who was named co-offensive player of the week after throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns against Kansas.
Missouri also has a new off-field partnership involving its mascot. Mizzou athletics has struck an NIL deal with Friskies that pairs Truman the Tiger with the cat-food brand, according to a press release. Truman joins feline mascots from Auburn, BYU, Arizona and Villanova in the arrangement.
The deal includes a charitable angle as well. Friskies will donate 10,000 meals to Greater Good Charities to help feed shelter cats after each partnering team’s first score in every game.
"Every great program starts with great recruits, and we couldn't be more excited to sign some of college sports' most recognizable feline talent," Jason Dolan, Brand Director at Friskies said. "These cats already know how tostealthe spotlight and rally their fans, and that's exactly why we wanted them on the Certified Frisky roster. Together, we're turning game day excitement into something bigger by helping cats in need."
Learfield, which holds the exclusive multimedia rights for Mizzou athletics, helped arrange the agreement between Missouri and Friskies.
In Other News...
Mizzou Faces A Huge Bounce-Back Test Against Unbeaten Florida
After a frustrating 31-24 loss to Mississippi State, Missouri gets a chance to reset quickly with a top-10 opponent coming to Columbia. The Tigers, ranked No. 25, will have their hands full with No. 8 Florida, a team that has opened unbeaten under new coach Jon Sumrall and brings a much bigger spotlight into Memorial Stadium.
The stakes are obvious for Missouri, which needs a bounce-back performance to keep its momentum from slipping further after the setback. Florida arrives with the cleaner resume, and the matchup gives the Tigers an immediate measuring stick against one of the SECs early front-runners, with national attention following along on ABC and FUBO. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Top 25 Standing Is About To Face Its Biggest Test
Missouris spot at No. 25 in the AP Top 25 has come with a little extra scrutiny, the kind that follows a team sitting on the edge of the poll and drawing skepticism from outside the program. The Tigers have managed to hang around the rankings, but the conversation around them has turned as much toward perception as performance, with some wondering whether their presence is helping the broader SEC picture more than their own rsum.
Now comes the kind of game that can settle plenty of arguments. Florida arrives as the next heavyweight on Missouris schedule, and the Tigers standing figures to be on the line in a way that goes beyond one weeks ranking. A strong showing would give Missouri a real case to stay put, while anything less could make the rest of the season a much tougher climb in the eyes of the voters. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Is Bringing Extra Motivation Into Its Missouri Rematch
Florida is treating its trip to Columbia as more than just another SEC road game. Offensive lineman Bryce Lovett said the Gators have made last seasons disappointment part of their preparation, using a photo of former defensive lineman Tyreak Sapp sitting on the ground as a reminder of how the 2023 meeting with Missouri ended.
That loss still hangs over the matchup because Missouri won it in dramatic fashion and the game is back on the schedule Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Florida is looking for a cleaner showing this time, and the Tigers should expect a Gators team carrying plenty of built-in motivation into the rematch. [Read more 🡒]