There’s been plenty of buzz around Mark Mitchell and the possibility of him landing at Kentucky, and the reaction has split the usual way: some fans are angry, some are resigned, and some are trying to keep the whole thing in perspective.
One Rock M+ commenter put it this way: “I will always consider Mark Mitchell a True Son and hope MU fans are classy enough to give him a standing ovation if he ever plays for visiting team in Columbia Missouri.”
That’s not quite where I land, but it’s closer to my view than the harsher takes floating around online. Mitchell was in Duke blue just two years ago, so the visual shock isn’t exactly new. Still, it’s understandable that plenty of people don’t love the idea of seeing him in Kentucky blue.
The practical side makes the situation easy to understand. If somebody walked into your office and offered to double your salary, you’d at least hear them out.
In Mitchell’s case, we’re talking about a massive jump - one that could reach $5-6 million if Mark Pope wants him in Lexington. Turning that down would be difficult for just about anyone.
But that doesn’t make it feel any better.
Fans build connections with players over time. You start picking favorites, then rooting a little harder, and if they’re good players and good people, the bond gets stronger.
Mitchell fits that description. He’s both really good and, by all accounts, a really good person.
A lot of people genuinely like him.
From Mizzou’s point of view, the ideal ending was already supposed to have happened. The Tigers seemed to have kept Mitchell, he walked on Senior day, and he got the standing ovation that usually marks the end of a career in Columbia. Then the lawyers got involved, Kentucky missed enough transfer portal targets to need a 4-man, and the numbers got silly.
If Mitchell signs with Kentucky for $6 million, he’d be alongside Milan Momcilovic, who transferred from Iowa State and is rumored to be making $8 million. That would put $14 million between two players, which is probably more than Mizzou’s entire roster.
And if Mitchell somehow comes back to Missouri, it won’t be for anything close to that. That’s the reality of it.
Asking a player to walk away from that kind of money is a huge ask, even if it hurts to see him leave. If he does end up wearing Kentucky’s jersey and comes back to Columbia on January 9th, fans will have to decide for themselves whether to cheer or boo.
Elsewhere, camp is rolling along, and Nathan Hurst looked at five questions that still need answers. The passing game is at the center of it all.
Austin Simmons brings talent, but he’s still raw and has limited experience as a full-time starter at this level. Chip Lindsey was brought in to help fix a passing attack that has never consistently reached its ceiling under Drinkwitz.
There’s more turnover on the offensive side too. Garrett Riley is the new quarterbacks coach, and the receiver room has changed quite a bit. Transfers Cayden Lee and Caleb Goodie are among the new names expected to play major roles, and they’ll need to build timing with Simmons during camp.
The defense has questions, too, but the bigger issue feels like the quarterback. If Simmons turns out to be what Ole Miss believed he could be, the Tigers could surprise people in the SEC.
Soccer got going last night as well. Jack Wiselogel previewed the season by pointing out that Missouri’s last postseason appearance came in 2018, when the Tigers reached the SEC Tournament and then lost to LSU in the first round. Since then, it’s been no bid after no bid.
That drought has given the senior class something to latch onto.
“We have something to prove this year,” senior forward Brianna Buels said. “This is definitely a year where we’re going to make it. It’s not even like a hope - like, we will make it.”
The confidence is there, and it’s easy to see why people around the program would want to believe this is the year the Tigers finally break through. The opener didn’t go that way, though, as Missouri played Western Kentucky to a 0-0 tie.
There wasn’t any Rock M+ content yesterday because the hosting provider had a major outage and the site didn’t come back until late, but the Mark Mitchell conversation kept going behind the scenes.
Rock M Radio also featured Dive Cuts with Blake Lovell.
In Other News...
Mizzou Defense Has One Missing Piece That Could Swing 2026
Missouris defense had plenty to like a year ago, finishing eighth nationally in total defense and giving opponents very little room to operate. Even so, the Tigers know there was a glaring hole in an otherwise sturdy unit: they were 106th in total takeaways, a number that stood out enough to become a central talking point as fall camp opened for 2026.
Players such as Nicholas Rodriguez, Jeremiah Beasley, Nick DeLoach Jr. and Chris Graves Jr. have all pointed to turnovers as the next step for a group already comfortable keeping teams off the scoreboard and out of the end zone. If Missouri can turn that pressure into more takeaways, it would not only validate the defense's production, but also create more chances for an offense that can benefit from every short field it gets. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Special Teams Suddenly Look Like A Real Strength
Special teams had become one of the quieter questions around Missouri, but the early signs out of fall camp suggest that part of the roster is trending in a much better direction. Senior kicker Blake Craig is fully recovered from the ACL injury that slowed him down and is participating without restrictions, while the staff has also brought in John Papuchis as the new special teams coordinator to help reshape that phase of the game.
The personnel changes do not stop there. Missouri has added kicker Oliver Robbins and punters Brunno Reus and Mark Shenouda, giving the Tigers more options as they try to turn a yearly uncertainty into something dependable for the 2026 season. For a team that has spent plenty of time sorting out the details in the kicking game, the combination of health, coaching and new specialists offers a more promising outlook than the program has had in a while. [Read more 🡒]
Border War Future Suddenly Feels Uncertain For Missouri Fans
Kansas and Missouri are set to finish their current six-game mens basketball series on Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Center, another reminder of how much the Border War still matters when the rivals meet on the same floor. The matchup has carried the kind of pull that goes beyond a single nonconference game, giving fans on both sides a rare chance to reconnect with a series that still feels like it should have a future.
For Missouri supporters, the uneasy part is what comes next. Kansas coach Bill Self said there is no update yet on whether the series will continue under a new contract beginning in the 2027-28 season, and he also raised the possibility of the Big 12 moving from 18 to 20 league games then. If that schedule shift happens, it could complicate the calendar for the kind of marquee nonconference dates that keep rivalries like KU-MU alive. [Read more 🡒]