Missouri has already given its fans two dates to circle on the home schedule, and both of them are gone.
On Monday, Mizzou announced that Homecoming against Florida on October 3 is a sellout. That game also doubles as the Tigers’ SEC home opener. The other matchup now officially sold out is the November 7 meeting with Texas, a game that was always going to be one of the hardest tickets on the slate.
With the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium on the horizon, the home schedule is shaping up to be a lively one, and the fan base has clearly locked in early. The season opener comes September 3 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, and the countdown is already on.
There was plenty of Mizzou football chatter elsewhere as fall camp opened up. Coverage from the team’s media availability included updates from almost two dozen players, along with notes on Chip Lindsey’s offense, Sterling Webb returning to the team, the offensive tackle competition, and one non-update on Ahmad Hardy’s return-to-play process.
Hardy remains a major storyline. The expectation is that the SEC’s leading rusher from last season will suit up this year, but the exact timing is still unclear. He will not practice this week, and his progress will be watched closely as Missouri moves toward the opener on September 3.
Elsewhere around the program, there are questions but also opportunity. The special teams unit has some unproven pieces, including Reus in his first real collegiate chance and Craig as he works back from injury. The group is treating that uncertainty as a challenge, aiming to become an asset instead of a problem.
In another corner of the athletic department, Mizzou volleyball has a demanding non-conference schedule that includes Nebraska at Wrigley Field, plus matches with Oregon and Louisville. Those games should give Missouri repeated chances against programs that are used to making deep NCAA Tournament runs, and they may need marquee wins to strengthen their own tournament case.
Mizzou tennis is also in the middle of a rebuild under first-year head coach Robin Goodman. The focus there is less about instant results and more about building an identity that can last. If the Tigers improve as the season goes on, settle into a dependable lineup, and make Ackman a cornerstone for what comes next, that would count as success no matter what the record says.
There are plenty of moving parts across the board, and the football team has its own long list of variables. If Austin Simmons is the quarterback Lane Kiffin believed could start in the SEC, if Batoon found some high-level hidden gems for the secondary in the transfer portal, if Hardy is ready soon, if the offensive line fills its holes quickly, and if Blake Craig returns from ACL surgery without a dip in production, then Missouri has a real chance to piece things together. That’s a lot of ifs, but that’s where the Tigers stand as camp gets rolling.
In Other News...
Mizzou Fall Camp Is Already Shaping Two Crucial Position Battles
Missouris second fall camp practice with media access offered an early look at a few battles that could matter well beyond August. Redshirt senior defensive tackle Marquis Gracial set the tone by leading the opening rally, while edge rushers Darris Smith, Langden Kitchen and Daeden Hopkins handled the bulk of the snaps as the Tigers sort through who will fill out that rotation. On the offensive side, Austin Simmons ran the drills with Matt Zollers, Nick Evers and Gavin Sidwar still jockeying for backup quarterback work, giving the staff an early chance to evaluate how the depth chart might settle.
Special teams had its own intrigue as kicker Blake Craig was back in action after his long rehab, and punter Brunno Reus worked with the first group. Four-star linebacker JJ Bush also participated in practice, a notable development for a defense trying to add more options at the second level. None of this decides anything in early August, but it does underline how many spots remain open, and how quickly those reps can shape the rest of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's Cornerback Battle Just Got Tougher Than Fans Realized
Missouris secondary has added some real intrigue this spring, starting with Jahlil Florence as the first official transfer addition from the January portal window and then bringing in another former Oregon defensive back in Sione Laulea. Both are now in the mix for starting cornerback jobs, and they have joined a crowded competition that already includes Ole Miss transfer Chris Graves Jr., giving the Tigers multiple options as they sort out the back end of the defense.
Cornerbacks coach Al Pogue has already pointed to the pairs skill set and the leadership they bring as they settle into the program, which only raises the importance of how this battle plays out. For Missouri, the challenge is not just finding one dependable starter but figuring out how all of these new faces fit together quickly enough to make the position group a strength instead of a spring-long project. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Is Getting National Respect With One Brutal Test Still Ahead
Missouri is entering the season with a bit more national attention than it had a year ago, as USA Todays preseason Coaches Top 25 poll placed the Tigers in the mix among the countrys final ranked teams. The recognition fits with a roster that already has several individual players drawing notice, including Ahmad Hardy, Cayden Green and Brett Le Blanc landing on national award watchlists tied to the Maxwell Award, Outland Trophy and Patrick Mannelly Award.
Hardy and Green also made the Preseason All-SEC First Team, giving Missouri a pair of headliners before the first snap is even taken. The larger question now is how that respect holds up once the games start and the Tigers face the kind of proving ground that can turn preseason buzz into something sturdier, or expose how much work still remains. [Read more 🡒]