Mizzou adds versatile offensive lineman from Florida State via transfer portal
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri bolstered one of the positions it was expected to this offseason, bringing in offensive tackle Jaylen Early on Tuesday via the transfer portal.
Early will transfer from Florida State, where he spent three seasons and earned a starting role during the 2024 season. He'll have two years of eligibility to use with the Tigers.
Early was on the field for 309 snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. He spent 177 at right tackle, 117 at right guard and 15 at left tackle — suggesting he'll bring some helpful versatility to a Mizzou offensive line that is still coming together.آ
Early could conceivably compete for both the right guard and left tackle spots — with the latter being MU's biggest need on the line.
In 180 pass blocking situations last season, Early allowed 13 quarterback pressures, two of which were sacks.آ
Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz speaks with the media on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. about the team's quarterback competition. (Video by Mizzou Network, used with permission of Mizzou Athletics)
Where will Mizzou's Luther Burden III, Armand Membou be taken in the NFL draft?
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Will Missouri football produce two first-round NFL draft picks? Could one former Tiger wind up inside the top 10? This is the week to find out.
This year’s NFL draft, which starts Thursday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has produced significant interest in two Mizzou products — though their stocks have diverged in different directions since the end of the 2024 season.
Offensive tackle Armand Membou has enjoyed a steady rise up draft boards due to his clean collegiate blocking performances, positional versatility and young age. Wide receiver Luther Burden III, meanwhile, has slid in rankings as analysts and front offices ponder what to make of his decline in production last season.
On the opposite end of the draft, players like defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. and quarterback Brady Cook are hoping to be among the players who hear their names called during any of the seven rounds.
Where will these Mizzou products be taken in the NFL draft? Here’s what experts are saying:
Alabama linebacker Qua Russaw (4) battles with Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou (79) and wide receiver Mekhi Miller (10) during the first half of a game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Vasha Hunt, Associated Press
Membou to the Jets?
There’s a good chance Membou will become the highest-drafted MU product since Aldon Smith went seventh overall in 2011.
A consensus ranking of players assembled by NFL analyst Arif Hasan pins Membou as the seventh-best player in the pool, based on how draft analysts as a whole view him. And pick No. 7, held by the New York Jets, is a popular prediction.
ESPN’s Field Yates projects the Jets to take Membou there.
“The Jets must provide new quarterback Justin Fields with adequate time to throw — he has proved effective in the past when he has a clean pocket,†he wrote. “Membou's tenacity and pass protection acumen make him a hand-in-glove fit in New York.â€
And while tight end is arguably a bigger need for the Jets, draft analysts seem to think the franchise would be better served to grab Membou early and sort out his specific position later.
“I considered (Penn State tight end) Tyler Warren here, but the Jets can get a tight end later,” wrote ’s Eric Edholm, who also projects Membou to New York at No. 7. “They'd have less success attempting to find a starting right tackle with Membou's upside after this pick.”
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler is also in the Membou-to-the-Jets camp, though Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft has the tackle going to the Chicago Bears at No. 10. On the lower end of projections, The Ringer projects Membou to the Miami Dolphins with the 13th overall pick.
While Membou is likely to give Missouri first-round picks in back-to-back drafts after defensive end Darius Robinson went to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 27 overall last year, he probably won’t take the title of highest-drafted Mizzou player ever in the modern draft era. That sits with Justin Smith, who went fourth to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001.
Burden sliding out of first round?
A year ago, it didn’t seem all that crazy to wonder whether Burden would be the first player selected in 2025. Now, it’s up for debate as to whether he goes in the first round at all.
Hasan’s consensus board pegs Burden as the 29th-best player in the eyes of draft analysts at large and the fourth-best wide receiver behind Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Texas’ Matthew Golden.
Fair or not, Burden’s output dipping in his last season of college football has changed the way he’s viewed by the NFL.
Though PFF’s mock draft has the New Orleans Saints trading up to grab Burden at No. 24 overall, most mock drafts have him outside the first round.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects the Jacksonville Jaguars to select Burden at No. 36 overall, which would be the fourth pick of the second round.
“Burden has juice after the catch, and he'd help Trevor Lawrence in that department,†Kiper wrote. “This is good value, too — Burden could ultimately go in Round 1.â€
His ESPN colleague, Jordan Reid, penciled in Burden one spot earlier, to the Tennessee Titans at No. 35 overall.
“Burden is the ideal WR2 to Calvin Ridley in Tennessee's offense,†Reid wrote. “His production slipped in 2024, with inconsistent QB play being a major factor. The Titans would get a receiver who some scouts think has Round 1 talent at the top of the second round. Burden is a physical route runner who also has great run-after-catch ability.â€
If Burden does go in the first round — and assuming there’s no out-of-left-field skid for Membou — the Tigers would have two first-round selections for the first time since 2011, when Smith and Blaine Gabbert both went inside the top 10.
Cook, Walker pushing for Day 3 spots
There are no guarantees when it comes to the latter rounds of the draft, but Cook and Walker both have the makings of potential Day 3 picks.
Cook came in as the 13th quarterback on Hasan’s consensus board, which is good for No. 275 overall. Given that there are only 257 draft picks, that would be undrafted free agent territory — the kind of deal that several MU players will likely sign.
Walker didn’t make the consensus board, but ESPN’s Reid projects the Dolphins to select him at No. 231 overall. PFF projects Walker to the Dallas Cowboys also in the seventh round, at No. 247.
Tigers add versatile OL in portal
Missouri bolstered one of the positions it was expected to this offseason, bringing in offensive tackle Jaylen Early on Tuesday via the transfer portal.
Early will transfer from Florida State, where he spent three seasons and earned a starting role during the 2024 season. He'll have two years of eligibility to use with the Tigers.
Early was on the field for 309 snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. He spent 177 at right tackle, 117 at right guard and 15 at left tackle — suggesting he'll bring some helpful versatility to a Mizzou offensive line that is still coming together.
Early could conceivably compete for both the right guard and left tackle spots — with the latter being MU's biggest need on the line.
In 180 pass blocking situations last season, Early allowed 13 quarterback pressures, two of which were sacks.
What Mizzou women's basketball team is getting in new coach Kellie Harper's first 4 additions
Incarnate Word senior Saniah Tyler goes sailing past Kickapoo's Miya Nieto in the Missouri Class 6 girls basketball championship game, on Friday, March 18, 2022, at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.آ آ
Gordon Radford, special to STLhighschoolsports.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Kellie Harper has figured out how to fire up the bat signal.
The new Missouri women’s basketball coach has started to tease incoming transfer portal commitments with a signature celebratory post on social media, like her counterparts Eli Drinkwitz and Dennis Gates. And lately, she’s sent a few out into the world.
Harper has added four players out of the transfer portal during her first roster building at Mizzou, bringing the Tigers up to 10 players on the roster for the 2025-26 season. Assuming the limit on basketball roster sizes for that season and beyond will be 15, Harper has upwards of five spots to go — but she’s already making headway on her first MU team.
Harper started with bringing former Incarnate Word star Saniah Tyler back to her home state after three seasons at Kentucky.
Tyler, the Post-Dispatch All-Metro player of the year in 2022, had been an occasional starter for the Wildcats in the 2023-24 season but was solidly in a reserve role last season. Playing just over 12 minutes per game, Tyler averaged 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per outing but shot an efficient 36.4% from 3-point range. She’s a career 34.6% 3-point shooter at the college level.
She was an accomplished preps star for the أغر؟´«أ½ girls basketball dynasty, leading the Red Knights to an 85-4 record — including 68 consecutive wins — as their starting point guard.
Harper also turned to the east side of the state border for another guard, signing former O’Fallon, Illinois, star Shannon Dowell from Illinois State.
Dowell earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors in her second season with the Redbirds, pacing the team in scoring (17.6 points per game).
On the floor for more than 30 minutes a night, she shot 49.3% from the field and 31.5% from deep while also hauling in 5.2 rebounds per game.
Dowell was a Post-Dispatch All-Metro selection in 2023 after leading O’Fallon to its first Class 4A state title.
Mizzou bolstered its frontcourt by signing forward Jordana Reisma from Cleveland State, for which she earned all-Horizon League honors while started every game for the Vikings over the past two seasons.
Listed at 6-foot-3, Reisma made 67.7% of her field-goal attempts at Cleveland State this past season, all of them coming from inside the arc. She averaged 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Harper’s coaching staff turned to a familiar face for its fourth transfer addition in former Florida Atlantic guard Sydney Mains.
Mains played only three games at FAU before suffering a season-ending injury, which makes it likely that she still has four years of eligibility remaining. Harper hired FAU coach Jennifer Sullivan to be an assistant on her Missouri staff.
And Mains hails from Knoxville, Tennessee, where Harper last coached the Tennessee Lady Vols.
Mizzou’s most significant outgoing transfer of the offseason is guard Ashton Judd, who played more than 17 minutes per game this past season while averaging 11.6 points and five rebounds. She has not announced her next school.
In total, six players have transferred away from MU — the kind of movement now expected when a coaching change occurs.
Still, the Tigers have retained five players from last season’s roster, led by standout guard Grace Slaughter, who averaged 15 points per game and shot 45.9% from 3-point range this past season. Point guard Averi Kroenke, guard Abbey Schreacke, forward Hannah Linthacum and forward Ma’Riya Vincent are also expected to return. Missouri has one incoming freshman, too: guard Nikki Kerstein.
The women’s college basketball transfer portal is open through Wednesday. Players do not need to have signed with their next stops by then — only to enter by that point.
Mizzou women's basketball coach Kellie Harper speaks at her introductory press conference on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Columbia, Missouri. (Video by Mizzou Network, used with permission of Mizzou Athletics)
Mizzou picks up Illinois State wideout via transfer portal
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri football dipped into the transfer portal for the second consecutive day Saturday, picking up a commitment from Illinois State wide receiver Xavier Loyd.
Loyd, who committed quickly after visiting Mizzou this week, will provide the Tigers with added size and depth in its wide receiver corps, which underwent quite a bit of turnover this offseason.
Listed at 6-2, 195 pounds, Loyd caught 66 passes for 912 yards and six touchdowns at Illinois State this past season. While he'll be bouncing back up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level with MU, he's been there before — Loyd started his collegiate career with two seasons at Kansas State.
He's an in-state product, hailing from Blue Springs in the Kansas City area.
Loyd is the second player to commit to Missouri this transfer portal cycle.
Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz speaks with the media on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. about the NCAA House settlement lawsuit. (Video by Mizzou Network, used with permission of Mizzou Athletics)
Mizzou gymnastics finishes 3rd at NCAA Championships
Missouri gymnastics finished third in Saturday’s NCAA Championship finals, capping off the program’s best season with Mizzou’s best postseason finish for any women’s team.
Competing in the four-team finals for the first time, the Tigers posted a score of 197.250.
Oklahoma won the national title with a team score of 198.0125. UCLA placed second with a 197.6125. Utah came in fourth, just behind MU, with a 197.2375.
There was some confusion in the immediate aftermath of the meet over whether Missouri or Utah took third place. The Tigers had submitted an inquiry into the scoring of one balance beam routine, which was then reviewed at the end of the meet. The video evidence led to a change in score for the routine, which bumped Mizzou’s team score just above Utah’s.
MU scored 49.2 on vault, 49.175 on the uneven bars, 49.3875 on beam and 49.4875 on the floor exercise.
Among the individual highlights: In her final collegiate beam performance — and two days after winning the national title in the event — specialist Helen Hu delivered a 9.9625. That was Missouri’s highest-scoring routine of the day.
Kennedy Griffin delivered a 9.95 on floor, and senior Amari Celestine capped off her career with a 9.9125 on that event.
“I’m so proud of our group, not just tonight but in the semifinal as well,†coach Shannon Welker said in a statement. “This is a gritty group, a group that believed in themselves and just kept fighting all night long. I’m so impressed that even when small things go off track, they just do not let that deter them. They were just going to be undeniable at putting their best out there and fighting at every turn.â€
Missouri celebrates winning third place in the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 19, 2025.
Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press
Missouri celebrates earning third place in the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Tony Gutierrez
Missouri's Helen Hu, right, celebrates with a coach after competing on the balance beam during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Tony Gutierrez
Missouri's Helen Hu competes on the balance beam during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Tony Gutierrez
Missouri fans cheer on their team during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Tony Gutierrez
Missouri's Kennedy Griffin competes on the floor exercise during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
