There’s a possibility Mizzou football uses a handful of freshmen more than four games this season.
Several true freshmen will see the field this season as the year-old redshirt rule allows them to play up to four games and keep their year of eligibility.
But which freshmen could see the beyond the four-game rule?
A number of options appear to be ready for the Mizzou football team this season.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, six Mizzou freshmen stand out among the others.
"But a few freshmen continue to stick out as likely contributors this season beyond the four-game window. Odom has already singled out tight end Niko Hea and on Tuesday also mentioned wideout Maurice Massey, strong safety Stacy Brown, high safety Martez Manuel, defensive lineman Darius Robinson and offensive lineman Thalen Robinson."
Remember, the only true freshman listed on the two-deep depth chart entering camp was Jalani Williams, as he was with the team this past spring. This is the first time we’ve heard of this many guys who are standing out.
Hea appears to have taken advantage of his chances because of injuries.
Mizzou had multiple injured tight ends this summer, and if Hea is going to play deep into the year, it is obvious coaches trust him. Hea was a three-star in-state prospect who helped lead CBC to a Class 6 State Championship in 2018.
Maurice Massey is another name we’ve heard about.
Take a look at these catches he’s made in camp:
https://twitter.com/TylerMurryABC17/status/1160959806842314757
Another day and another great catch from #Mizzou freshman WR Maurice Massey (@xfactormaurice) pic.twitter.com/8zSevFIPvC
— Andrew Kauffman (@A_Kauff) August 20, 2019
Mizzou has some experienced wide receivers, given last year we saw Jalen Knox, Kam Scott, Dominic Gicinto and Barrett Banister all see several snaps in their first year. So give credit to Massey if he overtakes a few of those guys to play in 2019.
Like Hea, Massey also is an in-state player, a three-star recruit out of Kirkwood.
Stacey Brown and Martez Manuel both are three-star recruits with Brown coming out of Texas and Manuel a hometown kid out of Rock Bridge. The safety position is deep at all three spots with guys having plenty of playing experience coming into the season.
Barry Odom talked about Thalen Robinson, a three-star recruit out of Texas, in the Dispatch article. He said he’s earned the opportunity to play. Robinson is a big kid, standing at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds.
Darius Robinson is a three-star recruit out of Michigan. He is a lengthy defensive end standing at 6’6, 250 pounds.