Mizzou football grabs graduate transfer wide receiver

Mizzou football adds a piece to its offense from the transfer portal.

The Mizzou football team has a new receiver coming to Columbia.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz has added wide receiver Damon Hazelton Jr. to the squad. Hazelton is a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech who will have one year of eligibility with the Tigers.

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This is the second year in a row where Mizzou will have a graduate senior out wide. The Tigers added Jonathan Nance from Arkansas last season, and Nance finished the year as one of Mizzou’s best receivers.

Hazelton comes to Mizzou after two seasons at Virginia Tech. He led the Hokies in receptions in 2018 with 51 catches. He also had eight touchdowns that season with a total of 802 yards. That was an average of more than 15 yards per catch.

Last year, his numbers dropped to 31 receptions for 527 yards. But his 17 yards per catch were better and he still had the same number of TDs as he did the year before.

Mizzou definitely needed the help at wide receiver after losing two starters from last year’s team. Nance will graduate as well as four-year starter Johnathon Johnson, who was the go-to slot guy for most of his time with the Tigers.

Hazelton will join soon-to-be juniors Jalen Knox, Kam Scott, Dominic Gicinto and Barrett Banister. It will be interesting which guys see the field when next season begins, but Hazelton has the best college production out of the group.

Adding Hazelton could ensure that Mizzou will have new players in the passing game all around. The Tigers will have a new starting quarterback after Kelly Bryant graduates and the Tigers have a new tight end after Albert Okwuegbunam enters the 2020 NFL Draft.