In the heart of the offseason, there’s only one thing to do: speculate on the upcoming college football season. As we look ahead to 2025, predictions are starting to emerge about which players might elevate their games to another level next season.
Within the past week, ESPN released its "way-too-early" All-American predictions for the 2025 season. Among the names listed, the Missouri Tigers had two players featured.
The first was UL Monroe transfer running back Ahmad Hardy, who was placed as a second-team option behind Penn State's Nicholas Singleton. Hardy is coming off a season where only Ashton Jeanty broke more tackles than him in all of college football. Hardy is expected to emerge as a potential feature back for Mizzou next season, but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the tougher competition in the SEC.
The other Tiger featured on the list was offensive guard Cayden Green, who transferred to Mizzou from Oklahoma just one season ago.
Green provided outstanding production for Missouri in 2024, playing in every game at left guard and securing the starting position upon his arrival.
The 6-5, 320-pound Green can also play tackle, but the plan is to keep him at guard next season. He is a Missouri native, having attended Lee's Summit North High School before originally committing to Oklahoma.
It comes as no surprise that Green was mentioned as a "way-too-early" candidate for All-American honors, given his immense potential. One of the most highly touted transfers Mizzou brought in during last season's window, the Tigers are expecting continued improvement from him in 2025.
Missouri's offensive line coach, Brandon Jones, has a strong track record of developing talent, and Green is no exception, having already showcased significant improvement in his first year.
#Mizzou offensive line coach Brandon Jones on addition of Oklahoma transfer Cayden Green: "He's really bought in to just the culture, you know, him coming from Oklahoma and having the success that he had." ⤵️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/v4mbXpgDsQ
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) March 5, 2024
Despite it being early, expecting Green to have a productive season in 2025 isn’t a stretch. It will be exciting to see how he continues to develop with another year in the program.