Brett Norfleet named to John Mackey Award Watchlist

At the end of the 2023 season, we witnessed the emergence of Missouri's next great tight end. Brett Norfleet enters his sophomore season with as much promise as any player on the roster. The 6-foot-7, do-it-all tight end made a splash as a true freshman last year and is poised to showcase his limitless potential this fall.

The John Mackey Award, given annually to college football's most outstanding tight end, released its 2024 preseason watchlist on Friday, August 9th. Among the 48 names featured was Missouri's Brett Norfleet, one of 12 SEC tight ends to make the list.

Norfleet is a native of O'Fallon, Missouri, where he attended Francis Howell High School. He was a consensus four-star tight end according to every major recruiting website. An all-around athlete, Norfleet came to Missouri with the intention of playing both baseball and football at the Division I level. However, after his breakout season last fall, he decided to focus solely on football.

As a true freshman, Norfleet appeared in 12 games, starting in the last seven weeks of the 2023 season, including the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. His contributions were crucial to Missouri's impressive run, recording 18 catches for 197 yards and added three touchdowns throughout the season.

What made Norfleet so exceptional was his versatility. Eliah Drinkwitz capitalized on the tight end's athleticism, putting him in positions to succeed. Not only was Norfleet a valuable weapon with the ball in his hands, but he also showed tremendous potential as a blocker. His impressive performance earned him a spot on the Freshman All-American team, as recognized by both CFN and The Athletic.

Heading into 2024 with a year of experience under his belt, expectations for Norfleet are through the roof. If he continues to develop and performs as he did last season, there's no reason he won't be a strong contender for the John Mackey Award in the near future.