There's a new crop of Tigers arriving on campus.
Among the 17 high school players who have signed to play for Missouri football next season, 10 incoming freshmen are expected to enroll early, which means they are due to arrive on campus this month. MU students can begin spring semester registration Monday, Jan. 13, and classes begin Jan. 21.
There's a noted advantage to arriving early, as it means players will go through spring camp, which typically begins in Columbia some time in mid-February.
"If you're an early enrollee, we're expecting that you're coming in to compete for a position and provide an opportunity to contribute," MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said Dec. 4. "And if you're not, still doesn't mean you can't. It's just, these guys got a little bit of a head start on you."
Here are the true freshmen who are expected to enroll early at Missouri and practice with the team in spring camp. All rankings are from the recruiting service 247Sports' composite rankings, while height and weight measurements are from the Mizzou team website.
High school/hometown:Spring-Ford/Royersford, Pa.
Height/weight:6 foot 4, 204 pounds
Ranking:No. 77 national, No. 7 QB
Zollers will enter a quarterback room with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and returners Sam Horn and Drew Pyne . The starting job is expected to go to one of the more experienced players, especially because Zollers missed a majority of his senior season with an ankle injury, but there is likely to be an open competition.
In his high school career, Zollers threw for 6,116 yards and 70 touchdowns and rushed for 983 yards and 15 scores.
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High school/hometown:Cocoa/Cocoa, Fla.
Height/weight:6-4, 240
Ranking:No. 47 national, No. 3 DE
Mizzou emerged late in Hilson's recruitment but managed to get his signature at the buzzer on signing day. Part of Eli Drinkwitz's pitch, it seems, is that there was opportunity to play. Now that rookies Williams Nwaneri and Jaylen Brown have transferred out, that path looks even more clear for Hilson, a top-50 prospect in his class.
High school/hometown:IMG Academy (Fla.)/Chicago
Height/weight:6-2, 201
Ranking:No. 117 national, No. 16 WR
Originally from Chicago, Olugbode spent three seasons at IMG Academy in Florida , where he caught 63 passes for 1,003 yards and nine touchdowns in his career. Mizzou will see a lot of turnover at the wide receiver position, with all three starters out of eligibility or declared for the NFL Draft.
High school/hometown:Ironton/Ironton, Ohio
Height/weight:5-11, 170
Ranking:No. 519 national, No. 80 WR
Terry emerged as one of the top wide receivers in Ohio during his senior season as he was named the 2024 Southern Ohio Sports Authority player of the year. Over the course of three seasons at Ironton, Terry caught 108 passes for 1,956 yards and 26 touchdowns. He rushed 60 times for 455 yards and six touchdowns.
High school/hometown:Cleveland Heights/Cleveland, Ohio
Height/weight:6-0, 210
Ranking:No. 161 national, No. 12 RB
Davis was a late flip for Mizzou from Kentucky . In his final two high school seasons, Davis rushed for 58 touchdowns and more than 3,800 yards. He was the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio.
High school/hometown:McKinley/Canton, Ohio
Height/weight:6-1, 210
Ranking:No. 355 national, No. 42 LB
McClellan was the third player to commit to Mizzou during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Over his final two seasons at McKinley he recorded 174 total tackles, including 34 tackles for loss, four sacks and one forced fumble. He also had three interceptions and seven pass breakups.
High school/hometown:DeSmet/St. Louis
Height/weight:6-1, 220
Ranking:No. 761 national, No. 82 LB
King had 249 total tackles, 36 tackles for loss, nine sacks and four interceptions over the course of four seasons for De Smet Jesuit in St. Louis. He's one of three in-state products signing with Mizzou in this cycle.
High school/hometown:Sprayberry/Marietta, Ga.
Height/weight:6-1, 175
Ranking:No. 631 national, No. 56 CB
Manfred was a two-way player in high school for Sprayberry, registering three interceptions, 14 pass breakups and one forced fumble. As a wide receiver, he caught 67 passes for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns.
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High school/hometown:North Crowley/Fort Worth, Texas
Height/weight:6-3, 265
Ranking:No. 408 national, No. 27 IOL
Fenuku is the only one of Mizzou's three committed offensive linemen expected to enroll early. He will compete alongside fellow Missouri OL commits Jack Lange and Keiton Jones at the Navy All-American Bowl, which will air live on NBC at noon CDT Saturday, Jan. 11.
High school/hometown:East St. Louis/East St. Louis
Height/weight:6-1, 190
Ranking:No. 319 national
Bass is still listed as a cornerback on the 247Sports recruiting page, but he is expected to practice at safety at Mizzou. The East St. Louis product had 160 solo tackles in his high school career and recorded two picks and two fumble recoveries.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: These 10 Missouri football freshman will enroll early, practice in spring
