Before we all get wrapped up in Mizzou's shiny, new toys, let's look at retention.
Yes, there's reason to be excited about Missouri football's 20-player transfer portal class, which brings in potential game-changers in defensive end Damon Wilson II , running back Ahmad Hardy and safety Jalen Catalon and was ranked No. 7 in the country by 247Sports.
Certainly, there's reason to be excited about MU's No. 20-ranked high school signing class, with wide receiver Donovan Olugbode and edge-rusher Javion Hilson among the rookies in contention to earn immediate reps.
But what about the returners who may be due for a breakthrough?
The Tigers will report for fall camp this upcoming weekend, at which point their season will be less than five weeks away from starting with an Aug. 28 game against Central Arkansas in Columbia.
Here are five players, all of whom are returners from the 2024 team, on the Missouri roster who could be in for a breakout year this season:
A 122-yard, one-touchdown performance in Missouri's Music City Bowl win in December felt a little like Johnson's grand reveal.
Without Luther Burden III and, for one half, Theo Wease Jr. , the speedy Dickinson, Texas, native was clearly the Tigers ' best receiving option.
He's shown what he's capable of in spurts over two seasons in Columbia.
A 76-yard, oh-man-he's-quick touchdown against Memphis and a 50-yard reception against Ohio State, a catch that got the Tigers going in the second half of their Cotton Bowl win, during his rookie season showed he could take the top off.
Injuries nagged throughout his sophomore year and it never seemed like MU quite got the best out of him last season, but he looked like a complete, rounded receiver as he ran rings around a talented Hawkeyes secondary.
If Mizzou can get that out of him on a consistent basis, the passing game will be in a much better place.
Missouri absolutely needs to find another reliable defensive tackle for its rotation. Chris McClellan is the headliner in the group and will lead the position in snaps. Sterling Webb gives Mizzou a decent second option, and Group of Five transfer Bralen Henderson is on board to provide some depth.
After that, the Tigers are relying on at least a little year-over-year development to round out the rotation. Both Marshall and Marquis Gracial have been challenged by their head coach to do just that.
"They've been in the rotation and kind of waiting their turn," Eli Drinkwitz said April 8. "We don't need them to wait any longer. It's their time to play."
Marshall is a 6-foot-4, 334-pound redshirt junior. If it's going to happen for him, this is probably the season that he shows it. And with that size, that would be a major benefit to defensive coordinator Corey Batoon.
More: Missouri football's Eli Drinkwitz says QB Sam Horn will compete in 2025 despite MLB Draft pick
We toyed with the idea of not including a quarterback on this list, given that there is still an ongoing competition and there's a possibility that Penn State transfer Beau Pribula becomes QB1.
But the more we thought about it, the more silly it seemed not to include Horn.
If Horn is everything the staff thought he could be coming out of high school, that absolutely changes the scope of the Tigers' season.
It's no secret that he has a supremely talented arm. He probably doesn't get the credit he deserves as a dual-threat, even if he's likely not quite the same caliber of runner as Pribula. If he has matured and grown and learned from Brady Cook , offensive coordinator Kirby Moore and Drinkwitz in his three years in the system, that's quite the succession plan MU has going for it.
There is no timeline for Missouri to name its starting quarterback. If we reach January, look back on this season and determine that Horn was MU's most-improved, breakthrough player, it's probably been a pretty good few months for the Tigers.
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Cornerback was one of Missouri's least consistent positions on the team last season, and that was at least in part because the Tigers couldn't settle on a second starter.
Pride was the Day 1 starter but as the season progressed began to switch out frequently with redshirt freshman Nicholas DeLoach Jr. By the end of the season he was back playing a majority of the reps.
Mizzou decided that it wanted to add some competition to the position room, which returns its three most-used players at the position from last season. Washington State transfer Stephen Hall joins the battle for a starting spot opposite near-certain CB1 Dreyden Norwood this year.
Pride had two picks and four pass breakups last season, so he has shown he can make a difference in coverage. He has the physicality and speed to play some press.
Mizzou's secondary would instantly benefit if he realized that potential this season.
Craig clearly has the chops for a good college career in Columbia. He was 6-of-9 on kicks of 50 or more yards last season, which was his first year in the role. Some of those conversions looked like they would have cleared the crossbar from 60. He's got a heckuva leg.
Between 20-39 yards, he was 17-of-18 in his debut campaign. Nothing wrong with that.
The truly baffling statistic comes between 40-49 yards, where Craig was 1-of-7. That's where he has to get better.
More: What to expect from Missouri football's special teams, where numbers are smaller, in 2025
Especially as Missouri beds in a new starting quarterback, it would be ideal for the Tigers to have the security blanket of a consistent kicking game.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Who will be Missouri football most improved player in 2025 season?
