Which Missouri football freshmen have burned redshirts? Just these 5 so far
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Five Mizzou rookies have torched their redshirts this season.
Missouri football brought the 20th-ranked Class of 2024 in the country to Columbia this offseason, with 20 total high school players committing and enrolling to Eli Drinkwitz’s team. So far, a quarter of those players will be listed as true sophomores next season.
A player must play in less than five games to preserve a redshirt year. Postseason games, per an NCAA announcement in August, no longer count toward those totals.
These Missouri freshmen have burned redshirts, or could burn them this upcoming Saturday when the Tigers face Arkansas to close the regular season:
Matt Zollers, quarterback
Zollers has played seven times this season, thrust into action at quarterback earlier than expected because of injuries to Beau Pribula and Sam Horn.
The rookie QB out of Royersford, Pennsylvania, started two games while Pribula was sidelined with a dislocated ankle. Zollers entered the Tigers’ game against Vanderbilt in the third quarter and then played the full contests against Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
When Pribula was cleared to play again, he returned to the role of QB1 and played against Oklahoma.
Zollers is 35-of-70 (50%) passing for 402 yards, four touchdowns and one interception this season. On numerous occasions, Drinkwitz has called him the future of the program at quarterback.
Because of his unexpected extended action this season, he now has three years of remaining eligibility.
Donovan Olugbode, wide receiver
One of the breakout stars of this season for Mizzou, Olugbode has played in all 11 games for Mizzou this year and has moved into a starting role in recent weeks.
Olugbode, pronounced Oh-loo-ba-day, has caught 25 passes on 36 total targets. He has 352 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He led Mizzou in receiving yards in games against Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M.
He ranks 19th among all true freshman wide receivers for receiving yards, per Pro Football Focus.
DaMarion Fowlkes, wide receiver/returner
Fowlkes has been active as a kick and punt returner for Mizzou this season. He has appeared in nine games on special teams and three games on offense.
He leads Mizzou’s kick-return unit with seven attempts for 192 yards, including a 55-yard long against Texas A&M. He has returned three punts this season, with a 34-yard long against UMass.
Robert Meyer, kicker
Like Zollers, Meyer was forced into action because of an early-season injury to returning placekicker Blake Craig. He has played in all 11 games for Missouri this season.
Craig is expected to return for Mizzou and will likely resume as MU’s primary kicker. Meyer is 14-of-19 (73.7%) on field goals and 36-of-38 (94.7%) on PATs this year as the unit has largely been inconsistent.
Dante McClellan, linebacker
According to PFF, McClellan has appeared in 10 games on special teams for the Tigers this season, with a bulk of his snaps coming on the kick coverage unit.
McClellan will be a candidate for reps at linebacker next season as the Tigers are likely to lose Khalil Jacobs and Triston Newson to eligibility and, potentially, Josiah Trotter to the NFL Draft, if Trotter elects to declare early.
In Week 1, McClellan recorded an 83-yard pick-six against Central Arkansas.
Can anyone else burn a redshirt this year?
To remain eligible for a redshirt, players must appear in less than five games in the regular season. Bowl games no longer count toward eligibility, which means players can play four regular-season games and a bowl game and still preserve a redshirt.
Only one other Missouri player, defensive end and Hermann, Missouri, native Daeden Hopkins, has played in exactly four games already this season. If he appears against Arkansas on Saturday, he will burn his redshirt. If he doesn’t, he’ll keep it.
But, Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz indicated that Javion Hilson, who has appeared in three games this year, will be the Tigers’ emergency edge rusher, if the team decides to go six-deep at the position.
Five different true freshmen have appeared in three games: Hilson, running back Marquise Davis, safety CJ Bass III, defensive tackle Jason Dowell and offensive lineman Henry Fenuku.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: These 5 Missouri football freshmen have burned redshirts in 2025
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