Former top-50 Missouri football EDGE signing to enter transfer portal
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One of Missouri football’s top-ranked signings in the Class of 2025 intends to enter the transfer portal.
Freshman Missouri defensive end Javion Hilson, who was a top-50 signing in the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class, is expected to transfer out of the program this offseason, Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday while meeting with the media. Hilson is the sixth Mizzou player who is now expected to transfer in January.
“He’s not practicing with us,” Drinkwitz said.
The college football transfer portal opens Jan. 2 and remains open for new entries through Jan. 16. Players will not officially be able to officially enter the portal database until it opens, meaning Hilson only currently intends to enter the portal.
Hilson was a late addition in the 2025 cycle, as the Tigers seemingly swooped in at the 11th hour to land the top-50 national recruit and former Florida State commit over a large group of potential Power-conference suitors.
But in a stacked edge rushing room, which included two All-SEC selections and likely future NFL Draft picks in Zion Young and Damon Wilson II, Hilson never broke into the edge-rushing rotation.
Hilson played a total of 31 snaps in 2025 across three games, coming across nonconference matchups against Central Arkansas, Louisiana and UMass. The defensive end did not play against a Power-conference team, preserved a redshirt and will still have four years of eligibility at his next school. The Cocoa, Florida, native recorded one tackle this year.
Mizzou fielded one of the top edge rushing units in the SEC this year. Young was named a first-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches, and Wilson earned second-team honors. The duo both ranked among the top three in the SEC at generating pressures on the quarterback.
Hilson is the sixth total Missouri player who is expected to transfer, following fellow true freshmen running backs Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood, redshirt freshman wide receiver James Madison II, safety Caleb Flagg and starting wide receiver Joshua Manning.
Mizzou will lose Young to eligibility at the end of this season, and Wilson, who is a junior, could opt to head to the NFL or return to college.
The Tigers can return Darris Smith, Langden Kitchen, Nate Johnson and freshman Daeden Hopkins, and they signed No. 1-overall JUCO prospect Demarcus Johnson earlier in December at the position. Missouri already was likely to target a defensive end in the transfer portal, and now the Tigers may target multiple.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football freshman Javion Hilson expected to enter transfer portal
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