Drinkwitz Wants 'To Push' for More Opportunities for This Offensive Playmaker

The young receiver shined in Missouri's loss to Alabama.

Oct 22, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz on the sidelines against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Ever since arriving to campus in the spring, Missouri wide receiver Donovan Olugbode has drawn attention to himself for all the right reasons.

"I know y’all saw the one-hand catch on Twitter, but that wasn’t new to anybody," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said following spring practices. "That was pretty much every practice. He was making wild plays."

This catch 🤯🤯🤯 @DonovannO25 #MIZ pic.twitter.com/lAFR04TxyZ

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) March 18, 2025

Since the start of the season, Olugbode has proven that hauling in ridiculous catches is not just something he can do on the practice field, but also in games with high stakes.

Olugbode has caught 11 passes on the year, four of which have been to convert third or fourth downs.

Against Alabama, despite the fact that he wasn't targeted a single time in the first 58 minutes, Olugbode wound up leading the team with three clutch receptions for 55 yards. On a fourth-and-6 with 58 seconds remaining, Olugbode turned around and leaped to bring in a 25-yard reception to keep Missouri's hopes alive.

On the drive before, Olugbode scored Missouri's sole points of the fourth quarter, getting wide open to catch a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Beau Pribula. That touchdown was set up by an eye-popping 27-yard catch from Olugbode on the previous play, Missouri's longest play of the game.

Oct. 11, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers Wide Receiver Donovan Olugbode catches a 27 yard pass from Beau Pribula. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

So far this season, Olugbode has only been on the field for 29% of Missouri's passing plays. But with the undeniable big-play ability he continues to show, that could increase soon.

“He’s got great skills, good in and out of breaks," Drinkwitz said Tuesday night on the 'Tiger Talk' radio program. "We’ve got to continue to push for him to get on the field more, because he is proven to get open and proven to be able to make contact catches."

Missouri's passing game has been lagging behind its run game. Especially when it comes to creating explosive plays.

A part of that issue has been a lack of timing and connection Pribula has with his receivers, according to Drinkwitz. That was made evident by Pribula's first interception against Alabama, where he was not on the same page as Kevin Coleman Jr., who ran his route the opposite way that Pribula's pass went.

But Olugbode clearly has the ability to be a deep threat and also has seemed to quickly establish trust with Pribula, made clear by the targets toward the receiver on key third and fourth downs.

"Don's a great player," Pribula said following the loss to Alabama. "He's a true freshman out there making big-time plays. You saw him show up at the end here. He's only going to continue to get better."

Olugbode has seemingly done more than enough to earn more opportunities to be able to help Missouri's offense in two areas the unit has struggled in.

The first glimpse of what an increased role for Olugbode could look like will come Saturday, when Missouri travels to take on Auburn.