Mizzou's Most Intriguing Players in 2025: The Extra Point

Four Tigers with the widest range of realistic outcomes for the 2025 season.

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Jeremiah Beasley (18) lines up against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the second half at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Watch the video below as Missouri football reporter Joey Van Zummeren gives his thoughts on three players whose 2025 seasons are the most interesting to predict.

Welcome to Missouri Tigers On SI's "Extra Point," a video series featuring the site's Missouri beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers provide analysis on a topic concerning the Tigers or the landscape of college sports.

The Missouri Tigers 2025 team is like a big box of chocolates. Don't confuse uncertainty for a guranteed poor result, however.

A handful of players in particular have a wide range of realistic outcomes for performance in 2025. There's a world where they play a minimal role, but also one where they're one of the stars of the team.

Here's a look at four Missouri players with the most intriguing outlook ahead of the 2025 season.

Donovan Olugbode

IMG Academy wide receiver Donovan Olugbode (#1) looks to gain extra yardage against the Venice defense. The Venice High School Indians hosted the IMG Academy Ascenders National team on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. | Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This IMG Academy product might be the most Day 1-ready out of any of Missouri's true freshman. His route running and run blocking are both above the standard for any receiver out of high school.

"Been impressed with our freshman Donovan (Olugbode)," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said after spring practices. I think he really stood out in a positive way."

The big question for Olugbode is just how capable he is to take on a role early, and then who he could take playing time from.

Rising juniors Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson are expected to be the unchallenged leaders on the boundary. But Olugbode could create just as good, if not, a better argument than redshirt freshman James Madison II to see playing time.

"He will push Marquis (Johnson) and Josh (Manning) and to be a force on the outside," Drinkwitz said.

Jeremiah Beasley

The former four-star linebacker prospect was one of the most interesting newcomers for Missouri last year. He committed to Michigan, and spent the spring in Ann Arbor. He then transferred to Missouri in the spring transfer portal window.

Though fellow true freshman Nicholas Rodriguez was involved on defense, Beasley was almost exclusively relegated to special teams.

In the spring this year, however, the two young linebackers both stood out.

"Jeremiah Beasley is another guy — J.B. — that really stepped up. Him and Nick played a lot on special teams this year in certain packages. Man, those two guys have really taken that next step.

READ: 2025 Mizzou Position Preview: Linebackers

Missouri's MIKE linebacker rotation last year went two deep, with Corey Flagg Jr. and Chuck Hicks both seeing significant playing time. Though Missouri added West Virginia Josiah Trotter to start over the middle of the field, a role should be there for Beasley too.

Sam Horn, Beau Pribula

Drinkwitz has labeled the starting quarterback job as an open competition since the start of spring practices. But the competitors are a bit unusual.

Horn is entering his fourth year with the program, but underwent Tommy John surgery in early 2024. Pribula had a very unique role over the last two years, often subbing in for Drew Allar as a run specialist at Penn State.

But neither of the two most-talked about players on the team have a career start to their name.

READ: The Similarities, Differences of Beau Pribula, Sam Horn

Though the defensive unit is expected to be the best part of the Tigers, the success of the quarterback position is usually what a team's success is most dependent on.