The Extra Point: Which of Mizzou's 2024 Freshmen Will Earn Opportunities in 2025?

Which Missouri Tigers could earn bigger roles in their second with the program, 2025.

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver James Madison II (4) warms up before a game against the Massachusetts Minutemen 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 takes a look at three Tigers who could have the chance to earn playing time with the program in their redshirt freshmen seasons after limited playing time in Year 1.

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.

According to most coaches at any level of sport, the biggest development phase is between Years 1 and 2 a player spends with a program.

Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers will be hoping that happens with multiple members of its 2024 freshmen class, rated the 20th best in the country by 247Sports' composite ranking.

Though some of those players, such as Nicholas Rodriguez or Trajen Greco, saw playing time in their true freshmen seasons, others had little opportunity. Entering 2025, an offseason which included a lot of roster turnover for the Tigers, more opportunity should be available in the redshirt freshmen seasons of those players.

The first glimpse of those possible opportunities came in the team's spring practices, which ran from February to March 20. For Drinkwitz and the team, the focus during those 13 practice sessions was "individual player development."

But, there were also looks provided on what lineups may look for the Tigers in the fall. For some redshirt freshmen, it appears that their second year as a Tiger will include significantly more oppor