Mizzou Central

Who Are Mizzou's Biggest 'Lunch Pail' Players?:The Buzz

Your daily briefing on what’s going on with Mizzou athletics, including full TV listings.
Amber Winkler, Joey Van Zummeren|
Sept 27, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Keagan Trost (79) lines up in a game against UMass at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.
Sept 27, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Keagan Trost (79) lines up in a game against UMass at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

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Missouri Tigers

Watch the video above as Missouri football reporter Joey Van Zummeren gives his thoughts on who some of the most underrated, or 'lunch pail guys,' are on Missouri's roster.

When Eli Drinkwitz is asked about a player in his weekly press conference, most of times, the player he's being asked about is running back Ahmad Hardy, quarterback Beau Pribula, or a star of Missouri's upcoming opponent.

But Tuesday, Drinkwitz took the chance to mention two players for the Tigers who are by no means stars, but have made an impact after long journeys.

One of those was Keagen Trost, who transferred to Missouri from Wake Forest ahead of this season. He started his career at Morgan State in the FCS in 2019. He had stops at Indiana State in Wake Forest since. This year, he's been Missouri's most consistent offensive lineman, according to Drinkwitz, on a unit that has had its struggles.

"Keagan has been at four different schools in four years, and so, I think it took us a while to break down those walls, but now that he's totally invested in the Brotherhood," Drinkwitz said. "He's been impressive. He's done an excellent job."

On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Marquis Gracial has solidified himself as a consistent contributor in the rotation. In Missouri's win over Auburn, he broke through the offensive line to come up with a key tackle on a third-and-goal.

A huge part of the growth for Gracial has been the maturation he's experienced off the field.

"His perspective changed," Drinkwitz said. "Instead of a ‘woe-is-me’ attitude, into more of an attitude of gratitude about the blessings that he does have in his life and the blessings of being able to play college football. I think when your mindset shifts from blame to gratitude, it can change a lot of things."

Players like Gracial who stick with a program for as many as four years without earning a starting role now typically transfer out pretty quickly. Through his persistence, he's found development on and off the field.

Though Missouri has its clear stars, under-appreciated, tough-nosed players like Gracial and Trost oftentimes make a significant difference.

Here's the morning buzz for Thursday, Oct. 23.

  1. Wednesday's Mizzou Results
  2. Thursday's Mizzou Schedule
  3. Did You Notice?
  4. Mizzou Quote of the Day
  5. Check out our social media:
  6. Read More Missouri Tigers News

Wednesday's Mizzou Results

Women's Golf

  • Mizzou women's golf tied for second place in the 2025 Rainbow Wahine Invitational at Ocean Course Hokuala in Lihue, Hawaii— Stats
  • Ebba Liljeberg lead the Tigers' individual scorers, shooting 5-under-par— Stats

Thursday's Mizzou Schedule

There is nothing scheduled for Thursday

Did You Notice?

  • Former Missouri baseball player and assistant coach Tony Vitello was named as the 40th manager of the San Francisco Giants. This is the first time a college baseball head coach has jumped to the manager position in the MLB with no other professional experience.
  • Football head coach Eli Drinkwitz was named to the Midseason Watchlist for The Dodd Trophy. This trophy is given to coaches that "stand out for their commitment to the three pillars of Bobby Dodd's coaching philosophy: scholarship, leadership and integrity."
  • NCAA volleyball bracketology currently has Missouri volleyball in the Lincoln Regional facing UCLA. Take a closer look:
  • Missouri gymnast Kaia Tanskanen will be competing in the World Championship women's all-around final tomorrow.

Mizzou Quote of the Day

"They've got 11 people covering the point guard. Once in a while they do a feature on the stool I sit on. But I've got to hand it to the J-school. It's given me headaches for years, but it finally got me a player."
Norm Stewart

Check out our social media:

BlueSky: @mizzouonsi.bsky.social

X (formerly known as Twitter): @MizzouSI

Instagram: MizzouOnSI

Facebook: Missouri Tigers On SI YouTube

Read More Missouri Tigers News

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Amber Winkler
AMBER WINKLER

Amber Winkler is a sports journalist and photographer from St. Charles, Mo., and has been the primary baseball writer for Missouri Tigers On SI since 2024. She’s also covered football and basketball as an intern.

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Joey Van Zummeren
JOEY VAN ZUMMEREN

Joey Van Zummeren is the lead writer on Missouri Tigers On SI, primarily covering football and basketball, but has written on just about every sport the Tigers play. He’s also a contributing writer to Green Bay Packers On SI. From Belleville, Ill., he joined Missouri Tigers On SI as an intern in 2023.

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