Transfer portal has filled holes for Missouri football

We are officially in the transfer portal era of college football. During the offseason, Missouri football jumped all the way in to help bolster their roster.

After his first season, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz saw a handful of expected contributors leave the program. Defensive lineman Markell Utsey went to Arkansas, wide receiver Jalen Knox landed at Ole Miss, and cornerback Jadarrius Perkins moved to Florida. However, the Tigers did not stay still.

Mizzou added Rice linebacker Blaze Alldredge, Ohio State wide receiver Mookie Cooper, and Tulsa cornerbacks Allie Green IV and Akayleb Evans to the program. Each made a splash in the season-opening victory over Central Michigan.

Alldredge was the real star for the Tigers as the 220-pound off-ball linebacker recorded 10 tackles with 6 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. The former two-time All-Conference USA selection was a havoc machine at Rice recording 21.5 tackles for loss in 2019. The super senior from the transfer portal has an interesting hairstyle.

#Mizzou's Blaze Alldredge (@blazeachille) had 3.5 sacks today, which is the most by a Tiger since 2006.

"If you're gonna wear hair like that you better be a player." ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/bRXnIt3NCH

— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) September 5, 2021

In the secondary, both Greene and Evans were heavily involved as new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks rotated a lot of bodies throughout the game. The former duo at Tulsa combined to collect four tackles and three defended passes (2 pass breakups, 1 interception) in their SEC debuts.

On offense, Cooper received four targets in the passing game and flashed some juice and wiggle with the ball in his hands. The St. Louis native finished the game with four receptions and also logged three rushing attempts. The gadget player is someone that Drinkwitz and his offensive staff will try to get involved each week.

For Kentucky, the Wildcats have a roster that was heavily influenced by the transfer portal. Will Levis, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Dare Rosenthal all made a big impact in Kentucky’s season-opening win. Jacquez Jones got the start at Mike linebacker and recorded three tackles in 46 snaps.

Now, these two programs, with their free agency additions, will meet on the field this Saturday night at Kroger Field.

These transfer portal additions add another layer to what will be a very intriguing matchup. Both Kentucky’s offense and Missouri’s defense looked to make some big changes in the offseason bringing in an NFL coach to fix the unit. One of the first steps for each was upgrading the roster through the transfer portal. Both have done that.

The winner on Saturday will likely have a portal addition or two play a huge role in the victory.

College football has entered a new world thanks to the transfer portal. Both Kentucky and Missouri are trying to take advantage.