Rakestraw-less Mizzou, Hopper heading to the Cotton Bowl, Charleston returning, and Cooper returning for 2024
Just before Christmas, Missouri football made its way to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and there were early indications that a major game was on the horizon.
Hopper was not there for the last two games throughout the season, which included a senior night matchup with his old team, Florida.
After a few practices and some holiday celebrations, a few personnel changes pertaining to the MU roster had been revealed since then.
After the 2024 season, Cooper will have one more year of eligibility, if he chooses to use it. Two of Missouri’s best defensive players, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., will be out for the Cotton Bowl due to injury.
On Friday, the No. 9 Tigers will take on No. 7 Ohio State during the Cotton Bowl; nevertheless, on December 23, Mizzou flew to Texas.
Since its release in early December, Rakestraw’s participation in the bowl game has been uncertain. He was absent from many games, including the final regular-season game against Arkansas.
The junior wide receiver’s return to the Tigers for an additional season was revealed by the team on Monday in a video.
Since joining the Tigers as a receiver in 2020 after redshirting at Ohio State, Cooper, a native of St. Louis, has been a reliable member of the receiving group.
Cooper will postpone any professional football endeavors and play another season for Mizzou before taking on his former squad during the Cotton Bowl on Friday.
Cooper set career highs in receptions plus yards with 34 receptions for 429 yards in 2023. Courtney Crutchfield & James Madison II, two four-star freshman, will also be in the group.
It seems that the Tigers’ successful offense will remain the same in 2019 after Cooper’s declaration and the team’s announcement on Thursday regarding offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s contract extension.
If senior wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. decides to play in his final year on eligibility, the Tigers will have one of the strongest receiving corps in the country if they bring back every member of the group.
Due to injuries, Missouri’s linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. will not participate in the 2019 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic versus Ohio State, a source informed ESPN’s Pete Thamel in Saturday.
Rakestraw also missed the Tigers’ season-ending victory over Arkansas because of an injury that remained unreported.
Rakestraw is ranked among the top five cornerback prospects in the 2024 NFL draft by ESPN’s Matt Miller & Field Yates.
The two-time All-SEC selection Hopper has not played since suffering a sprained ankle vs Tennessee on November 11. He was a finalist of the Butkus Award, which recognizes the best linebacker in the country.
Playing in a bowl game on New Year’s Day but missing out on the College Football Playoffs presents a challenge.
While it can be difficult for some players who are eager to move on to the next project, teams or coaches want to end their careers on a positive note.
As a result, head coach of the Mizzou football team Eli Drinkwitz made a point of stating in a news conference that he intends for the Tigers to play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at full strength and that any players that transfer out are welcome to remain and participate in the team. But don’t expect everyone to comply—opt-outs are still, of course, an option.
Mizzou must begin considering its future in the interim, in addition to the transfer site that became operational on Monday.
Drinkwitz stated to 247Sports.com, “Right now, our roster is a little bit crunched.” “And so we’re having to exercise very judicious regarding how we go around building it back.”
“We do have real real needs,” he continued. We’re going to have to do some portal shopping at cornerback because we’re losing two of our corners, Ennis Rakestraw, Kris Abrams-Draine, to the NFL.
Darius Robinson, who I believe is expected to be a first-round pick, will be joining us on defense. We’ll choose two defensive ends in quick succession. We intend to search for one or two defensive ends.”
Building mutual respect and trust is crucial, according to Drinkwitz. “People will trust you and each other more quickly if you can get them to adopt your culture.
Being truthful with one another—both in both the good or the bad—is the only way to develop trust.