Missouri Receives Devastating Injury News Ahead of 2024 Season
The 2024 NCAA college football season is practically here and all eyes are on the Missouri Tigers. Eliah Drinkwitz's team was among the best in the nation last fall, going 11-2 (6-2 vs. SEC) before capping off the year with a dominant victory over Ohio State at the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Missouri is now slated to open the 2024 campaign as the No. 11 program on the AP Top 25 list, which has only raised expectations. But while the Tigers' future appears to be right, the team's outlook has taken a hit following the devastating injury news surrounding a key defender.
Missouri Football News: Darris Smith Suffers Season-Ending Injury
On3's Thomas Goldkamp is reporting that Missouri has lost standout pass-rusher Darris Smith to a season-ending knee injury. The promising defender — who transferred to the Tigers this summer — suffered the injury when he collided with a teammate during Tuesday's one-on-one drills.
BREAKING: Missouri EDGE Darris Smith will miss the entire 2024 season with a knee injury, per @byEliHoff🙏
— On3 (@On3sports) August 14, 2024
Smith transferred in from Georgia this offseason.https://t.co/5eFNv9JtxX pic.twitter.com/5KpK9RwJxN
Hopefully, the promising junior heals quickly so that he can return to the gridiron next year.
Tigers fans were excited to see what head coach Drinkwitz could do with Smith's untapped potential. Although the 6-foot-5, 240-pound defender spent two seasons with the Bulldogs, he was mostly playing backup minutes in his 16 career appearances, resulting in four solo tackles, one lost yardage tackle, and a broken-up pass.
But even though the young defender's career has hit a speed bump, Drinkwitz is confident in a bounce-back season next year.
"[Smith] was having an outstanding camp and was poised to have a great year. We will support Darris in his recovery and look forward to him returning stronger than before."
- HC Eliah Drinkwitz
It's unfortunate that Smith will miss his entire junior season, however, that doesn't mean all hope is lost for Missouri. The Tigers are currently tied for the 13th-best 2024-25 National Championship odds (+4000) in a season with a projected win total of 9.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
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