Coming out of high school, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Nwaneri was a 5-star recruit and a top-10 prospect nationally according to the 247 Sports Composite. He was the highest-rated defensive lineman in the country and the top in-state player for Missouri in the 2024 recruiting class and a huge win for head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

Nwaneri made his Missouri debut in the season opener against Murray State. He would record his first sack and two total tackles in the game against UMass, but would not record any further statistics during the year.

Although Nwaneri didn’t make much of an impression early on, he was certainly a valuable recruit with elite potential. The loss is not insignificant and it will be interesting to see how he develops at a new destination if he does indeed leave the Tigers via the portal.

The programs Nwaneri received official visits to in high school include Oregon, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Georgia, so a move within the SEC certainly isn’t out of the question for Nwaneri.

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.