The Missouri Tigers took another hit in the transfer portal, this time on freshman wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield. This is the ninth significant transfer from the program for Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers.

Crutchfield didn’t burn his redshirt this season, as he only appeared in two games and played a total of 10 snaps. His lack of playing time this season was not surprising and prepared him for the upcoming season, where a larger role in the receiver room seemed possible.

He was a former 4-star recruit and ranked No. 100 overall nationally. He was also the No. 2 player in the state of Arkansas, played high school football at Pine Bluff and was also ranked as the No. 18 receiver in the 2024 class. Crutchfield joined the recruiting class with 4-star Florida native James Madison II, another highly touted receiver recruit.

In high school, Crutchfield picked up offers from Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. There was a point in his recruitment where Crutchfield was committed to Arkansas and reneged on that promise on November 4, 2023. He made it official with the Tigers over a month later, on December 15, 2023.

Missouri isn’t exactly struggling at the receiver position after losing Crutchfield, but he was widely viewed as the future of the position for the Tigers. In a season that left Luther Burden III, Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper off the roster, it was possible that any returning or new receivers had a chance to earn playing time. The Tigers brought in top receiver transfer Kevin Coleman from Mississippi State, who appears to be the leading candidate for the wide receiver spot by one spot, but anything beyond that remains questionable.