The rookie football WR from Missouri enters the portal and will exit the portal fifth

Another Mizzou freshman is leaving the program after just a few months.

On Thursday, former four-star wide receiver and Missouri football freshman Courtney Crutchifeld plans to enter the transfer portal, the Tribune confirmed with a Missouri team spokesperson.

Once his paperwork is processed, he will become the fifth member of the Tigers’ highly ranked 2024 class to enter the portal. Three of the others have already found new homes. 247Sports’ PowerMizzou was the first station to report Crutchfield’s intention to transfer.

Crutchfield, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, follows defensive ends Williams Nwaneri and Jaylen Brown, who transferred to Nebraska and South Carolina, respectively; running back Kewan Lacy, who signed with Ole Miss; and quarterback Aidan Glover, who is still looking for a new school.

With those five players opted out, the Tigers are expected to lose the top three ranked players in their class of 2024: Nwaneri, Crutchfield and Brown, according to the 247Sports rankings.

More:Missouri Football Live Transfer Portal News: If you’re tracking who’s joining, Mizzou is leaving the portal

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke at length Wednesday about the current landscape of college football and the difficulties of retaining players in the early stages of their careers.

“I think everyone needs to get out of that mindset and understand that we are a six-month, free agent company,” Drinkwitz added. “And every six months there’s free agency and you do your best to put together the roster you can with that mindset. … But that old mindset of, “Hey, I’m going to have 85 scholarships, and I’m going to hire four people at each position, and as soon as this guy leaves, the next guy comes along” – that’s not really that realistic anymore.

“Our job is to build the best team we can so that when we start spring training in March, we have the best team possible, even though we know there’s another free agency period coming up in April and your team will look completely different could. … Everything will be fine. You know, we value production more than potential, and that will be a major driving force for us and the decisions we make in player acquisition and player development.”

More:“Who is in charge of college football?”: Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz talks transfer portal and turnover

Crutchfield didn’t catch a pass, appearing in just two games his rookie year as a talented senior class took the bulk of the reps. The former four-star player and top-100 prospect chose Mizzou after initially committing to his home state Arkansas Razorbacks during his initial recruitment.

But Luther Burden III, Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper are each moving on after this season, either to enter the 2025 NFL Draft or because their eligibility is expiring. Junior backup Mekhi Miller has also entered the transfer portal.

Missouri’s first portal move addressed upcoming roster moves at wide receiver as the Tigers added coach All-SEC third-team selection and Mississippi State wideout Kevin Coleman last Friday. He is expected to take over Burden’s role as a slot receiver next season.

That being said, the Tigers will likely rely on internal talent to fill the void.

Second-year wideouts Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson have each carved out prominent roles at different times over the course of their two seasons with the program and could very well be the Tigers’ other two starters in 2025.

Manning’s size and ability to make contested catches make him a candidate for an equal rotation with Wease, while Johnson’s speed could make him an immediate replacement for Cooper.

Additionally, Mizzou is currently expected to bring back Daniel Blood as a junior and James Madison II as a redshirt freshman. Mizzou added three wideouts in its 2025 class, with DaMarion Fowlkes, Donovan Olugbode and Shaun Terry each committed to play for Mizzou next season.

“The only thing I would say about this whole situation is that it’s not our players’ fault,” Drinkwitz said Wednesday. “Don’t be angry with the players. Don’t be a bit angry with the players. That’s not it, this whole situation is not her fault at all. Don’t hate the players, hate the game. You know, at the end of the day it’s the system – there is no system. So if there is no system, people will do what they have to do. So don’t get angry with other players. I completely understand from their perspective and wish them all the best.”

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The rookie football WR from Missouri enters the portal and will exit the portal fifth

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