COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lost another freshman to the transfer portal on Thursday, continuing a trend of players leaving the program unexpectedly after just one season with the Tigers.

Wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield was the latest to do so and will officially enter the transfer portal on Friday, a team spokesman confirmed.

“I would like to thank the University of Missouri for giving me the opportunity to represent this incredible institution,” Crutchfield wrote in a statement posted on social media. “Thank you to the coaching team for believing in me, pushing me to achieve my best and helping me grow on and off the field. Thank you to my teammates for the bond we shared, the memories we created and the battles we fought together. And to the great Mizzou fans, your unwavering support has meant a lot to me.

He is the fifth member of Mizzou’s 2024 recruiting class to enter the transfer portal since it opened last week.

Crutchfield signed with MU as a four-star recruit out of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he was ranked No. 51 in the country by 247Sports at every position.

But behind a deep room full of wide receivers, he appeared in just two games as a true freshman and in a redshirt.

Crutchfield still seemed like a candidate for a larger role in 2025. Starting wideouts Luther Burden III, Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper will have their careers over after the 2024 season as they declare for the NFL Draft or are no longer eligible to play. Wide receiver Mekhi Miller entered the transfer portal early in the cycle.

That means starting in 2024, Mizzou will bring back Joshua Manning, Marquis Johnson, Daniel Blood and James Madison II and add Donovan Olugbode, Shaun Terry and DaMarion Fowlkes as freshmen.

The Tigers also signed former Mississippi State receiver – and local star at St. Mary’s – Kevin Coleman Jr., who will join their wideout staff next season.

Crutchfield joins edge rusher Williams Nwaneri, defensive lineman Jaylen Brown, running back Kewan Lacy and quarterback Aidan Glover as players from Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class entering the portal. According to 247Sports, Nwaneri, Crutchfield and Brown were the Tigers’ highest-rated recruits in the class.

MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said Wednesday that he doesn’t blame the players for entering the portal after such short stays at the school they signed with out of high school, but that he wished they had Missouri was given more time.

“That’s what I regret,” he said. “I believe that everyone who comes into college football is faced with some adversity that they have to overcome. “But I just wish they would understand that there is no such thing as overnight success.”

Mizzou acquired a commitment from former Virginia Tech safety Mose Phillips III on Thursday, bringing in a defensive back who has both experience and a few more years of eligibility left.

Phillips made 65 tackles for the Hokies this season, also forced a fumble, broke up three passes and had an interception.

He spent two seasons at Virginia Tech and was on the field in both seasons. He burned his redshirt last year as a freshman mastering the defensive rotation.

Phillips has two years of eligibility remaining.

He is the second safety the Tigers have acquired through the portal, joining former Northern Illinois defensive lineman Santana Banner as rookies at the position.

Banner and Phillips will likely fill holes left by the departures of Joseph Charleston and Tre’Vez Johnson.