'Come back home': How Toriano Pride helped recruit Kevin Coleman to Mizzou

Missouri and Mississippi State’s meeting on Nov. 23 was far from the first time cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. crossed paths with receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.

Both players grew up in the St. Louis area at the same time — along with former Tiger Luther Burden III — so they constantly competed against each other in high school, as well as with each other for a year in little league. They grew close before they each departed their hometown for college.

Mizzou won that game 39-20. Pride had five tackles; Coleman finished his day with 58 receiving yards on six receptions for the Bulldogs. After the dust settled, Pride figured he’d try his hand at a little recruiting.

“I told (Coleman) after we played Mississippi State, ‘Hey, if you’re thinking about leaving, you need to come back home,’” Pride said Tuesday.

The next month, after the Bulldogs had gone 2-10, Coleman entered the transfer portal. A couple of days after that decision, he committed to the Tigers.

Even though Coleman had been acting “mysterious” leading up to his decision, Pride was fairly confident that Mizzou would be his choice. After two separate stops in Mississippi and a year in Kentucky, it was time for the receiver to return to the state where it all started, it would appear.

“I kind of had an idea that he was coming back home,” Pride said.

For Pride, going toe-to-toe in the SEC with a player he grew up with was a cool experience. Now that they get to play for the same team — in the last year of eligibility for both, no less — it will make for a special season.

“You’re not thinking we’re going to be in the same DI college, big SEC school together at the same time,” Pride said. “It’s our last year together so it’s only up from here. It’s great.”

Coleman is expected to lead Missouri’s receiving corps this year. Pride said he has seen the entire group show flashes throughout fall camp. He named juniors Josh Manning and Marquis Johnson as players who have gotten better since last season, while mentioning freshmen Donovan Olugbode and Shaun Terry II as playmakers.

As one of Mizzou’s leading cornerbacks, Pride has worked across from them plenty this month. While Coleman’s addition certainly helps, every receiver in the offense is making him excited for 2025.

“I love the receiving room,” Pride said. “I feel like we have a lot more depth than last year.”

Newcomers adjusting to the SEC

Missouri’s depth chart is full of newcomers, both to the program and to the Southeastern Conference. While these individuals haven’t played a conference game yet, simply competing in practice has given them a feel for the dynamic of SEC football.

Running back Ahmad Hardy dominated in the Sun Belt conference last year and is projected to be one of the top rushers in the SEC. He is getting a sense of the type of speed required to go up against SEC opponents.

“It’s a lot faster,” Hardy said. “Trying to get up to the speed and things like that is way faster in the SEC.”

Luckily for the newcomers, there’s a vast number of experienced SEC players on the roster. Offensive lineman Dominick Giudice is as experienced as any on the team with four years at Michigan, but he’s prepared for the conference to be more difficult.

“Every game is going to be a competitive game. Something that I’ve learned from guys that have experience playing in the SEC every game is that nothing’s a given,” Guidice said. “In football, nothing is a given ever. But just being able to go into every week, it’s the most important week of the season.”

Redshirt sophomore Josiah Trotter joined Mizzou’s linebackers group out of West Virginia and has already received lots of praise from teammates. He hasn’t felt overwhelmed with the competition of the SEC yet, which makes sense given that his father, Jeremiah Trotter, played in the NFL for 12 seasons.

Still, Trotter has sought advice from those more experienced. Senior Khalil Jacobs is a leader at linebacker and has been there to provide help.

“He’s already been in the SEC,” Trotter said of Jacobs. “You can learn a lot, pick his brain about different things, different schemes you may see. Just anything I may not know and that I have questions about.”

Cameron Keys a young Missouri standout

When asked who has stuck out to them in fall camp on defense, Pride and Jacobs quickly named redshirt freshman Cameron Keys.

The former four-star recruit saw one appearance and six total snaps in the 2024 season. It was a crowded group of cornerbacks that kept him mostly on the sideline, but a year spent in defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s system has brought enough experience to possibly find a spot in the rotation.

“(Keys) was definitely a guy that was flashing around the field, making his presence known,” Jacobs said. “That guy’s got a lot of confidence in himself and he’s ready to put it on display.”

Cornerbacks coach Al Pogue has plenty of options this season, including redshirt senior Dreyden Norwood, redshirt senior Stephen Hall and redshirt sophomore Nick Deloach Jr. Keys has to play his way through some serious competition but seems to be showcasing his strengths in practice.

“He had a few good plays,” Pride said of Keys. “A lot of good tackles, pass breakups.”

In just his second year, Keys’ potential could start to lead to production for the Tigers.

Ahmad Hardy on Doak Walker watch list

The preseason recognition for Hardy hasn’t stopped.

The sophomore was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list Tuesday, the premier award for running backs in college football. Last year, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty won the award.

This is the second preseason award watch list Hardy has made, along with the Maxwell Award list on July 28. That award recognizes the most outstanding player in the sport. He was the only Missouri player to make the list.

With Louisiana-Monroe as a true freshman, Hardy put up 1,351 rushing yards on 237 carries and 13 total touchdowns. If Hardy takes home the Doak Walker Award, he’d be the first ever Missouri player to do so.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM.