Missouri Tigers hope tight ends can become a bigger piece of the puzzle in 2025

Missouri’s offense has taken major strides in recent seasons.

But while the Tigers reached new heights in 2023 and backed it up with another strong campaign in 2024, one position hasn’t quite taken off: tight end.

That could change in 2025.

Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has emphasized a renewed focus on the position heading into the fall, hoping to unlock more production from a group that features both talent and intriguing depth.

“At the tight end position, we’ve got to figure out what guys to have on the field,” Moore said. “We’re going to have a ton of different personnel groups, getting those guys and figuring out what they do well. But coach (Derham) Cato has done a really good job of developing those guys and recruiting that room, and I’m excited.”

At the center of it all is junior Brett Norfleet, who broke out as a freshman during Mizzou’s 11-2 Cotton Bowl-winning season in 2023.

Norfleet was named a Freshman All-American and earned SEC All-Freshman honors, finishing with 18 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns. He started the final seven games and quickly became a reliable red-zone target and blocker.

In 2024, expectations for Norfleet skyrocketed.

But injuries kept him from reaching the next level statistically. He still made eight starts in 11 appearances and upped his production to 26 catches for 235 yards and two scores, but the breakout year many anticipated was hindered by inconsistency and availability.

Now healthy entering his third season, Norfleet figures to be one of the Tigers’ most important offensive weapons — and Moore is planning accordingly.

The Tigers are also counting on junior tight end Jordon Harris, who has quietly gained a role over the past two years. Though he’s made just five catches in 24 career appearances, Harris brings experience, blocking versatility and could be used more often in two-tight-end sets.

“Brett and Jordon have established themselves as elite players at that position — very consistent,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in April. “But you can never have enough 6-foot-5, 240-pound guys who run and can catch the ball and add value on special teams.”

Harris is no shoo-in for that second tight end role. Among those battling for that spot is redshirt senior Vince Brown, a graduate transfer from Colorado State.

With 57 career catches and eight touchdowns across stints at CSU and College of DuPage, Brown brings more pass-catching upside than Harris and could add a new wrinkle to Mizzou’s offensive structure. He’s also already familiar with tight end-heavy systems.

Redshirt freshman Gavin Hoffman, a transfer from Iowa, is another option and represents the position’s future. Once a four-star recruit out of Blue Valley Northwest in Kansas, Hoffman didn’t see the field in 2024 but was a highly regarded prospect who chose Missouri in search of a new opportunity.

Hoffman offers a wide catch radius and athleticism from his high school days as a hybrid wideout/tight end.

Another redshirt freshman with potential is Jude James, a former high school teammate of Norfleet. Through the first couple of weeks of fall camp, James has seen plenty of opportunities, and Drinkwitz has raved about his importance and potential.

“What I like about those guys is the size of that room has dramatically changed since we first got here to now,” Drinkwitz said at the start of fall camp. “That’s a position that in this league is a premium.”

All signs point to tighter integration between the position group and Moore’s offensive plan in 2025 — a notable shift after last year’s campaign, which consisted of modest usage.

With Norfleet looking to recapture his freshman-year momentum, Harris and Brown pushing each other for playing time, and promising redshirt freshmen like Hoffman and James waiting in the wings, Missouri’s tight end room is deeper and more dynamic than it has been the last couple of seasons.

Whether that translates to more production remains to be seen. But it won’t be for a lack of intention.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian