Welcome Home: How Cayden Green is Already Blending Into Mizzou Culture
COLUMBIA, Mo. — It's not easy to be named a captain of a team, especially a high-profile sport like football. The traits that usually go with that honor include being a hard-worker, a leader, and an example of what needs to be shown on the field week-in and week-out. It's even more challenging to be named a captain for a big-time program like Oklahoma, yet Cayden Green did both of those things in his true-freshman year in the Big 12.
He was the first true-freshman captain in Sooners history. That probably tells more about him as a young player than being a big-time recruit with the potential to play at the next level. Oh, and did we mention that he was an offensive lineman? It's probably the hardest position group for a first-year player to come in and make an immediate impact.
But that was last year, at another school, in another league even. The co-captain played in 11 games in 2023, with five starts including the last four at left guard, en route to earning Freshman All-American honors.
Now he's someone Mizzou plans to build around up front, and help minimize the loss of Jahvon Foster to the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. Green will likely begin the season at right tackle, but head coach Eliah Drinkwitz has already said that his new addition possesses position flexibility and can be a tool for the team in multiple places.
"We're very excited about his length, speed and athleticism and we're also excited about his tenacity," Drinkwitz said.
The same goes for Green's leadership and love for the game.
During warm-ups for Saturday's spring practice, Green was at the very front of the line, facing all of his fellow offensive linemen. In one of just his first few on-field sessions, he was out front taking charge, and then taking leading reps.
Teammates are already praising not just the way he's fit it, but bought into the culture of "STP." New system? New scheme? New way of going about things? They say one can hardly tell.
"He's picked it up quick, you can tell he's played a little ball, it aint nothin' new to him," third-year starter Connor Tollison said.
Coming off its Cotton Bowl win against Ohio State, Missouri is looking to build on last season and and attain more success than the program has boasted in decades, but to do so the Tigers have to still embrace what has gotten them to this point. A big key to the No. 8 finish in in the final 2023-24 AP Top 25 was leadership, from Brady Cook, to Johnny Walker, to Cody Schrader, to Darius Robinson, and the list goes on. The voices and presence of leaders in the locker room helped Mizzou football culture take a huge step.
It might have added to that with Green addition through the transfer portal. Just ask Walker.
Saturday afternoon he called tackle Armand Membou the "best run-blocker in the country," but added that Green was "a good run-blocker as well," and that he "loves going against guys that can give him a challenge."
Translation: The new guy is off to a good start.
After just a single season with a different team and a handful of days in spring practice, coaches and teammates alike are seeing what made Green the top recruit in the state of Missouri a year ago. From the words "versatile" to "tenacious" the praises have not come from nothing, as the 6-5, 316-pound product of Lee’s Summit North looks to already step into a large role this early into his Mizzou tenure.
Green already seems like a good fit, and not just physically, exactly as Mizzou had hoped.
