2 of Mizzou Football's Freshmen Earning Confidence After Playing Time

Two of the Missouri Tigers' best freshmen on defense have surprisingly seen increased playing time in recent games and both are making the most of it.

Sep 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive back Trajen Greco (21) smiles as he walks off the field after a win over the Buffalo Bulls at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

The Missouri Tigers pulled in the No. 20 recruiting class in the country last year. It featured a five-star recruit, seven four stars and 13 three-star recruits. Two of those freshmen have earned their roles on the Missouri defense as the season has progressed.

Linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez, a Miami native, is one of those recruits. The injury to South Alabama transfer Khalil Jacobs hurt the Tiger defense, but Rodriguez has managed to step up. Rodriguez didn't have any expectations for his role coming into this season, but he's hitting it with full stride.

“I just embraced the process, embraced the role,” Rodriguez said. “It’s how it panned out and I’m grateful for it.”

Not many freshmen are capable of entering a college scheme without struggling. Rodriguez hasn't been perfect by any means, recording 15 tackles on 69 snaps played and five game appearances, but his presence hasn't let the team down. His preparation leading up to college in high school set him up to be where he is right now.

“Coming from a pretty prestigious high school program, Saint Thomas Aquinas, they transitioned me over here with a great coaching staff, great teammates that hold you to the standard," Rodriguez said.

The other freshman standout, safety Trajen Greco, a Buford, Ga. native, has seen no trouble fitting in as well. He's the only true freshman on the team to, in some capacity, see action in every game this season. The early playing time, whether on special teams or sparingly on defense, was not a shock to Greco.

“I always have high expectations of myself, so I thought I could have a pretty decent role,” Greco said. 

There is no doubt that Greco is a confident player, as you have to be to be the only freshman to touch the field every game for an SEC program. Despite his talent and confidence, if it weren't for the coaching staff and his teammates, he may not have been ready come the start of the season.

“My confidence is really high, but I just thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity to do that,” Greco said. 

Greco and Rodriguez have seen plenty of help and guidance from coaches and players. The staff gets everybody, including freshmen and those less experienced in the scheme, completely prepared for unique situations.

"My confidence is really high, but I just thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity to do that,” Greco said. 

“This team does a really good job preparing us for all the situations we may encounter,” Rodriguez said.

Greco took an eye to the "brotherhood" mentality and closeness of the team on his official visit last season, where he traveled to Columbia, Mo. to watch the Tigers squeak out a win over the Florida Gators. It was after the game when Greco was stunned by how close the team was.

“It’s something like I’ve never seen before,” Greco said. “Even when I came on my visit to the Florida game last year, just being in the locker room and seeing the brotherhood and how they stayed together.”

The two freshmen have seen mentorship from plenty of players across the Tiger defense. For Rodriguez, linebackers Corey Flagg, Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson have been the most helpful, as is the advice he's received from them.

“Just be consistent. Don’t be too high, too low,” Rodriguez said. “I always see those guys, they have great games and when they come back to practice they come back to level ground.”

For Greco, safety Joseph Charleston is the man who's led him the right way. His combination of experience in college football and ability to speak out to everybody was something Greco took note of and looks to add to his game.

The closeness of the team and its resiliency, whether they are on the field or not, has already made a direct impact on the experienced freshmen. The tone head coach Eli Drinkwitz sets for the culture of his program, regardless of the level of experience, immediately involves the young, new players. Recent games have shown the resiliency and togetherness of the Tigers.

“They never fold,” Greco said. “We always have eachothers backs and we just go out and execute.”

A common theme from Drinkwitz is to move ahead to the next game. He's vocal about it, but he also instills it in his players. The Tigers are now coming off a loss and have two more challenging matchups ahead of them, but dwelling on its loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks will not help.

“At the end of the day, it’s football,” Rodriguez said. Win or lose, you have to come back to work the next day.”

That next challenging matchup comes against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss. on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3:15 p.m. CT.

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