BREAKING: Former Five-Star Prospect Transferring from Mizzou

The defensive end was a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2024.

Sept. 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Williams Nwaneri (6) walking off the field after Missouri's week 2 win over Buffalo at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

The Missouri Tigers have suffered their first big loss through the transfer portal, with defensive end Williams Nwaneri departing, per a report by Hayes Fawcett.

Nwaneri was a consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2024 and a top-10 prospect. The Lee's Summit native was the third-highest rated prospect in program history, right behind wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Landing the top-rated prospect in the state of Missouri was, and continues to be, a significant emphasis for Missouri under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. Less than a week ago, the program officially signed offensive lineman Jack Lange, the top-rated prospect in the state for the Class of 2025.

"We signed the top player in the state for back-to-back years, which is always important to us," Drinkwitz said on his press conference on Dec. 4. "Now with Will and Jack, the ability to continue to build on that. Obviously, this is a trench league, and so to be able to keep the best players in the state on the offensive and defensive lines is huge for us."

In that press conference, Drinkwitz spoke on the impact Nwaneri would have on the future of the program on multiple occasions. Saying the the 6-foot-7, 255-pound edge rusher would be an important part of the team's depth along the defensive line. And that Lange looked forward to the opportunity with competing with Nwaneri.

Nwaneri played just 38 snaps for the Tigers in his true freshman season, appearing in only four games. Missouri suffered two-season ending injuries at edge rusher throughout the season, with Darris Smith during fall camp, and Joe Moore III ahead of Week 7. Nwaneri took 16 snaps in the first game without Moore, but that was also in a game against UMass where the Tigers led 24-3 at the half.

Missouri seemed to view Nwaneri as a long-term project. Developing players at that rate has become increasingly difficult with the mobility players now have available to them in the current age of college athletics.

"The good news for him is, he doesn't have to feel any pressure about like he's got to come in right now and save the day," Drinkwitz said in a press conference ahead of fall camp. "We've got a lot of really good players at the defensive end position, and now he can just come in and get up to speed as quickly as possible and then use natural giftings and abilities

Meanwhile, safety Trajen Greco and linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez carved out roles for themselves with Missouri in 2024 during their true freshmen seasons. A willingness to play freshmen immediately is something that Drinkwitz thought was an alluring opportunity to four-star defensive end Javion Hilson, who also signed with the Tigers last Wednesday.

"I think got everyone really excited about what we can do and that's a position [defensive end] that has proven in the SEC that you can come in and play early," Drinkwitz said. "Especially with what some other people have done as freshmen in this conference, I think he [Hilson] saw an opportunity to leave his mark on one of the best conferences in college football."

Nwaneri's reasons for entering the transfer portal are unknown. He's the first defensive player to enter the transfer portal for the Tigers. Before committing to Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia were also included in Nwaneri's top three schools out of high school.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Mizzou to Play Iowa in Music City Bowl
2025 Missouri Tigers Football Offseason Tracker: Coming and Going
Mizzou Starting Offensive Tackle Declares for NFL Draft, Per Report