Chuck Hicks Struck Gold by Betting on Himself

The seventh-year linebacker has stayed consistent with his approach all throughout his college career.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Chuck Hicks (30) communicates a read before a snap against the Boston College Eagles during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

Chuck Hicks was looking for a new home.

Entering the transfer portal after three years at Wyoming, the linebacker sought not only more opportunity but an enviroment where he could settle into.

Hicks was somewhat of a nomad in the seven years before heading to Missouri. He played at a different high school all four years of his high school career, roaming around the San Diego area.

This time, Hicks had a clear vision for what he wanted in his new home.

"Somewhere to really find peace within myself," Hicks told MissouriOnSI of what he was looking for when he entered the portal. "Mizzou was that place for me. All the coaches are really welcoming. The players are welcoming, and I found a great home."

The Tigers didn't know exactly what to expect out of their new linebacker when Hicks arrived in 2021. They just knew they needed more depth behind soon-to-depart starter Blaze Alldredge and the emerging Chad Bailey.

"We needed a linebacker at the time," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "Ultimately, we didn't know where he would fit in."

It took Hicks time to learn where he fit in not only on the roster, but also in the locker room. Only six players on Missouri's roster in 2021 originated farther west than Texas. He was a west-coast man on a roster full of Midwesterners and South-easterners.

“He was quiet when I first met him, " defensive tackle Kristian Williams remembers.

Yet, it would take more time for Missouri to fully get to know their new linebacker.

Hicks only made five starts in his time at Wyoming. He would still have to prove himself at Missouri, appearing in seven games to end the 2021 season, almost exclusively on special teams. Out of his 123 snaps in his debut year with Missouri, only 14 came on defense.

He was willing to do the dirty work to claw his way up the roster. It's the only mindset he's ever known — always having to put in the extra mile to prove himself. Transferring to a SEC school showed the bets Hicks was willing to place on himself.

"When it comes to something to prove mindset, I feel like it's been my whole life," Hicks said. "I've always felt like I was the underdog in a lot of things. I was a 2-star type guy. I wasn't highly recruited. I always wanted to prove myself, in my own life."

In that way, he was a perfect culture fit for what Missouri was building.

"I thought I was a lot better than maybe some other guys, but that's okay," Hicks said. "I just came to work."

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; The Missouri Tigers' defense huddles before a play against the Boston College Eagles at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman-Missouri Tigers On SI

Just like the program itself though, it would take Hicks some more time before he would begin to see the fruits of his labor.

In the 2022 season, Hicks was set to have to compete for his role once again. Missouri had added Ty'Ron Hopper through the portal from Florida and Bailey had established himself with eight starts in 2021.

Yet, Hicks didn't even get the chance to prove himself, suffering a torso injury during fall camp. He was used to putting his head down and working. Except this time, he'd away from the team at most times. He had to create a support system of his own.

"My wife, she's the one that kinda helped me through that recovery along with my teammates," Hicks said. "It was tough at first. Just being away from the facility or not even being at practice just because you're out and you're in the training room."

Heading into the 2023 season, there was uncertainty for where Hicks would fit in, again. Yet he stay prepared for whatever opportunities came his way.

By this point in his career, Hicks was 23 years old, entering his sixth year of college football, but had only recorded 31 tackles and still just five starts to his name. All the belief and confidence he possessed had to come within himself and his preparation.

"I was always ready, whenever my chance was," Hicks said. "I studied hard, went hard in practice."

His preparation paid off in the 2023 season. Missouri not only found where he fit, but truly needed him.

Bailey, preparing for his third season as a starter, suffered a abdominal injury in the summer of 2023. Though Bailey was able to play in limited action in the first five games of the season, he re-aggravated it, causing him to miss the remainder of the 2023 season.

Enter Hicks, who took over at the middle linebacker spot in Bailey's absence, starting in Weeks 1-3 and in every game past week 6. He filled in Bailey's role swimmingly, recording 53 tackles on the season, the fourth most on the team.

He ended up becoming a key part of a turnaround for not only the defense, but the entire program. 2023 was the first winning season Missouri recorded since Hicks' collegiate career began all the way back in 2018.

He recorded four tackles in Missouri's win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, where the defense allowed just three points, the lowest allowed in the Cotton Bowl since 2018.

Though his stability at the linebacker position might have been surprising on the outside, the Missouri coaching staff was far from surprised. Like Hicks himself, they had confidence from the preparation he put in.

"Chuck's exactly what we talk about when we talk about being emotionally consistent," Drinkwitz said. "He's the same guy every day. Doesn't get too high, too low. He's going to give you the very best that he has."

Emotional stability is what has led Hicks through his journey. Staying level-headed while not earning the opportunities he thought he was deserving of, finding his role at Missouri and putting his head down to recover from injury.

"I don't like to get too high or too low," Hicks said. "I like to stay right in the middle. It's something that helps you within your days. It helps you not be too upset, also not be too happy about things, and just keeps me going in my daily life."

Hicks' production has been consistent, too. He's recorded a tackle in every game since the beginning of 2023, including at least three in 11 of them. His consistent approach, production and personality has earned himself the respect of his teammates, being voted a team captain for the 2024 season.

"He's the elder statesman," linebackers coach D.J. Smith said. "Probably the oldest guy in college football, but he backs it up with his play. He's a veteran leader for us."

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Chuck Hicks (30) laughs with his teammates on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman-Missouri Tigers On SI

Heading into his seventh and final year of his collegiate career, Hicks' perseverance and patience has paid off. His story is the cultural identity Drinkwitz has built at Missouri — a team that plays with a chip on their shoulder and sticks together through it all.

On a defense in 2024 that has added multiple new starters through the transfer portal who had to socialize themselves into Missouri's culture, Smith calls Hicks one of the leaders and examples of the standard of excellence the Tigers look to uphold.

"They know and uphold the standard," Drinkwitz said of defensive leaders like Hicks. "They expect everybody else to play to that standard. They're not willing to lower it for anybody. When you have transfers come in, we're really not adapting to you, you're joining us and this is how we do it here."

Three seasons ago, Hicks was one of the transfers having to adjust into an evolving culture at Missouri. Whether he knew it or not when he first entered the portal, Missouri needed players with his mindset just as much as he needed Missouri.

"He's stuck around," Drinkwitz said. "He's faced a lot of different injuries in his career, and he just continues to show up every day and go to work."

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