Meet The Freshmen: Whit Hafer, Kewan Lacy, Jude James

Three other Tigers, including a 4-star RB on some sites, are looking to bring versatility and talent to their respective positions.

Photos via Kewan Lacy, Jude James and Missouri Football Twitter/X /

Each member of a recruiting class is important in their each individual way. Not every member of the Missouri Tigers' impressive 2024 recruiting class will see the field right away, or in a large capacity, but they will still be able to make an impact. Freshmen Whit Hafer, Kewan Lacy and Jude James are all looking to break through and make an impact as early as they can.

Hafer is yet another in-state pickup for the Tigers, from Joplin, Mo. Lacy hails from Lancaster, Tx and gave Tiger fans a whirlwhind, shocking recruitment process leading up to his decision. James is another under-the-radar prospect that head coach Eli Drinkwitz has picked up and is yet another in-stare prospect from Saint Charles. Here's a look into three freshmen fighting for their spots on this 2024 roster.

Whit Hafer, TE

Hafer was ranked as a three-star prospect coming out of Joplin High School. Composite rankings listed him as the No. 1026 player in the country, No. 53 of all tight ends and No. 18 in Missouri. According to 247Sports, he held three other offers outside of Missouri, featuring Kansas, Kansas State and UNLV.

During his senior season, Hafer caught 21 passes for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns, all in 9 game appearances. He showed steady improvement throughout his four years of playing, increasing his number of receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns year-after-year. He recorded 589 yards and 7 touchdowns in his high school career.

The odds of Hafer seeing the field this season are pretty slim. Sophomore Brett Norfleet is now an established TE No. 1 and guys like Tyler Stephens and Jordon Harris have experience in the system and at the position. It's not impossible for Hafer to break into the rotation as a blocking option. That is Hafer's biggest strength along with his natural size, standing at 6-foot-7, 255-pounds. Don't count out a redshirt for Hafer as well.

Kewan Lacy, RB

The Kewan Lacy recruiting saga was quite interesting. There was a long period of time, both while he was committed to Nebraska and afterwards, where no one thought he would be a Tiger. Coach Drinkwitz had other plans and pulled him in seemingly out of nowhere, especially when Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss appeared as heavy favorites. The No. 178 composite ranked player in the country, and the No. 15 running back, was drawn in to Columbia in very surprising fashion.

Lacy's senior season was about as productive as you can get. The Texas product ran wild for 1,513 yards and 19 touchdowns, making for 6.8 yards-per-carry. He also racked up 254 yards and 2 touchdowns on the receiving end. Lacy's production skyrocketed his senior year, improving his rushing yards by over 1,000.

Lacy, out of the three freshmen mentioned, has the best chance of seeing the field early. He currently sits as the Tigers RB5, behind Carrol, Noel, Tavorus Jones and Jamal Roberts. It's on record that the backup running back spots are still up for grabs and that Lacy has as good a shot as the other two to secure it. His lack of experience, however, almost certainly pushes him down to the bottom. He could prove to be a valuable special teams player, but will have to earn his spot on the field in the running back spot.

Jude James, TE

The 3-star local TE was ranked the No. 1,150 player in the country according to composite rankings. James was also ranked the No. 21 in the state of Missouri. The Saint Charles native was listed as an "Athlete" on most recruiting sites, playing both TE and S for Francis Howell. He held other offers from Colorado State, Ball State, Memphis, Wyoming and other smaller programs.

James posted 314 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 15 receptions during his senior year, improving his number of receptions and receiving yards from the season prior. He improved as a tackler as well, recording 74 his final year compared to the previous 25. He also brought in 3 tackles for loss.

Like Hafer, James faces a very experienced tight end room with 3 established players in front of him. James is an entirely different player than Hafer, standing at only 6-foot-2, 211-pounds, he is arguably undersized for the position. He does, however, possess great speed and movement skills with the ball in his hand for a tight end. There could be a special teams spot available for him because of his versatility on both offense and defense.

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Meet the Transfer/Freshman series:  Talan Chandler | Jayven Richardson | Ryan Jostes | Jaylen Brown | Cameron Keys | James Madison II | Drew Pyne | Nate Noel |  Elias Williams Marcus Carroll | Aidan Glover | Khalil Jacobs | Jeremiah Beasley | Jaren Sensabaugh | Trajen Greco | Eddie Kelly | Toriano Pride Jr. | Jaylen Brown | Courtney Crutchfield | Corey Flagg Jr. | Darris Smith | Chris McClellan | Williams Nwaneri