Report: Mizzou Freshman Wide Receiver Expected to Enter Transfer Portal

The Tigers are losing another talented young freshman to the transfer portal, while opening up another potential position of need.

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield (7) warms up before a game against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers took another hit in the transfer portal, this time in freshman wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield. This is the ninth impactful transfer out of the program for Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers.

NEWS: Missouri WR Courtney Crutchfield plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per @PowerMizzoucom.

Crutchfield was a top 75 recruit in the 2024 class.https://t.co/BQgmxD8c76 pic.twitter.com/6m5YljCksj

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) December 19, 2024

Crutchfield did not burn his redshirt this season, appearing in only two games and playing 10 total snaps. His lack of playing time was not surprising this season, preparing him for this coming season where a larger role in the receiver room looked possible.

He was a former 4-star recruit, ranked No. 100 in national composite rankings. He was also the No. 2 player in the state of Arkansas, playing high school football at Pine Bluff, while also being ranked the No. 18 receiver in the 2024 class. Crutchfield joined the recruiting class with 4-star Florida native James Madison II, another highly-touted receiver recruit.

In high school, Crutchfield picked up offers from Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others. There was a point in his recruitment where Crutchfield was committed to Arkansas, backing out of that pledge on Nov. 4, 2023. He made it official with the Tigers over a month later on Dec. 15, 2023.

Missouri isn't exactly hurting at the receiver position after losing Crutchfield, but he was widely viewed as the future of the position for the Tigers. In a season where Luther Burden III, Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper would no longer be on the roster, it was possible that any returning or incoming receivers could have a chance to earn playing time. The Tigers brought in top receiver transfer Kevin Coleman from Mississippi State, who appears to be the front-runner for the wide receiver one spot but everything outside of that remains a question.