Missouri football had one of the best seasons in school history in 2023. The team won 11 games, including an exciting Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State. The team finished in the top 15 of the final college football poll.
In 2024, expectations remain high. In the preseason coaches poll, the Tigers are ranked no. 11. The Tigers feature a talented quarterback in Brady Cook, but he isn't the only explosive playmaker on this roster. Here's the biggest X factor for Missouri football in 2024, and it isn't the starting quarterback.
Missouri football has this dangerous weapon at wide receiver
Luther Burden III is one of the best wide receivers in the country. The good news for Missouri football fans is he is on the Tigers roster. The wideout had an excellent 2023 season, with 86 receptions for 1,212 yards. He finished the campaign with 9 touchdowns. Burden caught a touchdown pass in the team's Cotton Bowl win over the Buckeyes, to cap off his excellent campaign.
His 2023 performance was a remarkable improvement from his first season in 2022. In Burden's freshman campaign, he caught 45 passes for 375 yards, and six touchdowns. He saw marked improvement in each statistical category last year, and nearly doubled the amount of receptions he had from his freshman to sophomore seasons. This is a wide receiver with a lot of promise.
Burden has to be an early candidate for the Fred Biletnikoff Award this year, which goes to the best wide receiver in college football. He is on the preseason watch list for the award. Burden lost that honor in 2023 to Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State. Harrison is gone, and there are sure to be other candidates for this year's award. Those other candidates however don't all have the experience that Burden has. The wideout is entering his third year in the Tigers program, and has already played in several big games.
The talented wideout is getting the respect of the SEC. Burden is on the preseason All-SEC First Team, per a release from the conference. Missouri is picked to finish sixth this season in the league. The SEC is going to be as tough as ever this season, with Texas and Oklahoma entering the fold.
Luther Burden III is versatile
The junior receiver is not just a threat on offense. He also is an excellent playmaker on special teams. Burden is used in the punt return unit for Missouri football. In his freshman season, he returned a punt for a touchdown. He finished the year as a freshman in 2022 with 151 return yards.
Burden returned 7 punts last season, for a total of 60 yards. He will likely get used once again this year on the punt return team. Burden is also used in the running game, as he has posted 119 career rushing yards.
“The thing that stands out to me is his competitive spirit with the ball in his hand, man,” Missouri football coach Eliah Drinkwitz said, per Sports Illustrated. “Luther refuses to be tackled. He does a really good job in the biggest moments.”
The Missouri football coach says he sees a player in the NFL that compares to his outstanding wideout.
“The biggest comparable for me is probably (San Francisco 49ers wide receiver) Deebo Samuel,” Drinkwitz added, per Sports Illustrated. “I know it's a lofty expectation but it's just the ability he has with the ball in his hands. When we played Deebo (who played for South Carolina) in '17, he returned the opening kickoff and had two other touchdowns in the game while I was at NC State. He basically beat us by himself. You watch the way the 49ers and (head coach) Kyle Shanahan use Deebo Samuel as a big slot receiver and in the backfield, I believe Luther has some of those same tendencies.”
Missouri football's 2024 schedule outlook
The Tigers play their first game on August 29 against Murray State. The team also has non conference matchups with Buffalo, Boston College and UMass. Missouri football starts its conference slate on September 21, with a game against Vanderbilt. Those are all games that will give Burden a chance to put up some big numbers. Missouri is likely to be favored in all of them.
The Tigers have a chance to turn some heads in the SEC this season. Missouri football must win some of its most difficult conference matchups to do that. The most interesting matchup may be against Alabama in Tuscaloosa on October 26. That game will surely draw a lot of NFL scouts, and give Burden a chance to show the country what he can do.
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