7th Missouri football freshman to enter transfer portal in January

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Missouri football cornerback Mark Manfred III plans to enter the transfer portal, he confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Dec. 31.

The team appears to be aware of the decision, as the true freshman has been removed from the Tigers’ online roster. According to PFF he only saw the field for one special teams snap in his rookie year. He is the 16th Mizzou player to announce they will enter the transfer portal when it officially opens for entries Jan. 2-16.

Manfred was a three-star signing in the Class of 2025 out of Marietta, Georgia.

Mizzou will have open roles to fill at cornerback in 2026, as the three players the Tigers used for more than 90% of the snap share at the position last season have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.

Toriano Pride Jr., Dreyden Norwood and Stephen Hal each have played their final game for the team.

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That means Mizzou is likely to be seeking cornerbacks in the upcoming transfer portal window. The Tigers almost certainly will add more than one player at the position, while returners Nicholas DeLoach and Cameron Keys will be the favorites to make the move from backups to rotation members in 2026.

Only one other scholarship corner can return for Mizzou next season in Shamar McNeil. The Tigers have added four-star prospect Jaxson Gates and three-star recruit Ahmod Billins in the Class of 2026 at the position.

The list of players exiting the program is mostly freshmen and reserves, but does include starting quarterback Beau Pribula and wide receivers Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz talks to his team during a timeout during the first quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium Saturday December 27, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Manfred, listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, is the third defensive back to announce an intention to enter the transfer portal, following senior safety Caleb Flagg, who left the team midseason, and fellow true freshman CJ Bass III out of East St. Louis.

Seven members of Mizzou’s 2025 freshman class — Manfred; Bass; running backs Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood; defensive end Javion Hilson; offensive lineman Henry Fenuku; and kicker Robert Meyer — are now expected to transfer after just one season on campus, which is more than one-third of the 18-member group.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football cornerback Mark Manfred will enter transfer portal

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