Missouri Football: Breaking down WR after transfer portal departure

Missouri football lost another player on offense as redshirt sophomore wide receiver JJ Hester has decided to enter the transfer portal.

Missouri football head coach Eli Drinkwitz vowed to improve the offense after the conclusion of the 2021 season. Much of the focus had been on the quarterback position. Now they are going into the 2022 summer a little thinner at wide receiver. With 5-star freshman Luther Burden III in the fold along with the talented Mookie Cooper, redshirt senior Tauskie Dove is expected to receive significant playing time, and now 6’3 redshirt sophomore JJ Hester has decided to enter the transfer portal.

JJ Hester, a 4-star athlete out of Tulsa, Oklahoma according to ESPN 300 was the top recruit of ex-head coach Barry Odom’s final recruiting class in 2019. After Odom was fired at the conclusion of the 2019 season that saw the Tigers post a disappointing 6-6 record, Hester decided to sign on with Missouri football under new head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

After redshirting in 2020 with a foot injury, Hester entered the 2021 season with hopes of being a breakout player. Hester showed flashes of great potential. After not catching a pass in the first 3 games of the season, he caught two passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.

But as the Tigers’ passing offense failed to generate consistent production, Hester floundered. Playing in all 13 games, Hester caught 12 passes for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns. On his Twitter account, Hester posted:

"“My time at Mizzou has been an incredible opportunity.”“I would like to thank the coaching staff for everything that they’ve done for me. I won’t forget the memories that I’ve created since my time here.”"

While the Tigers lose a player with experience, Dominic Lovett the shifty sophomore from Bellville, Ill, and junior Chance Looper have experience in the offense to offset the loss of Hester.

Barret Banister also remains on the roster. Banister, a graduate student from Fayetteville, Arkansas has chosen to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility from the Covid season of 2020.

Under NCAA rules, May 1st is the deadline for collegiate players to enter the transfer portal and maintain eligibility to play in the upcoming season.