Instead of a charm, consider this third time a surprise.
Sunday, defensive tackle Jordan Elliott announced that he would be leaving Missouri early; a day later, teammate and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam did the same. Early Tuesday afternoon, a third Tigers football player, offensive lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo, announced that he too will be leaving Columbia early for the NFL.
“After many prayers, many discussions with the people who have shaped me, and much consideration, I have decided to begin the process of achieving a dream I have had for as long as I can remember and will be declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft.”
Thank you mizzou for everything🐯✊🏼 pic.twitter.com/P1yYScRTO4
— Trystan Colon🇵🇷 (@Trystan_Colon) December 3, 2019
A three-star 2016 signee, and after redshirting as a true freshman, Colon-Castillo spent the past three years as the Tigers’ starting center. It had been expected that the redshirt junior would return for one more season.
Over the weekend, Barry Odom was fired as Mizzou’s head football coach, which may have played a role in this surprising decision.