COLUMBIA, Mo. – Each time Donovan Olugbode touches the ball, fans get a glimpse into the future of Missouri Tigers football. 

The former four-star wideout out of IMG Academy was Missouri's top ranked recruit in the 2025 class, and arrived the same summer as Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr.'s departures. The Tigers needed a face to step up as the future of the receiver corps. 

It didn't take long for Olugbode to impress his teammates. 

"Probably the spring, when we was doing one-on-ones," Mizzou wideout Josh Manning said. "He went out for the first time, he just grabbed it with one hand. It was crazy."

Olugbode's play must've impressed his coaches as well, because he earned both snaps and targets in Week 1. He opened the season with a four catch, 37 yard performance against Central Arkansas, and got buzz as one of the Southeastern Conference's top freshman wideouts. 

"He's just got really good ball skills," Drinkwitz said. "He is a natural hand catcher, and so he has great hand eye coordination, and he's a very good route runner. He does a really good job re-stemming, creating separation on the top of the trout, and then Beau has a lot of confidence in who he is as a pass catchers."

He continued strong play on a heightened platform in Week 2, as he completed a highlight one-handed fourth down catch against the Kansas Jayhawks as part of his 27 yards. 

It looked like Olugbode was a mainstay in the receiver room for the season, until his playing time inexplicably decreased – playing under 10 passing snaps in the next three games. 

The Tigers' offensive flaws began to show, as Beau Pribula had started an interception streak and the passing game looked like it needed a major boost. Mizzou trailed entering the fourth quarter of Week 7's matchup against Alabama, and Eli Drinkwitz decided Olugbode would be that boost. 

He caught his first pass in the fourth quarter, a 27-yard deep ball to put the Tigers in scoring position, which he then hauled in the touchdown to cap off the drive. He caught an impressive fourth down ball on the next drive, finishing the game with a team-high 55 receiving yards and his first career touchdown. 

Olugbode proved Pribula could turn to him in the game's biggest moments. 

"Don's a great player," Pribula said. "He's a true freshman out there, making big time plays, Song show at the end there, and he's going to get only going to continue to get better. He's a true freshman like making plays like I said out there. So I have a lot of confidence in him. And so does everybody else finish up right here?"

Despite the Tigers losing the game, Olugbode proved to be a weapon worthy of further utilization going forward.

“We gotta continue to push for him to get him on the field more,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said on Tiger Talk following the game.

Olugbode kept performing, making it hard for Drinkwitz not to put him on the field more. Yet he still played just 35 snaps against Auburn, with three other Mizzou wideouts earning 20-plus more snaps than him. Even with the low usage, Olugbode once again led the team with five catches for 69 receiving yards, posing as Missouri's best receiver on the night. 

"I feel like he has a lot of confidence," Manning said. "He's just a natural playmaker."

There's no question that should he stay with the Tigers, Olugbode is the future of the program. He's by far the top performing freshman on the team – he's the only one with more than 50 snaps (163). 

But what can he do to increase his role this season?

"Keep taking advantage of the opportunity that he has," Drinkwitz said.