Missouri

How Toriano Pride has made case to start in Missouri football’s secondary

Published

2 years ago

March 19, 2024

How Toriano Pride has made case to start in Missouri football’s secondary

Missouri football, as Tigers assistant Al Pogue put it, lost a lot of mileage at cornerback.

The Tigers are tasked with replacing two NFL-bound corners, Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., from their 11-2, Cotton Bowl-winning 2023 team. That’s a combined eight seasons and 63 games of college ball leaving Columbia.

It’s not an easy ask for Mizzou to quickly replace that experience. But the 2024 squad appears, upon early indications, to be in good hands.

Literally.

During Missouri’s Black & Gold spring game Saturday on Faurot Field, St. Louis native and Clemson transfer Toriano Pride Jr., playing in front of MU fans for the first time, made a quick impression.

In man coverage against eventual spring-game offensive MVP Joshua Manning, Pride went leaping for quarterback Brady Cook’s deep ball targeted at the receiver outside of the numbers on the left side of the field. The coverage was exemplary. Pride’s leaping frame completely blocked the view of Manning, who dragged the corner to the ground but did nothing to prevent what was done.

In his first taste of live football in front of fans on Faurot, Pride intercepted the pass — the two-handed, no-juggling, no-doubter variety of pick.

“They tried to go big fade ball to the field,” linebackers coach D.J. Smith said after the spring game, “(but) Toriano Pride’s a gamer, man. … It’s good to have him here.”

Pride is the former teammate of star wide receiver Luther Burden III at East St. Louis High. He was the second-ranked prospect out of Illinois in the Class of 2022 — second behind Burden.

The Clemson transfer played 26 games over two seasons for Dabo Swinney’s team, making three starts. He has 36 total tackles, a couple of which for loss, and an interception to go along with nine pass breakups.

In a unit left wanting for game experience on the big stage, that’ll play.

And it more than likely will play with Missouri’s most experienced returning corner.

More: The ‘training wheels’ are off for Missouri football’s WRs, who want to be best in the country

Before spring camp started, MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz indicated that Missouri’s other starting cornerback was going to be tough to usurp.

Dreyden Norwood, a former Texas A&M transfer and now third-year Tiger, was the man to beat. He filled in for an oft-injured Rakestraw admirably, starting in the Tigers’ Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State and four times before then. He has now made 25 total appearances for MU.

“I think we would all be kidding ourselves,” Drinkwitz said, “if we didn’t believe that Dreyden Norwood was ahead of everybody else.”

There aren’t many indications that anything changed on that front through the practices that shaped spring camp.

“I’ve been really pleased with Drey’s growth,” Pogue said. … “He’s just letting his natural ability come through and (making) plays, and I think the biggest thing for him is, you know, you can see the confidence. He has the confidence that he can compete in this league.”

Added new MU defensive coordinator Corey Batoon on March 9: “The Norwood kid’s had a really good camp. He’s made some plays on the ball, he’s been very consistent. I think that on the back end, he’s really stood out.”

The Tigers ran with Norwood and Pride, on different teams due to the nature of the Tigers’ pre-spring game intrasquad draft, on their respective lineups right out of the gate Saturday. Shamar McNeil, Marcus Clarke, Ja’Mariyon Wayne and Nicholas Deloach were among the corners to see the field.

Those four, along with true freshman Cameron Keys and summer enrollee Jaren Sensabaugh, will likely shape up the fight for time behind Norwood and Pride.

More: Will Missouri football running backs go by committee? Coach compares transfers to former duo

Clarke has played 15 games over two seasons since transferring from Miami shortly before the 2022 campaign started. He had two interceptions in a reserve role last season, against Memphis and at Kentucky, but Pogue said he wants the room’s oldest corner to be more consistent.

Pogue mentioned that he recently met with McNeil, a redshirt freshman who drew compliments from both Rakestraw and Abrams-Draine in 2023 as a true freshman, and said he’s seen some day-to-day improvement, but that the underclassman is “not where I want him to be.”

The cornerbacks coach indicated that wide receiver turned cornerback Ja’Mariyon Wayne also will have a role in the future.

“One day it’s gonna be his time, I’m gonna drop the leash on him,” Pogue said, “and say, ‘I told you guys.’”

For now, Norwood is the most likely lock for a starting role when MU opens its 2024 campaign Aug. 31 against Murray State.

Across from him, Pride, with a quick Faurot pick, has emerged as the frontrunner.

“It was really big to acquire a player like (Pride),” Pogue said. … “It’s evident we have to replace two really good players that we’ve currently lost, and for him to come in and have that experience, … it was really big for us to get him. I mean, he’s definitely a plus to our room.”

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Missouri

Missouri Farm Bureau to host agritourism conference in Hermann | Fulton Sun

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2 hours ago

July 9, 2026

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Missouri Farm Bureau to host agritourism conference in Hermann | Fulton Sun

Missouri Farm Bureau’s 2026 Agritourism Conference will be held Sunday through Tuesday in Hermann, bringing together agritourism stakeholders to explore opportunities in Missouri’s growing agritourism sector.

The conference usually draws 60-70 attendees annually, said Janet Adkison, director of public affairs and advocacy with Missouri Farm Bureau. This includes farmers, agribusiness leaders, tourism professionals and local economic development partners.

At the conference, participants will see firsthand how farms, wineries, orchards and other value-added agriculture business and rural destinations are connecting tourists and consumers with the state’s agriculture scene, while diversifying revenue streams for farm families and rural communities.

“Whenever folks think of agritourism, they think of a pumpkin patch or a flower farm,” Adkison said. “But agritourism is really anything that gets folks to connect with the agriculture industry. So from your Airbnbs that are out in rural Missouri to the wineries that you see across the countryside, to even a tree farm or just a simple orchard, those are all part of Missouri’s agritourism industry.”

The conference kicks off Sunday with welcome remarks by Missouri Farm Bureau president Garrett Hawkins and a dinner at Hermann Farm Store Barn. Participants will spend the nights at The Inn at Hermannhof.

Monday will include an agritourism bus tour, with stops at Thierbach Orchard, Heritage Valley Tree Farm, White Mule Winery & BNB and Cool Cow Cheese, where participants have the opportunity to speak to business owners.

It will be followed by a farm-to-table, wine-pairing dinner at Hermannhof Winery Court with the Missouri Wine & Grape Board.

“If you are somebody who’s interested in agritourism, you get to hear from somebody who’s been there and done that, and some of the hurdles that they may have experienced along the way,” Adkison said. “You’ll have that exposure both on the tour and also during the programs that they’ll provide on Tuesday.”

On the final day of the conference, participants will attend educational workshops and network with other vendors at Hermannhof Festhalle. Topics discussed in the workshops include marketing, risk management, USDA Rural Development resources for agricultural businesses.

“You’ll hear from some folks as far as the missteps or wins that they had while trying to market and get those crowds to come to the farm, and sometimes something might work, (or) something surprises you and it doesn’t work,” Adkison said.

The conference location rotates around the state each year — past stops have included northeast and west central Missouri, which Adkison said gives the conference a chance to showcase how agritourism looks based on the terrain and agricultural strength of each region.

Find out more about the event or register for it at mofb.org/event/2026-agritourism.

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Missouri

Missouri politicians champion unity, diversity on America’s 250th

Published

12 hours ago

July 8, 2026

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Missouri politicians champion unity, diversity on America’s 250th

Former Missouri Gov. Jeremiah “Jay” Nixon followed in his ancestor’s footsteps, 250 years to the day.

On July 8, 1776, Colonel John Nixon was the first person to publicly read the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall.

Jay Nixon, along with other Missouri officials from local, state and national offices, participated in a semiquincentennial celebration at the Historical Greene County Courthouse on July 8, 2026.

“As we commemorate 250 years of American independence, may we remember not only the courage of those who signed the declaration, but also our responsibility to preserve the freedoms they declare,” said Connie Yen, director of the Greene County Archives and Records Center.

While the reading of the Declaration of Independence was the main event, patriotic music from the Salvation Army Band, Springfield Sound, the Patriotic Chorale — as well as the national anthem sung by former U.S. Attorney John Ashcroft and former judge and representative Max Bacon — rang throughout the courthouse’s rotunda, which was packed with people. The music itself, Ashcroft said, was a metaphor for the nation.

“There is something charming about America that doesn’t require that we be uniform. There’s a difference between unity and uniformity. As a matter of fact, you can’t have harmony if you only have one note. You have to sing different notes for things to be harmonic and it’s much more beautiful,” he said. “Maybe America is America not because of uniformity or everybody being in unison, but America may be America because we have disparity, but we’re in harmony. We believe in unity, not uniformity.”

Before reading the Declaration of Independence, Nixon shared part of a speech he gave at Fulton’s Westminster College in August 2025, where he encouraged people to “resist apathy with action” through involvement with civic and faith organizations, and by voting. Like others, he emphasized diversity as the strength of America.

“(We’re) a nation of immigrants. Many of our ancestors fled poverty, injustice and tyranny to build something better. We are the great-great-great-grandchildren of slaves, and those who enslaved them; the first families who inhabited these lands, and those who drove them from it,” Nixon said. “A nation of scrappy strivers stitched together by our ideals, marked by original sins, but redeemed by the courage and sacrifice that saved us from fascism and unleashed freedom and prosperity — the envy of the world. That is the true story we all need to tell, the promise we made to each other that we work every day to keep.”

The reading was followed by an ice cream social, co-hosted by the Greene County Democratic and Republican women’s clubs.

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UPDATE: Suspect wanted in Kansas captured near Columbia; Missouri State Highway Patrol aircraft plays key role | 93.9 The Eagle

Published

22 hours ago

July 8, 2026

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UPDATE: Suspect wanted in Kansas captured near Columbia; Missouri State Highway Patrol aircraft plays key role | 93.9 The Eagle

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says one of its planes played a key role in Tuesday morning’s capture on I-70 near Columbia of a Kansas suspect wanted for child endangerment.

Missouri state troopers say they were on patrol near a rest area on eastbound I-70 in Cooper County, when they located a Dodge Durango wanted for an alleged incident in Topeka. Troopers say the suspect drove off after seeing troopers and that the Patrol plane was used to avoid a pursuit.

Troopers say they were able to get in position after the plane’s pilot located the vehicle and that the Patrol deployed stop sticks and safely deflated the suspect’s tires.

hmqqi61wwaa0bs7 — A Missouri State Highway Patrol aircraft played a key role in Tuesday morning’s capture in mid-Missouri (July 2026 graphic courtesy of Highway Patrol Twitter)

The Highway Patrol says the suspect was captured without incident and that the two-year-old child, who was unharmed, has been reunited with their mother.

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