When spring football kicks off in about a week and a half or so for Missouri, it will enter with the most momentum it has had in about a decade.
The Tigers finished as the nation’s seventh-best team following an 11-2 season that was capped off with a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State.
Like every other team in the country, Missouri had some players depart via eligibility, the transfer portal or the NFL Draft. So, it has some transfers coming in, some young players looking to break into the rotation and some incoming freshmen trying to learn the playbook.
There are several storylines heading into spring football practice and the Black & Gold spring football game on March 16, but here, we will highlight the five storylines we think are the most important.
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1. How does Batoon implement his system? What changes about the defense?
New person. New coaching style. Every coach is a little different.
In Blake Bakerâs first year as defensive coordinator he took a different approach that most coordinators wouldn’t do when they first get the job, which is learn the playbook that was already in place instead of having the players learn his new playbook.
It led to great results and turned one of the nation’s worst defenses in 2021 into a top-35 defense in Baker’s first year in 2022. Since, it was his first season the basics of the scheme was kept in place but this past fall, he added some flavor to the scheme and the Tigers remained a top-40 defense.
New defensive coordinator Corey Batoon could take that route. He could learn Baker’s defense and keep it in place to help everyone with the transition.
Or he could implement his system. He runs a similar 4-2-5 scheme that Baker ran. So, it’s plausible.
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However, he did run a bit of a 3-3-5 nickel defense at South Alabama. He might want to implement that?
Well, we will find out soon.
2. How does the running back room shake out?
Cody Schrader had one of the best individual seasons in Missouri history. He had one of the best stories in college football by going from a walk-on to a Heisman finalist, but his time in Columbia came to an end last season and now the Tigers must replace him.
Well, they don’t have a shortage of options.
The Tigers brought in Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll, who is almost the same height and weight as Schrader and was also a top 10 leading rusher in college football last season.
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They also brought in Nate Noel, formerly of Appalachian State, who has over 3,000 total rushing yards.
Then, the team has redshirt sophomore Tavorus Jones, who has been waiting for an opportunity and Jamal Roberts, a soon-to-be redshirt freshman who the team is excited about.
Add in four-star Kewan Lacy and now the team has five viable running backs it can go to.
Carroll will likely be the first-string back but then after that, it’s open season for RB2.
Lee’s Summit North alums (from left to right): Cayden Green, Armand Membou and Williams Nwaneri. (Gabe DeArmond)
3. Who is in line to start at left guard? Who can be the swing tackle?
Missouri has center Connor Tollison back in the fold for what would be his third season as a starter if he maintains the job, which he almost certainly will. Then, they have Cam’Ron Johnson and Armand Membou returning at right guard and right tackle, respectively.
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However, it needed to find replacements for All-American left tackle Javon Foster and left guard Xavier Delgado.
The Tigers found a replacement for Foster rather quickly by landing former Oklahoma guard and Lee’s Summit North alum Cayden Green.
Now, all the Tigers have to do is find who will line up to the right of him, and honestly, that’s a more favorable problem than having the left guard and finding who was going to be protecting quarterback Brady Cook’s blindside.
Hutchinson JUCO transfer Jayven Richardson, Tristan Wilson, Logan Reichert and Caleb Pyfrom are candidates who could plug in that left guard role.
Also, the aforementioned swing tackle position is left over from Marcellus Johnson, who ran out of eligibility. He started at times last year and played valuable snaps whenever someone in the starting lineup was unavailable or as a sixth offensive lineman.
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4. Who will make up the defensive end two-deep?
A question that this team faced a year ago has returned.
What will the team do at defensive end?
Part of the answer to that question last year was moving Darius Robinson from defensive tackle to EDGE.
The move yielded positive results, with Robinson recording 43 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, eight sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
He’s off to the NFL now, though.
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The man opposite of Robinson was Johnny Walker Jr., and he was the other answer to the question last year.
Walker had a breakout season that saw him rack up 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles.
He will return to the starting lineup, but who will take over Robinson’s old role is to be determined.
Missouri has some intriguing options.
It got Michigan State’s Zion Young and Georgia’s Darris Smith out of the portal.
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Last season, Young recorded 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for losses and 1.5 sacks, while Smith had three tackles and a pass deflection in five games.
There’s Austin Firestone, who came over from Northwestern last offseason.
He was a practice squad guy in fall camp but played his way into nine games and had two tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss.
St. Louis native and former Arizona State Sun Devil Joe Moore Jr. is another option. In his first season with the Tigers last year, he had 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery in 12 games.
A couple of players the team seemed to be high on last offseason are soon-to-be redshirt freshmen Jahkai Lang and Serigne Tounkara. They could break into the rotation, as well as incoming four-star Elias Williams and three-star Jaylen Brown.
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However, the most intriguing option is Williams Nwaneri, the nation’s eighth-ranked player in the class of 2024.
The five-star player won’t be tasked with carrying a huge workload at first but his size and potential warrant some snaps come the fall.
Also, it should be noted that Williams, Brown and Nwaneri aren’t spring enrollees. So, we won’t know exactly where they fit in until the summer.
However, if all the other EDGEs fail to stand out, this position group’s depth will remain a question until fall camp like last year.
There are three defensive end spots to round out the two deep. So, this competition will head into the fall.
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The main thing will be who fills what role because the Tigers could have an idea of who their backup EDGEs are in spring ball but still be looking for a starting EDGE come fall camp. In that case, they may be headed to the portal to get one.
5. What returning player will step up and what newcomer will stand out?
Just about every year, a team will have someone step up in spring ball and foreshadow a larger role they deserve come the fall.
Whether it be a practice squad player to a rotational player, a rotational player to a starter, a starter to a star or in wide receiver Luther Burden III’s case, a starter into a superstar.
The seeds for Burden’s monster sophomore year began in spring ball. The same can be said for Robinson, Daylan Carnell and others.
Who will it be this year?
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Could Brett Norfleet, who had a very impactful freshman season at tight end, go from a starter to one of the team’s leading pass catchers?
Could Jones or Roberts assert themselves in the running back room and command snaps?
As for newcomers, JUCO transfer Triston Newson was the talk of spring ball a year ago.
He had an interception returned for a touchdown in the spring game and his teammates raved about him being a ball hawk.
His excellent play around this time a year ago took some time to translate, but by the end of the season, Newson was starting in place of the injured Ty’Ron Hopper.
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Newson capitalized on his playing time and even won conference Player of the Week honors in Week 13 after recording 15 tackles, two tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries in the 48-14 win over Arkansas.
He’d finish the season with 51 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Again, it took some time for his spring performance to translate in the games that count, but when it did translate, it translated well, and we saw it coming last March.
So, while a whole season’s worth of expectations shouldn’t come out of spring ball, it’s a telling sign about the direction of the Tigers and what to expect from them down the line.
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WHEATLAND, Mo. — It was all Kerry Madsen on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway as the 54-year-old native of Australia, who’s now based in Knoxville, Iowa, picked up his first Interstate Batteries High Limit Sprint racing victory.
Madsen led all 30 laps to earn the $12,000 prize. He outdistanced runner-up Sue Lynch by 2.79 seconds with Tanner Holmes finishing third.
“The car’s been super quick every time we’ve hit the track,” Madsen said, noting several competitive runs in the early portion of the High Limit schedule. “The car’s been quick every night, which gives you a lot of confidence.
“We haven’t drawn well in dashes and had some little stuff going on. We drew a good one (tonight) and the car was good and we got the job done. I’m pretty happy.”
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That changed this time as Madsen beat Holmes in the dash, to claim the pole position for the feature.
Madsen said his young crew chief Ty Wolfgang has “done a great job” getting in sync with him. Communication has been a big key.
“I know it sounds weird, but just hanging out together,” Madsen said of the driver-crew chief chemistry. “Dinner and a beer and just talk about racing. You do that and it might be a Wednesday night, but something clicks. He’s been real receptive with that stuff and that’s great.”
Madsen, a former Knoxville Nationals 360 winner, paced the early going after starting from the pole, with Holmes in close pursuit. Action slowed on lap six with Chase Randall and Danny Samms III tangling in turn two for the first and only yellow of the event.
Lynch moved into second on the restart as Madsen opened a 1.5-second lead by lap nine as Holmes dropped to third. Madsen’s margin swelled to nearly two seconds by lap 11 – but Lynch tracked down the leader and cut the deficit to a half-second at the halfway mark on lap 15.
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As the race continued until green-flag conditions, Madsen settled into a one-second advantage as Lynch and Holmes tried to keep pace. Madsen poured it on in the late stages, cruising to the checkers by nearly three seconds over Lynch.
“Hopefully we can keep rolling like this all year. Obviously, you can’t win every night, but being quick and running well is going to be awesome,” Madsen said.
Lynch, 28 from Cowansville, Pa., said the team found some steering issues and gave him a fast car. It just was not fast enough to stay with Madsen on Saturday night.
“We were battling steering issue in the dash and it was pretty obvious,” Lynch said. “We just didn’t have time to change it and we just tried to make it the best we could. Really the car was super good. The guys busted their butt all night. It’s a testament to the team. We’re working hard and hopefully one spot better real soon.”
Holmes, a 22-year-old from Jacksonville, Oregon, came home third with Daison Pursley fourth, Hank Davis fifth and Rico Abreu charging from 11th to sixth.
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“Our best night of the year,” Holmes said. “We’ve got to race a little bit during a break with High Limit these last few weeks. Some of those nights when we got our teeth kicked in taught us a lot.”
Fast overall qualifier was Sye Lynch at 13.342 seconds out of Group A. Aaron Reutzel led Group B with a lap of 13.469 seconds. Both were well off the track record for 410 Sprints held by Rico Abreu at 12.829 seconds on June 29, 2024.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 18 drawing
24-25-39-46-61, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 5
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 18 drawing
Midday: 5-8-2
Midday Wild: 3
Evening: 3-8-5
Evening Wild: 1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 18 drawing
Midday: 0-1-6-1
Midday Wild: 2
Evening: 4-7-6-9
Evening Wild: 5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 18 drawing
Early Bird: 08
Morning: 01
Matinee: 05
Prime Time: 04
Night Owl: 05
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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 18 drawing
07-10-21-27-33
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 18 drawing
02-38-45-53-63, Powerball: 21
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
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P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 17, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 17 drawing
38-43-44-49-62, Mega Ball: 08
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 17 drawing
Midday: 4-8-6
Midday Wild: 2
Evening: 8-8-2
Evening Wild: 1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 17 drawing
Midday: 3-9-4-2
Midday Wild: 4
Evening: 7-3-7-7
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 17 drawing
Early Bird: 07
Morning: 06
Matinee: 08
Prime Time: 05
Night Owl: 07
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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 17 drawing
04-06-25-37-39
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
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To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
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For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
