It’s been a while, 735 days to be exact, but hello again, Rock M Nation.
For those who don’t know or remember, I’m Jaden Lewis. From the summer of 2023 to the spring of 2024, I was a beat writer here for Mizzou basketball and football while a student at Mizzou. And what a time it was to get an up-close view of the team’s rejuvenation period. A season filled with plenty of highlight moments.
But that was three years ago, and times have changed since the 2023 season. Heck, the ever-so-changing college
football world is different. Indiana won a national title, the playoff field is 12 teams, and EA has a college football video game again.
As for Mizzou, it is 18-8 the past two years. 2025 was fascinating in my eyes, as an 8-5 season was marred by injuries and inconsistency at quarterback, but balanced with an awesome run game and a nasty defense.
This year’s team is intriguing on many levels.
Enter a new offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey, who comes from Ann Arbor. At quarterback, we’ll see Austin Simmons, who has just 259 collegiate snaps at the position. And then defensively, there’s massive turnover for a unit that was among the nation’s elite the past four seasons at key positions.
My goal this time around is to provide objective analysis of what is going on in the field, and off it as well. Once the season starts, my goal is not only to explain not only what happened, but why it happened as well. I hope to break down what’s happening through the film, the data, and the story that it tells us. And then, as well, observe what’s going on when it comes to roster construction in the world of the transfer portal and recruiting.
More importantly, I’m looking forward to connecting more with the Rock M Nation community, its readers, and Mizzou fans overall. As mentioned at the top, I did cover this team in the past, while attending the University from 2020 to 2024, but I have a stronger connection than that.
I’ve been obsessed with football since I was seven. As a Columbia native, I’ve been going to Faurot Field since I was 1-2 years old (That would put it around 2002-03), and have been a reader of Rock M since I was a kid. Also, I’ve always loved both the football and history side of Mizzou football. So, being able to connect with others, discuss, and more importantly, grow our knowledge of football is something I’m thrilled about.
Thursday, Sept. 3, is coming fast and will be here before we know it. And what a fun schedule the Tigers have:
- Returning to Lawrence, KS for the first time since 2005, while looking for their first win there since Oct. 20, 2001. 33 days before I was born.
- Taking on a Florida team that hasn’t won in Columbia in its last four tries.
- Back-to-back games against reigning playoff teams in Texas A&M and Mississippi.
- Arch Manning.
- Traveling to Athens.
- And then finishing off the regular season against Oklahoma.
Beautiful.
I’m excited to hear what observations, thoughts, and questions readers have throughout the year and beyond. Let’s have a fun time doing it.
