You know what the real football freaks get excited for in the transfer window? Special teams additions. Forget Austin Simmons. Show me a Cavan Tuley. Show me a Brunno Reus.
Reus, a former 5-star Kohl’s recruit as both a kicker and punter, signed with Missouri out of the portal this January, coming from a Florida State situation that’s… I don’t know, how do we describe them these days? Messy? Messy seems fine enough.
Anyway, Reus isn’t an addition that will make the most headlines this offseason, but
it’s one that could swing the fortunes of the 2026 Tigers in a way you might not expect. Why is that? Let’s dig in…
Where He Fits
Reading the tea leaves, it’s easy to see where Mizzou’s staff envisions Reus: as a punter. Reus was a five-star punter recruit when he signed with Florida State, and his commitment graphic shows him punting the ball rather than kicking. Plus, you know, Blake Craig will be back next year.
That being said, it’s no guarantee that Craig comes back as the kicker we remember from 2024. We’ve seen kickers struggle to recover their best form after a leg injury — Alex McPherson at Auburn is one recent example — and the Tigers don’t have time to sit around and nurse Craig back to perfect condition in the middle of a season. Should Craig struggle upon his return to the field, Reus also brings a prime kicking pedigree that makes him a much better secondary option than what the Tigers had in the fold last season.
When He Plays
Mizzou also signed Tennessee State’s Mark Shenouda during the portal window, so Reus isn’t going into the spring and summer without competition for the starting punter spot. And as mentioned above, he’s not guaranteed snaps as a kicker either. Given his reputation and the fact that he’s transferring from a Power Four school, you’d think he gets every opportunity to start as Mizzou’s punter in 2026. But special teams battles can get weird, so Reus will have to earn his keep.
What It Means
Mizzou’s special teams were a disaster in 2025. That’s a non-starter for Eli Drinkwitz, whose penchant for playing in close games dictates special teams play that is dependable at the very least. With Craig returning in 2026 and Reus in the fold as a punting prospect, there’s hope that the Tigers can start flipping fields and hitting field goals with much more consistency. That could be the difference between a 7-8 win season and a 9-10 win season.
