Mizzou football tabs three key players to speak at SEC Media Days
Three returning Tigers will join head coach Eli Drinkwitz at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida next week. Cayden Green, Jamal Roberts and Nicholas Rodriguez all will have important roles in 2026.
Mizzou running back Jamal Roberts finds an opening against the South Carolina defense Sept. 20 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. Roberts will be one of the three players representing the Tigers at the 2026 SEC Media Days, alongside offensive tackle Cayden Green and linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez.
Jamal Roberts.
Cayden Green
Nicholas Rodriguez
Three of Missouri football’s most important players will represent the Tigers at the 2026 SEC Media Days, the team announced Tuesday.
The group of players includes offensive tackle Cayden Green, running back Jamal Roberts and linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez. The three will join head coach Eli Drinkwitz to speak to members of the media Monday in Tampa, Florida.
Drinkwitz will field questions at the main stage at 10:25 a.m., followed by the three players on side stages. The interviews will be broadcast on the SEC Network. Drinkwitz and the players will then appear across different TV and radio programs throughout the day.
Roberts was a breakout star for Missouri in 2025, complementing Ahmad Hardy in the backfield and rushing for 753 yards and six touchdowns on 124 carries.
The St. Louis product gives Missouri some certainty amidst a cloudy situation with Hardy. The Tigers have yet to reveal details of Hardy’s health status entering the 2026 season after he sustained a gunshot wound to the upper leg while in Mississippi back on May 10.
Green is entering his third season as a starter for Missouri after transferring in from Oklahoma ahead of the 2024 season. He was a captain for Missouri in 2025, his first season as the team’s starting left tackle.
Mizzou has tasked Rodriguez with a leadership role, naming him one of the team’s spring captains. Entering his junior season, Rodriguez is one of the most experienced returners on Missouri’s defense.
“It’s a blessing,” Rodriguez said of the spring captain nod when speaking to reporters after a practice. “Just to be in this position to guide the younger guys, show the standard, and show what it means to be a Missouri Tiger.”
He started just three games in 2025, but played significant minutes. He had 62 total tackles and broke up seven passes, which led the team.
It will be the first appearance at SEC Media Days for all three players. Green is entering his final season of eligibility.