A weekly list of fantastic stories (and quotes) you may have missed this past week at Rock M Nation dot com

Welcome to Rock M Digest, a weekly column where I, Madame Editor, share with you my must-read picks for the Rock M Nation content of the week. These stories made me think (sometimes too much), laugh, smile, cry… you get the picture. We’ve got a talented bunch of writers at this site, and since I have the distinct pleasure of reading all of it — I love reading it all, I swear — I want you, the readers, to know what you should be checking out if you don’t have time to read all the content. And that’s not including podcasts (which I’ve linked to below) and Rock M+ content, which isn’t found on the main RMN page.

At the bottom, I’ve gathered up my favorite quotes of the week presented them with no context. There is a link to the story included, and I highly recommend reading the stories that go along with them.

And, as always I’ve gathered all the podcasts for you and put all my fave photos from the Mizzou beats’ best photo team the week’s games that I took since our staff has departed into a gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy! It might be a bit of a lighter edition, as I’m travelling and there’s not a ton of content. Next week will be a WRITER’S CHOICE, where they pick their fave stories of the school year this far, so consider this your last “normal” Digest of the calendar year.

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Rock M Recs

‘You just gotta adapt to it’: Inside Mizzou football’s hectic experience in the early portal window

In Quentin’s latest, he talks about the whiplash of the transfer portal, and how Mizzou is adjusting to losing some of its expected 2025 playmakers who “loved Mizzou” to the portal while also addressing that some of the Tigers’ new recruits once upon a time waxed poetic about their former schools.

I’ll be honest; this is why I find it hard to get that attached to a sport like football. It’s the wild f’ing west out there and things change so much, from coaches to players to facilities to prices, that while I LOVE to go to Mizzou games — Thank you, Robert. You’re the bestest! — I don’t get as into it, as say M/W Hoops, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Softball, etc. Guess it’s good thing I have an Olympic Sports podcast, huh?

Flexibility defines Mizzou’s rotation as non-con action winds down

Ahhh…. I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve had a real in-depth Matthew J Harris piece on the home site and not just located at RockM.plus, and this one is a doozy, as he examines the non-con rotations. It’s a great read.

Mizzou Volleyball makes splash, adds Caylen Alexander in transfer portal

Volleyball season may be over, but portal season is here, and Dawn & Co. have wasted no time in bringing in a ringer in Big West Player of the Year Caylen Alexander from Hawaii. Per Matthew, her 5.09 kills per set were ranked fifth in the nation and her 5.64 points per set ranked seventh. Oh, and she’s good on defense. This is a must-read for all you volleyball enthusiasts.

While you’re at it, also check out Matthew’s new piece on the volleyball portal, where he goes through Mizzou’s portal losses as well as who he’d like to see them pursue.

Rock M Welcomes You, New Mizzou Footballers

Need to catch up on the all the newbies who announced their transfers to Missouri this week? Here’s your one stop shop to all the announcements from Josh & Sammy.

• App State edge Nate Johnson (Sammy, Dec. 21) | Wake Forest OT Keagen Trost (Sammy, Dec. 20) | Michigan C Dominick Giudice (Sammy, Dec. 20) | Virginia Tech safety Mose Phillips III (Josh, Dec. 19) | Louisiana-Monroe RB Ahmad Hardy (Sammy, Dec. 18) | NW MO State DE Langden Kitchen (Sammy, Dec. 17) | West Virginia LB Josiah Trotter (Josh, Dec. 16) | Nebraska LB Mikai Gbayor (Josh, Dec. 16) | N. Illinois safety Santana Banner (Josh, Dec. 16) | Mississippi State WR Kevin Coleman (Sammy, Dec. 14)
• 2026 4-star DE Anthony Kennedy, Jr. (Sammy, Dec. 14)

Recruiting Resets

A couple of staffers contributed to these, but per tradition, each recruit gets a little bit more love from the staff, and the writer (mostly Nate, in this case) identifies where said newbie fits, when they’ll play, and what it all means.

• Langden Kitchen (Josh, Dec. 20) | Josiah Trotter (Dan, Dec. 19) | Mikai Gbayor (Nate, Dec. 19) | Anthony Kennedy, Jr. (Nate, Dec. 18) | Santana Banner (Nate, Dec. 17) | Kevin Coleman (Nate, Dec. 16)

Quotables

“Brad Smith turned into Chase Daniel who turned into Blaine Gabbert who turned into James Franklin. The Tank handed things off to Maty Mauk, who gave way to Drew Lock. Connor Bazelak was next before Cook took over. So while things haven’t been perfect since Lock, the quarterback play has largely been really good to downright great. The interesting connection for all of those quarterbacks is they were recruited to the University of Missouri and signed as freshmen.” —Sam Snelling, Pourover: Develop your roster quarterbacks, coaches!

“Missouri lost 2024 recruit Kewan Lacey to Ole Miss in the transfer portal, then immediately replaced him with a stud from the same signing class, Ahmad Hardy from Louisiana-Monroe. Hardy was one the best ballcarriers in the country last year, making a name for himself as a tackle-breaking machine. Want to get excited for 2025? Go watch his highlights on YouTube. Enjoy.” —Dan Keegan, 3×3: The Week Ahead

“One of the most dangerous parts of the Illini offense is the pick-and-roll/pop duo of Jakucionis and Ivisic. Since both are versatile offensively, there’s no easy solution; Jakucionis can shoot, dribble and pass effectively. Ivisic is more than a capable outside shooter and has a soft touch around the basket. The Illini have run a lot of high pick-and-rolls, and many have worked. —Quentin Corpuel, Braggin Rights Preview

“If the transfer portal before 2021 was an average merry-go-round, its present-day version is like the “Trabant” from The Sandlot. One second, a team could be having the time of its life, enjoying the breeze and waving its arms in the air. The next second, that same team could become violently ill and feel the negative effects of moving in circles incredibly quickly.” —Quentin Corpuel, Mizzou’s Hectic Portal Experience

“I’m no economics expert, but from what I do remember from the Econ 1200 class I slept through in Middlebush Auditorium 20 years ago, the more money (demand) increases, the more the price will increase. Demand has never been so high, so the amount of money talented players are asking for their services is skyrocketing as well. Short of signing multi-year contracts with athletes, this trend will continue into the future as transferring to a new school will become more and more lucrative. Nothing is guaranteed in the world of football, so it is impossible to blame a young man for seeking out the highest bidder while the demand is there. Knowing how the game is now played, coaching staffs around the country, Mizzou’s included, must now factor the transient nature of college athletics into their roster building strategies.” —Nathan Hurst, Loss No Cause for Concern

Hot Shots

This week’s hot shots are courtesy of yours truly, who tried to very professionally photograph some women’s and men’s basketball games. I’m coming for you, Cal & Mike! Apologies that some of the photos are sideways. I’m confident you’ll enjoy them just the same.

Listen Up!

Here’s what you may have missed podcast-wise on the Olympic Sports, hoops and football fronts. Majority Rules is on a break this week, but we’ll be back next week to wrap up VB season, talk wrestling, gymnastics & women’s hoops.

• Dive Cuts is back, and Sam & Matt are previewing Braggin’ Rights!

• Before the Box Score, featuring Nate & Quentin, are talking portal additions, losses, and targets

Mizzou Sports this Week:

• Sun, Dec. 22: MBB vs. Illinois (Braggin Rights), 12pm | Collegiate Wrestling Duals, 2pm
• Sun, Dec. 29: WBB vs. Jackson State, 2pm
• Mon, Dec. 30: Music City Bowl vs. Iowa, 1:30pm | MBB vs. AL State, 6:30pm