Brett Norfleet injury update: Missouri TE out vs. Texas A&M

Missouri starting tight end Brett Norfleet won’t play on Saturday against Texas A&M, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Norfleet left the Tigers’ 17-10 loss to Vanderbilt in Week 9 with a shoulder injury.

Norfleet’s absence will be a significant loss for Missouri. He boasts 26 catches for 224 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. Earlier this week, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz referred to Norfleet’s status as day-to-day, but, evidently, he won’t be able to play Saturday.

Norfleet won’t be the only Missouri star who’s sidelined for the game. Tigers starting quarterback Beau Pribula suffered a dislocated ankle in Missouri’s loss to Vanderbilt. Drinkwitz said the injury won’t require surgery, but he’s unsure if Pribula will be able to return.

With Pribula sidelined, true freshman quarterback Matt Zollers led Missouri’s offense against Vanderbilt. Zollers completed 14-of-his-23 pass attempts for 138 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception.

Zollers was the No. 10 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. He’ll make his first career start in Missouri’s most pivotal game of the season.

Missouri is 6-2 and another loss will dismantle its College Football Playoff dreams. While Missouri’s offense will look different under Zollers, Drinkwitz is still confident his team can emerge victorious against Texas A&M.

“It’s not really the full playbook, it’s about playing to what [Zollers’] strengths are, to answer your question,” Drinkwitz said. “Are there things that we’re going to add? Probably not. But are there things that he’s more comfortable with than maybe Beau was? Absolutely. So we can push those things in the playbook that maybe haven’t been shown.”

Without Beau Pribula and Brett Norfleet, Missouri’s offense has a tall task ahead. Texas A&M is only allowing 321.5 total yards of offense per game this season, ranking No. 31 in the country. ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis is picking Texas A&M to win, but doesn’t believe the upset is impossible.

“Zollers looked really good. I think he’s going to be really good for them, but it’s a lot to ask,” Davis said. “A&M has won games in a variety of fashion. They won a slugfest against Auburn. They’ve won a couple of high-scoring games against Arkansas and against Notre Dame. That’s really the mark of a good team—an elite team—I should say.

“They can beat you in a variety of ways. … Missouri is a good team. Even with the backup quarterback, Missouri can win.”