Eli Drinkwitz shares injury update on Brett Norfleet, Darius Robinson

Missouri wasn’t at full strength in its 34-27 win over Memphis on Saturday. After the game, head coach Eli Drinkwitz provided updates on tight end Brett Norfleet and defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

“Norfleet has a rib [injury], it’s the cartilage between the ribs,” Drinkwitz said. “[It occurred] on the hit. He’s recovering. It’s just a real painful injury so we just didn’t feel like it was in his best interest to play tonight.”

Norfleet absorbed a significant hit in Missouri’s 30-27 upset over No. 15 Kansas State in Week 3. In the stunning triumph, the talented freshman snagged two catches for 40 yards. Norfleet boasts three total catches this season for 50 yards.

Standing at 6-foot-7, Norfleet was a massive addition to Missouri this offseason. He was a four-star recruit out of Saint Charles, Mo. Norfleet was the No. 15 tight end in the nation in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to On3 Industry Ratings.

With senior DL Darius Robinson out, Norfleet’s issue clearly wasn’t youth.

“Darius is battling a strained calf that has really plagued him,” Drinkwitz said. “He keeps trying to go and then, at some point in the game, it always gives out on him. It gave out on him in the fourth quarter last week and this week, it gave out in the first quarter.

“We’re going to have make a decision on do we rest him and get him back or do we let him keep fighting. And, ultimately, we’ll have to make that decision pretty quick.”

Robinson is in his fifth season with the Tigers. While with the program, Robinson has made 39 appearances, amassing 81 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. After picking up 10 starts in 2022, Robinson was named a team captain this season.

Brett Norfleet a preview of the future

Both players are pivotal pieces for Mizzou, who’s burst out of the starting gates. Now, the Tigers sit at 4-0 for the first time since 2013. Players like Norfleet will help this success become the norm for Mizzou in the near future.

Earlier this week, Drinkwitz commented on his young tight end’s game.

“He’s continuing to progress both physically,” Drinkwitz said. “He plays a physical brand of football and obviously does a really nice job catching the football down the field. I think the biggest thing for Brett, and really everybody on our team, is just consistency performance. We can’t have lulls in our game, and that’s not unique to Brett.”