Injuries plagued the season of the tight end Mizzou fans were excited to see the development of in 2024. But now, <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/brett-norfleet-14192/">Brett Norfleet</a> is healthy and back to himself. And he’s ready to be a big part of the Tiger offense.



“It’s been weird, because last year’s camp, I had to miss due to the foot deal that I had and then I started the year off with a shoulder injury,” Norfleet said. “So I feel like, for me, this year is just kind of gaining confidence and then getting back to myself.”



As he keeps gaining confidence, Norfleet is trying to get back to the athleticism and pass-catching ability that highlighted his freshman season.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shoulder-injury">Shoulder injury</h2>



But as he enters his third year, Norfleet said there’s a pretty specific area he’s improved on from 2024.



“Well my shoulder feels good, so that’s probably where I’ve grown the most,” Norfleet said with a laugh.



That shoulder hampered Norfleet throughout the 2024 season, limiting him to 26 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Which was still the best production a Tiger tight end has had since <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/coach/eliah-drinkwitz-133588/">Eliah Drinkwitz</a> took the helm of the program. 



“Last year? So the first, my first catch of last year, d— shame,” Norfleet said. “… I was in the training room almost every day just trying to stay on the field. And did I feel 100 percent there? No, not at all.”



Norfleet battled the injury throughout the year. Taking the injury from his first catch of the season through a surgery that held him out of the Music City Bowl.



But the shoulder issue led to an interesting development in Norfleet’s game, one that made him stand out from most players in college football.



He started to hurdle as many defenders as possible.



“You know, I think that just kind of happened because every time I caught the ball, I was always worried that I was going to hit (my shoulder),” Norfleet said. “And, you know, the thing that I had, it was very easy to be re-injured. So I think at some point I just kind of thought, ‘Hey, I’m just going to jump over every single guy.’ And, you know, if my feet get swept out from under me, just don’t land on my neck.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-healthy-and-moving-forward">Healthy and moving forward</h2>



Norfleet got his shoulder surgically repaired after the Tigers beat <a href="https://www.on3.com/sites/hawg-beat/">Arkansas</a> to finish the regular season and has taken the offseason making sure he gets as healthy as he can. He wore a non-contact jersey throughout spring camp, but is back to full participation throughout fall camp. 



“Right now, I feel great. I am cleared. I feel stronger,” Norfleet said. “… we had two scrimmages, and there’s no better place to test it out there again, against your own team, and it’s held up so far. So it feels good.”



Norfleet enters his junior season with new strategies on how to stay healthy. There are big expectations on his ability once again. And the 6-foot-6, 263-pound pass catcher knows the Tigers’ new quarterback will need him on the field as much as possible.



“Oh, yeah, it’s kind of learning, you know, not to always lower my shoulder,” Norfleet said. “Maybe use my off hand as a stiff arm, maybe stick a foot in the ground.”



And those new strategies have helped Norfleet as he moves into an important season in his development. There is room to grow and room to work toward an NFL dream. But for now, Norfleet is continuing to work through fall camp and just making sure he is the player he knows he can be in 2025.



“I’m super happy with where I am,” Norfleet said. “I do got to take some more steps. But, yeah, I’m just real comfortable with where I’m at.”



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/i-feel-great-mizzou-te-brett-norfleet-is-ready-for-a-healthy-season.7916714/">Click here to discuss this story in the story thread.</a>



<a href="https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/fall-camp-mega-thread.7857114/">Or click here to discuss fall camp as a whole in our Fall Camp Mega Thread.</a>

4Y3A5429

MizzouToday Football

MizzouToday

"I feel great": Mizzou TE Brett Norfleet is ready for a healthy season

team image

Southeastern Conference

Missouri

Organization Logo

The Tiger Walk

News

Lobby

Off-topic Forum

Forums

News Feed

Roster

Schedule

Transfer Portal Ranking

Transfer Portal

Missouri Draft History

[site-team] Draft History

Football

Search

Commitments

Transfers

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Offers

Visits

Recruiting Prediction Machine

FB Recruiting

Basketball

BB Recruiting

About

Staff

MizzouToday On3+ Subscription

[site-name] On3+ Subscription

Contact

Podcasts and Shows

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Message Boards

Transfer Portal {{ hot }}

Transfer Portal Player Rankings

MegaBoard

Rivals300

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback