Mizzou has a chance to set itself up with another young, talented running back.
Raise your hand if your favorite college football team has not one but two All-American running backs on its team… EVERYONE’S HAND SHOULD BE UP!
After spending two days on Mizzou’s campus, former Houston Christian running back Xai’Shaun Edwards joined up with the Tigers, becoming the fourth scholarship tailback on the roster for 2026, joining Ahmad Hardy, Jamal Roberts and the incoming freshman Maxwell Warner.
Edwards is an exciting addition, especially if you look at the production he’s already put up in his short career. Playing at the FCS level, Edwards ran for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman, earning All-American honors at Houston Christian. And while you could quibble and say, “it’s just the FCS,” may I remind you of another non-Division I running back who came to Missouri under Eli Drinkwitz and turned into an All-American? I’m not saying it’s guaranteed that Xai’Shaun Edwards is the next Cody Schrader, but there’s certainly precedent for the staff finding a productive lower-level workhorse and turning him into a national star.
Where He Fits
Mizzou has a pair of burly running backs in both Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts. Both weigh in at over 200 pounds, with Hardy sitting at a stout 5’10” and Roberts coming in taller at 6’0”. Edwards, on the other hand, relies more on his shiftiness and agility to get things done. At 5’9” and 175 pounds, Edwards needs to rely more on his ability to make guys miss to reach the top end speed he has. A year in a DI strength and conditioning program will do his stature wonders, and it’s easy to see him becoming that type of bowling ball back that Eli Drinkwitz loves to have on the field.
Highlights of Edwards are scant, but here’s one of his better runs of the season against a Power Four opponent in Nebraska.
That’s a nasty cut back he puts on his first man, and he’s got the open field speed to hit the opposite edge and run 40-plus yards for the score. You’d probably like to see a little more burst from him, but any guy that can do that to power conference level defenders has it in his locker. Now it’s just a matter of bulking up and putting on the speed that will elevate his game.
When He Plays
We’ll see Edwards often, as we will most transfers. That may seem implausible given Missouri returns the most dynamic backfield duo in the country, but recall that (a) injuries happen, god forbid and (b) we saw plenty of guys like Tavorus Jones and Marquise Davis throughout the year. Mizzou needs a third back to take the load off both of their star backs, and Edwards seems more than capable of handling that role right away.
The interesting part is when we start to see him get more meaningful snaps. You have to assume a running back like Edwards sees what’s in front of him and doesn’t plan on getting starter snaps right away. No offense, but you’d have to be… well, stupid to think you’ll usurp either a First Team All-American or the guy that Mizzou paid a pretty penny to keep out of the portal. Instead, Edwards will get plenty of opportunities to learn from both Hardy and Roberts and should be primed to take the bell cow position in 2027.
What It Means
Running back wasn’t a position of need for the Tigers, but losing two young, promising backs in Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood meant that the staff needed to backfill the depth chart with some young talent for when Hardy and Roberts take off, presumably next offseason. Getting Edwards in not only gives the Tigers a third option for 2026, but it also gives Edwards a full year to prove he can do at the Division I level what he’s already proven he can do in the FCS.
Category: General Sports
