When his sons or nephew occasionally underachieved, Tyrone Hopper Sr. would exclaim: “Man, we’re going to have to change your name to something else — you can’t be a Hopper if you’re going to play like that!”
It was a playful line, but it kept them in line.
It meant something to be a Hopper on the football field.
“It made them go harder,” Hopper Sr. said Wednesday from Alpharetta, Georgia.
His youngest son, Tyjai, is a high school sophomore and already has a college offer from Akron. His son, Tyneil, plays for Boise State. His son and namesake, Tyrone Jr., recently transferred to Mizzou from North Carolina. And on Wednesday, the news became official — his nephew, Ty’Ron, transferred from Florida to Mizzou, too. Ty’Ron lived with Hopper Sr.’s family starting in 10th grade.
Much has been made about the offensive additions to the Tigers, be it with high school signees or transfers. But the Hopper cousins sure should live up to their last name on defense, and this is imperative, considering Mizzou allowed 34.7 points per game last season. Only one other Southeastern Conference team allowed 30 or more, and that was Vanderbilt (35.8). The only ranking you want to be near Vanderbilt is the one for team grade point average.
Mizzou first recruited Tyrone before Ty'Ron was even in the transfer portal. During Tyrone’s recruiting visit, Drinkwitz playfully joked that Tyrone “never beat him.” Drinkwitz beat North Carolina as a coordinator at North Carolina State and then the next year as head coach of Appalachian State. And for all the heat Mizzou defensive coordinator Steve Wilks took last year, his name still carries weight — Hopper Sr. said he, his son and nephew were all impressed by the coach and his lengthy résumé.
As for his nephew, Ty’Ron is probably the most-important incoming Tiger on the defensive side of the ball. At Florida, there is a new coaching staff — including a coach that Tyrone played for at North Carolina — so Ty’Ron looked for a fresh start within the conference. Ty’Ron (6 feet 2, 205 pounds) considered Auburn, but credit Drinkwitz and Mizzou for being one of the first schools to connect with him. Drinkwitz himself pointed this out on Wednesday, explaining that when it comes to recruiting transfers, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Drinkwitz, of course, was well aware of Ty’Ron Hopper. The linebacker had 11 solo tackles against the Tigers.
“He’s somebody who we really think can come in and help and contribute and immediately compete at a high level,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s a long, physical downhill player who can really read and react and dissect the offensive play. He can play downhill. For me, it was just quite simply watching him against us. And deciding, you know — I hadn’t seen a lot of players play that fast, except for a guy who plays for the Chiefs on Sunday right now.”
The coach was referring to Nick Bolton, the former Tiger and Kansas City rookie who made 112 tackles — most on the team.
“And I’m not trying to make that comparison,” Drinkwitz continued, “but (Ty’Ron) is a long, physical linebacker who can really run and plays at a high level.”
Ty’Ron will replace Blaze Alldredge, who had an uneven season as Bolton’s replacement. In Ty’Ron, Mizzou gets a former four-star recruit who was Rivals’ No. 46 player in the nation in the class of 2019. He’s already played 28 games in the SEC for the Gators — last season, he tallied 65 tackles, fourth-most on Florida.
“Oh, he played fast,” the proud uncle said. “And he’s a smart player. He’s got great instincts and he does things that a lot of guys can’t do because he plays at a high motor and still can get the things done. Most people move a little slower, because they’re thinking and trying to figure out the play. But he’ll figure it out real quick and make his move. If you look at his film, he’ll blow up a whole screen by himself. He did that against Missouri, did it against LSU. Just big plays.”
If things go as planned, Tiger fans across Missouri will know the last name Hopper — and know that it has resonance. Mizzou seemed confident in Alldredge a year ago, but his inconsistency really hurt the defense at times. No, they didn’t think they were replacing Nick Bolton with Nick Bolton, but they anticipated more production. Some positions carry just a little more weight on a football team, and this spot in Mizzou’s 4-2-5 base package needs a big bopper.
Here’s thinking they got one.
