COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥 Toriano Pride Jr. didn鈥檛 need anyone to tell him where he should play next.
When entering the transfer portal after two seasons of college football, the cornerback did so with a 鈥渄o not contact鈥 tag, which is college sports鈥 clearest indicator a player knows where their next step will be.
For the 50度灰视频-area product, that was somewhere a little closer to home.
Pride transferred to Missouri after two years at Clemson, where he appeared in 26 games with three starts. He鈥檚 a projected starter for the Tigers defense in 2024 and already making a name for himself on the practice field 鈥 as a prolific trash-talker, if nothing else.
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But his decision to move closer to home was centered around a desire to play in front of his family, even if there鈥檚 good-natured debate with a Mizzou star over who鈥檚 responsible for drawing Pride to MU.
As he tells the story, his mind was made up by the halfway point of the 2023 season.
鈥淚 knew by like Week 6, I鈥檓 coming back home,鈥 Pride said.
Hopping in the transfer portal and committing to Missouri was just a matter of time, he explained.
Luther Burden III, the Mizzou wideout who played against Pride before they teamed up at East 50度灰视频 in 2021, claims some credit for it playing out so smoothly.
鈥淚 actually reached out to him as soon as he hit the portal,鈥 Burden said. 鈥淚 jumped (on) it ASAP. I didn鈥檛 want to let him get away.鈥
Cornerbacks coach Al Pogue defers to Burden鈥檚 ability to assist as a portal recruiter.
鈥淵ou always want to lean on Luther with things like that,鈥 Pogue said. 鈥淲e have to use all our recruiting sources with things like that. Lu, he was a big part of it. He was a tremendous help. When Toriano came on his visit, he hosted him, and they had a great time.鈥
So for the sake of the record, was Burden the reason Pride transferred to Mizzou?
鈥淣ah,鈥 Pride told the Post-Dispatch ahead of the Tigers鈥 preseason camp. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 really have to recruit. He threw his little 2 cents in ... but at the end of the day, it was my decision.鈥
From afar, the 2021 All-Metro defensive player of the year had noted MU鈥檚 2023 campaign. As he drew closer to transferring, Missouri鈥檚 allure continued to grow.
鈥淲atching them while I was at another program, I could just see they got a lot of momentum,鈥 Pride said. 鈥淐oach Drink, he got a lot of good things coming. He鈥檚 on the right track, and I just wanted to be a part of it.鈥
The Tigers wanted him too. Both starting cornerbacks from last year, Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., were selected in the NFL draft, requiring a new starting duo for 2024.
Dreyden Norwood, who filled in for Rakestraw at times last season, and Pride are likely to fill those roles.
鈥(Pride) saw a great opportunity to come home, and we also had a need,鈥 Pogue said. 鈥淚t all worked out. He鈥檚 a phenomenal player. Man, supportive family.鈥
That last bit was important to Pride鈥檚 move.
During his high school recruitment, Mizzou 鈥 and Pogue in particular 鈥 had left an impression on Pride鈥檚 family. He headed to Clemson anyway but came back to Missouri with relatives as one of the biggest reasons to play football in Columbia:
鈥淢y grandparents, they could come to my games,鈥 Pride said. 鈥淟ike, my Papa and stuff, he couldn鈥檛 really come to all my Clemson games. My mom really couldn鈥檛 go to none of my away games. ... Growing up in 50度灰视频, my family鈥檚 always been to all my games.鈥
For all the cynicism of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness compensation era, the pull of playing in front of family can still be a factor in players鈥 decisions on where to enroll.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say it鈥檚 self-explanatory, but everybody would play a lot better if they know their mom, sister and grandma and papa are at every game,鈥 Pride said. 鈥淭hey could come down the road and come to some of the away games, just knowing you got them in the stands, not just one person, that makes me happy because I want my mama at all my games.鈥
Pride already had a rapport with one Mizzou wideout in Burden, but he鈥檚 made quick work of getting a conversational rhythm established with the rest of the Tigers鈥 receivers. It just might not be as amicable.
During preseason camp, wide receivers have been quick to identify Pride as the defensive back with the most trash-talking capability. And he鈥檚 not shying away from that part of his game.
鈥淚 talk. I鈥檓 goofy. I troll,鈥 Pride said. If you鈥檙e on the other side, if you drop a ball, that鈥檚 all you鈥檙e going to hear from me. Or if you鈥檙e not getting the ball, if Brady (Cook)鈥檚 not throwing you the ball, I鈥檓 just saying little stuff to throw you off, like 鈥極h, Brady don鈥檛 even want to give you the ball.鈥欌
Like with his transfer portal entrance, Pride knows what he鈥檚 doing once he starts chirping across the line of scrimmage. He doesn鈥檛 need anyone to tell him anything in return when it comes to trash talk, either.
鈥淚t depends on who I鈥檓 going against, though, because it鈥檚 a lot of dudes I know I could get in their head easily,鈥 Pride said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 some dudes just look at me and be like, 鈥極h, OK.鈥 You can only talk trash to people who entertain it. If they don鈥檛 entertain it, it鈥檚 really no point 鈥 but I鈥檓 going to still say a few things.鈥