COLUMBIA, Mo. • Nate Brown remembers his freshman season well. The Missouri wide receiver, a highly touted recruit out of Suwanee, Ga., was one of four true freshmen in 2014 who played for the Southeastern Conference East champions and Citrus Bowl winners. Brown wasn’t a superstar, but he flashed excellence while playing extensively in the bowl game and again in 2015.
He suffered an ankle injury before the 2016 season and needed corrective surgery to fully heal. That cost him his entire season. The next spring, he separated his shoulder, which limited his time last season.