Mizzou pulls in transfer committment from elite FCS freshman running back
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Mizzou enjoyed the best of what Ahmad Hardy had to offer in 2025 as he finished among the top running backs in the country in his first year with the Tigers.
Now, Eli Drinkwitz has added another RB from the transfer portal.
Xai’Shun Edwards, who has spent the past two seasons at Houston Christian, has committed to the Tigers, his agent told CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Tuesday. Edwards will have three years of eligibility remaining.
A League City, Tex., native, Edwards was a three-star recruit in the class of 2024 who picked up nine offers, including one from Mizzou. Oregon and Texas Tech were among the other programs on his offer sheet.
He ultimately went the FCS route, signing with Houston Christian and redshirting. In 2025, he ran for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming the first player in program history to break the 1,000-yard plateau. He was named a freshman All-American and came in third in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the most outstanding freshman player in FCS.
Edwards decided to enter the transfer portal when the season came to an end. He’ll now head to the SEC, where he’ll join a backfield that includes both Hardy and Jamal Roberts.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
