Missouri’s Albert Okwuegbunam makes AP preseason All-America first team

COLUMBIA, Mo. —

A day after barely missing the AP preseason top 25 poll, Missouri got some good news on the preseason awards front.

Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam was chosen to the AP’s preseason All-America first team, beating out Vanderbilt’s Jared Pinkney. Okweugbunam returned to practice on Tuesday after being limited last week because of a knee strain and is primed for a big season with MU.

The 6-foot-5 tight end played in just nine games for MU in 2018 after he broke a bone in his shoulder at Florida. Despite missing MU’s final four games, Okwuegbunam was still a finalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end. Okwuegbunam debated declaring for the NFL Draft in the winter, but elected to come up to MU for his redshirt junior season after the NFL Draft Advisory Board graded him as a second-round pick.

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