Mizzou kicker savors each practice, after being sidelined with injury

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As humans, we tend to value something even more once its gone.

That's been the case for Mizzou kicker Blake Craig, who's now focused on enjoying all the little moments in this 2026 edition of fall camp, after being sidelined with an injury in 2025.

"I think my goal is like, this may sound a little bit weird, but my goal is to just take it day-by-day, game-by-game, and enjoy the crap out of it. Because with it being taken away from me last season, I think that all I want to do," Craig said. "You know, I'm going to do my best to compete at the highest level, help this team win games like, I already know those things. So, I just really want to take it like that, day-by-day, game-by-game."

That mentality stems from a heartbreaking end to what was set to be a big junior season for Craig, in 2025. The Kansas City native only appeared in one game, the season opener, before tearing his ACL while trying to make a tackle on a kickoff in the third quarter.

Since then, he's spent a lot of time working on himself, both physically and mentally. Craig said he's coming off of the best spring he's had yet at Mizzou and wants to carry that momentum into the season.

"I think this is the best I felt, physically and mentally, in like 18 months. So, I'm really excited of where I'm at, kicking the ball really well," he said.

But that recovery didn't happen overnight...or with ease.

Of course, Craig spent lots of time rehabbing his leg, but also his mind. In kicking, the mental game plays a massive role and that was something the rising senior had to contend with in the offseason, with assistance from new special teams coordinator John Papuchis.

"[Papuchis is] a great coach," Craig said. "He just he's helped my development so much and helped me immensely through the process. Because, you know, it's tough when you come back and even before spring ball he was working with me get through, you know, battling that kind of fear of planting hard and kicking hard again, you know? So I spent a lot of time in the indoor just just getting back to it, feeling, getting my groove back, you know. I feel really good. I feel the most myself that I felt, so I think if I had to do it all over again, I said this to a couple other people, but I'd do it again because it's just made me a better person."

In addition to his work with Coach Papuchis, Craig said he's also been working with a sports psychologist.

"I think that I've spent a lot of time in my head. I think that's a lot of people would say, 'oh, that's kind of a bad thing. You're a kicker.' But, like in my head in a good way. I like to think about my thoughts and how I can, you know, develop my own thoughts and things like that. I've done a lot of visualization, and I've done that in the past before, but a lot of positive self-talk and then just different things, like just knowing you're going to do it before you do it, like that's a, that's a real thing. You know, you got you got to truly believe you can be someone before you are, so I think that that was a tough thing to get through. But, with with my sports psychologist and then me spending a lot of time in my own head, in a positive way, it's been great."

Now, Craig is preparing for his big return to the field for his senior season.

Before being sidelined in 2025, the Missouri native had made a massive impact for head coach Eli Drinkwitz in 2024, starting in all 13 games. In that season, he ranked seventh in the SEC with 108 points on 24-of-34 field goals and 36-of-37 PATs. He also became the first freshman in program history and 13th Tiger to eclipse the century mark in points in a single season.

He hopes to make an even bigger impact, this season, but is also focused on taking in all the small moments, as well. Craig has hammered home that day-by-day, game-by-game is his mentality for the 2026 campaign, which is a freeing feeling heading into a highly-anticipated Tiger football season.

"I've talked to like [Harrison Mevis], you know previous kicker here, and he's like never worried about his stats. You know, he's always just focused on the next play, the next kick. How can I be better than I was yesterday?"