COLUMBIA, MO. • They come from opposite sides of the world — West Africa and central Missouri — but their goal is one and the same. Franklin Agbasimere and Tre Williams were late bloomers in high school but now find themselves among the crowd of Mizzou players competing to replace departed defensive end Charles Harris.
Williams, a freshman last fall, grew up playing basketball but reluctantly made the switch to football in high school. He spent his childhood bouncing between Columbia and Moberly, Mo., but never paid attention to Mizzou football.
Agbasimere arrived at Mizzou in 2015 from Lagos, Nigeria after a pit stop in Florida, where he got his introduction to football.