COLUMBIA, Mo . - Faurot Field holds 63,609 people, enough seats to occupy Daeden Hopkins’s hometown of Hermann, Missouri, 25 times over.
Growing up in Hermann, Hopkins had dreams of playing college sports, but football was not always the plan. Before he grew to 6-foot-6, Hopkins had plans to play college baseball as a catcher.
Hopkins said he played football for a while when he was young but once he began training at Elite Football Academy his sophomore year, his football career began to take off receiving his first college scholarship offer the next year.
As a junior in high school, he came into his own on the football field registering 49 total tackles, including 8.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.
Hermann is a small town with an estimated population of about 2,500 people mainly known for its wineries and tourism, a much different environment from Columbia and the SEC spotlight Hopkins now finds himself.
Hopkins recalled his mother and grandparents helping him move in before leaving him to begin his freshman year. Suddenly, he was living in a much larger town and navigating college life away from home.
One of the biggest differences, Hopkins commented, was the food.
“There's a ton of food options here,” Hopkins said. “There isn't really a whole lot in Hermann, so being able to go out and get food wherever you want, it's kind of nice.”
One of the most important things for Hopkins has been the opportunity to represent the place he calls home.
“It means a ton,” Hopkins said about representing his hometown and the state where he grew up. “Playing for the top college in your home state, it's an honor to be able to represent the state of Missouri, and kind of put my hometown on the map.”
Hopkins knows that younger athletes in Hermann are watching him.
“There's a lot of young kids in that town that might look up to me,” Hopkins said. “It's cool to show them that it can be done.”
Hopkins isn’t the first Tiger to have ties to the small town, with Mizzou Hall of Famer Brock Olivo, also originating from Hermann. Hopkins said that Olivio was one of his favorite coaches on the staff. Hopkins said Olivo pushed him during conditioning and reminded him of where they came from.
“He was right by me when I'm doing the sleds,” Hopkins said, “and telling me, you know, show him how the Hermann boys work.”
Now as a sophomore, Hopkins is making an immediate impact this season after learning from previous veteran leadership on the defensive line, putting his name amongst the best pass rushers in college football so far this season.
Hopkins said that instead of entering the season with hyper-specific statistical goals, he said that he wanted to focus on doing what he had always done.
Hopkins finished last season playing a total of four games, recording three solo sacks, four assisted, and one tackle for loss.
“I wanted to just go out there and perform my God-given talent,” Hopkins said. “I just wanted to go out there and perform the best of my ability and whatever happens, happens.”
That approach has helped Hopkins become a bigger part of the Tigers' defense.
Last year, Hopkins watched players like Zion Young and other veterans closely. With Young moving on to the next level, Hopkins had an opportunity to enter a larger role this upcoming season.
“I paid attention to every little detail,” Hopkins said. “So, I can apply [all of it] to what I do now.”
One of those lessons has been the importance of approaching each day with an “Elite Edge,” a patented phrase for the Tigers. Hopkins uses to describe the mindset he brings to his workouts and games.
“For me, it's like a big mindset thing,” Hopkins said. “You attack each workout, each game with an elite edge.”
That mindset was on display during Mizzou's matchup with Kansas.
Despite the emotions surrounding a rivalry game, Hopkins said he tried to keep things simple.
“I think that's the biggest thing for me is just to go out there, get rid of all the nerves, all the emotions, everything, just go out there with a clear mind and go perform to the best of my ability,” Hopkins said.
His performance included three assisted tackles and one solo, earning him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors, and even improved his number the next week versus Troy.
Hopkins originally the award came as a surprise, but that surprise quickly turned to extra motivation.
“I want to win that as many times as I can,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins has done just that, despite a loss against Mississippi State. Hopkins dominated against the Bulldogs totaling up three and a half sacks, which ranks second all-time for a single game in Mizzou history.
Hopkins season sack total has jumped up to six and now ranks fourth nationally and second within the SEC. He also leads the nation among FBS defenders with at least 100 pass-rush snaps with a PFF pass-rushing grade of 90.8, a 24.5 percent pass-rush win rate and a 19.6 percent pressure rate.
One aspect that drives Hopkins’s competitiveness is his family upbringing. His mother was an athlete, his father played football at Nebraska and several of his aunts played volleyball. His grandfather also played soccer.
His mother remains his biggest source of motivation, still talking almost every night. Hopkins said that he enjoys reaching out to her due to her understanding the demands that come with being an athlete being one herself.
When it comes to the people back home, Hopkins hopes people in Hermann see more than just a college football player when they watch him.
“I want them to see somebody who doesn't quit, somebody who just keeps going no matter what the circumstances are,” Hopkins said.
That message is especially important to the younger athletes who may look at playing college football as something far out of reach.
“When I was younger, it seemed like a stretch,” Hopkins said. “Coming from that really small town, it feels like nobody, no colleges would look at you or anything like that.”
His advice is simple.
“Just keep going,” Hopkins said. “Put yourself out there. They will find you.”