Mizzou Mic’d Up: Nate Crawford

Defensive lineman Nate Crawford didn’t have any trouble working through the thick Missouri heat this summer. As temperatures soared, Crawford, a freshman from scorching hot Florida, thrived, working hard and worked up the kind of sweat he’s used to getting from the South.

“Florida is way hotter than this, baby,” Crawford says to his teammates during stretches in the video above. “This is a cool breeze right here. This is a winter day.”

He’s kidding, the 6’5, 285-pound Crawford shows off a sense of humor as big as him. A winter day? This kid is tough!

“For real,” he says. “It ain’t even hot!”

The video shows Crawford excelling at a variety of defensive drills, drills designed to enhanced aspects of his game from footwork to strength, explosiveness and hand skills.

He shows great potential for a redshirt freshman as he snaps the bags down and pushes hard before stepping back to catch a simulated tip.

ESPN.com rated Crawford the number 75 defensive tackle prospect in the class of 2013 after helping West Florida Tech High School and head coach Harry Lees to a 10-1 record and a berth in the Florida Class 5A State championship playoffs in 2012. He recorded 80 tackles and 7.0 sacks as a senior and earned second team All-State honors from the Associated Press as well as all-area recognition. He was a Pensacola News-Journal Super Senior selection, and he chose Mizzou over Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville and Mississippi State, among others. He plans to major in business at Missouri.

At the end of the video you can see Crawford after a long workout of drills. He’s right at home in the heat, and he makes sure everyone knows it.

“You gotta be able to get it,” he says confidently.  “You gotta grind!”