The University of Missouri football team will be without 12 players due to COVID-19 when they kick off their season on September 26 against Alabama.Tiger head coach Eli Drinkwitz made the announcement Wednesday and he declined to say how many of the 12 players have the virus, versus those who are being held out because of contact tracing."Out is out," he said. "Whether they got it or whether they contact trace, out is out. They can't be around us, so there's no reason to get into the numbers game and hype. It's just we're down 12 guys. It is what it is."Drinkwitz said that two players have opted out: defensive tackle Chris Daniels and wide receiver Maurice Massey.

12 Tigers to miss season opener against Alabama due to COVID-19