Missouri’s towering center is set to return for his third season with the team, according to a report by Joe Tipton of On3.
The 7-foot-5 redshirt freshman recently completed his first active season with the Tigers after missing his initial year due to a foot injury. Although another foot issue kept him out at the beginning of the 2025–26 season, he made significant strides and showed major improvement once he got back on the court.
During the latter part of SEC play, Burns emerged as a useful backup option for Missouri behind starting center Shawn Phillips Jr.
Over the team’s final eight games, he averaged 14.8 minutes, 3.3 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, and 3.4 points per game. He made the most of his size advantage offensively, particularly in Missouri’s dominant win over Mississippi State, where he scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Burns also showed flashes of defensive presence in several of his appearances.
“I’m a pretty large human, so I just try to take up space, tried to really slow the head of the snake against Vanderbilt down and just show a body in front of him when guards might have gotten beat,” Burns said. “Just show a body to make a second guess. That’s really all I try to do. Be in the right spots. Just keep the offense moving.”
Burns was suddenly inserted into the lineup in Missouri’s win over Vanderbilt, earning 18 minutes in the Tigers’ fifth-to-last game of the regular season.
“Trent Burns has done a tremendous job in the last two games of just impacting the game, I would say, just from a mental standpoint, awareness IQ, just being at the right place,” head coach Dennis Gates said after Burns’ performances against Vanderbilt and Arkansas.
Even with Burns’ return, finding a starting center through the transfer portal when it opens on Tuesday should be a top priority for the Tigers this offseason. Missouri will be losing Phillips Jr. due to exhausted eligibility. The only other possible returner in the room is former Oklahoma transfer Luke Northweather, who didn’t appear for more than five minutes in any conference game.
