Sept. 29, 2026
Contact: Eric Stann, StannE@missouri.edu
This fall, University of Missouri senior Tyson Ellison is in the middle of the action with Mizzou football. Just not in the role he once imagined.
The Missouri School of Journalism student is the executive producer and host of the Tiger Kickoff Show, a student-run production that brings the energy and analysis of major sports broadcasts to Mizzou football fans. Each week, he leads a team of student journalists breaking down game film and interviewing some of the biggest names around the program.
For Ellison, the show is also a chance to put years of hands-on experience to work. Behind the scenes, he helps shape each broadcast. In front of the camera, he analyzes plays with the perspective of someone who understands what’s happening on the field.
Because not long ago, that’s exactly where Ellison was.
Before he was explaining Mizzou football, he was playing it.
A change in direction
For most of his life, Ellison thought he knew exactly how his story would unfold. Football wasn’t just a hobby; it was part of his identity.
His father, ‘Atiyyah, built a successful football career with the Tigers before reaching the NFL, and Ellison hoped to follow in his footsteps.
As a freshman, he earned a spot on the Tigers’ roster as a linebacker.
Two years later, that path abruptly ended when Ellison learned he had been cut from the team because of roster reductions.
“It was devastating,” he said. "I failed at the one thing I had been practicing every day since I was 6 years old. My dad is a legend, but I still couldn't live up to his legacy."
For a time, Ellison saw losing his spot on the team as the defining moment of his college career.
Then the journalism student in him started asking questions.
As college athletics underwent historic changes, Ellison realized his experience gave him an unusual perspective on a story unfolding at programs across the country. He decided to document his story, first by interviewing teammates and talking with Mizzou fans, and then by sitting down with his own family.
At first, his work received little interest. Then he made a short social media video to draw attention to it. It went viral, teaching him a valuable lesson about storytelling.
"To stand out, you have to be willing to take a chance," he said. "You have to be creative enough and brave enough to try something different."
The experience also gave Ellison a guiding principle he has carried into every journalism role at Mizzou: “Do more than what’s expected.”
Turning experience into opportunity
From his first gig as a weekend sports anchor at KOMU-TV to his current role, Ellison has approached each of his on-air responsibilities with the same discipline he once brought to football. After every broadcast, he studies recordings of his performances like game film, analyzing how he can improve his delivery, pacing and on-camera presence.
That commitment to constant improvement started at KOMU-TV. Through the Missouri Method, Mizzou’s hands-on approach to learning, the station gave Ellison daily opportunities to test ideas, gain experience and learn by doing. It reinforced a lesson every athlete knows well: repetition and experience build confidence and skill.
As a junior, Ellison primarily worked behind the scenes as a video producer for the Tiger Kickoff Show. But when he saw an opportunity to contribute on air, he made a pitch to the show’s host: give him a chance, and we would deliver an ESPN-style film breakdown from the perspective of someone who had been inside the program.
It worked. Soon, Ellison was appearing regularly in a segment called “Sideline Study Hall,” helping viewers better understand the strategy behind each play.
The segment quickly showcased the value of his unique perspective. His football background gave him credibility, while his journalism training gave him the platform to put that knowledge to work.
Before long, that combination made him the natural choice to host the Tiger Kickoff Show. The show is produced in partnership with KOMU-TV and the Columbian Missourian, the School of Journalism’s NBC-affiliate TV station and community newspaper. Taped each week in the Reynolds Journalism Institute studio, each episode blends classroom learning with real-world experience.
"I took my greatest failure and used the knowledge from it to forge a path into what my new dream would become," he said.
Taking the Missouri Method to a bigger stage
Earlier this year, Ellison landed a summer internship as an Olympics digital video producer at NBCUniversal, one of the largest media companies in the world.
Over the span of three months, he helped create digital content for NBC Sports, contributing to coverage that reached millions of viewers.
There, he realized that Mizzou had prepared him to contribute to the highest levels of the journalism industry from day one.
The football career Ellison once imagined for himself ended earlier than he wanted. But his knowledge, discipline and love of the game never went away.
Now, he gets to share that passion with Tiger fans every week. And it’s exactly where he wants to be.
