If you haven’t noticed the human missile that is Cale Garrett wreaking havoc on the field for his 2018 Missouri Tigers, just wait a snap or two. The team’s leading tackler is involved in what seems like every play, demolishing running backs, quarterbacks and wideouts with laser-guided precision. That kind of incendiary consistency could inflate a player’s ego if left unchecked, but Garrett is great precisely because he doesn’t think he is. Not yet, anyway.

“My stepdad did a good job of keeping me humble,” says the junior linebacker from Kearney, Missouri. “He still tells me, ‘Keep working hard at it and maybe you’ll be a good player someday.’ ”

It’s that daily devotion to constant improvement that has made Garrett a team leader, albeit one still looking for his voice. He and his roommate, senior linebacker Terez Hall (second in tackles), provide contrasting styles of leadership. Hall will shout at teammates to “pick it up.” Garrett, well, he has a more workmanlike approach.

“Talk is cheap unless the person that it’s coming from is legit,” says Garrett, complimenting Hall’s bark-bite balance. “I’m the type of player who is going to line up and do my job, but I want to work on being more vocal.”

Garrett’s vision and instincts might seem innate to the casual fan, but he credits head coach Barry Odom and linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves for trusting his gut and “training his eyes.” His work ethic? That comes from his mother, Lindi Burns.“She has always told me I’m destined for greatness,” Garrett says. “Not a lot of my career has come naturally. I’ve always kind of been that slow kid in the middle. You have to pick something to improve on every single day, then go out and achieve it.”

Garrett is training his ears, too. He recently took up piano, and although he’s “no Beethoven,” it’s another goal on the horizon he hopes to obliterate. “Anything you do should be to the best of your ability,” Garrett says. “The only way I can be as a player is to give everything I can all the time.”