3 weeks ago
Eli Drinkwitz and his unit person ne'er been awkward astir utilizing nan portal. Not nan Deion Sanders’ level of “54 caller guys successful each year” benignant of frequency, but surely to nan constituent wherever they tin adhd effect transfers to capable successful gaps.
For example, astatine nan conclusion of a 2021 shot play that featured nan worst defense of nan Drinkwitz-era, Mizzou portalled successful 10 defenders to springiness nan Tigers an contiguous influx of protect talent. That ‘22 defense was bully - surely amended than ‘21 - but it featured 7 Day One starters and still needed a twelvemonth to gel earlier locking successful and dominating successful ‘23.
This portal cycle, Missouri received 15 protect transfers arsenic portion of it’s 30-man transportation class. Fifteen. One-five.
That’s a lot.
Throwing numbers astatine a problem useful but nan truth of nan matter is that Mizzou loses a ton of knowledgeable accumulation and is replacing it with…well, guys. Some proven starters, immoderate projects, immoderate one-year rentals. Lots of guys. And, if we’ve learned thing from nan transportation portal era, it’s that moreover knowledgeable transfers usually request a twelvemonth to acclimate to their caller school/scheme/program earlier seeing existent success.
Which is awesome for Missouri’s 2027 defense! For 2026? Eh…
Once again present is Missouri’s end-of-year two-deep based disconnected of accumulation and threat counts (gaps are wherever a subordinate successful 2025 was that won’t beryllium backmost successful 2026):
Missouri’s 2025 Two-Deep Headed Into 2026
Santana Banner’s threat counts could separator him into starter-level territory for past twelvemonth but, for my purposes of impact, nan lone returning protect starter is linebacker Nick Rodriguez.
But! Starts aren’t what we count! Snaps and accumulation are! That’s why Bill C. conceived of this stat successful nan first place!
This year, The Blogfather has scaled down nan protect returning accumulation equation, weighting 3 categories alternatively of 4 that immoderate protect subordinate tin lend to:
- Percent of returning snaps: 65.9%
- Percent of returning tackles: 19.2%
- Percent of returning tackles for loss: 14.9%
This is nan 2nd consecutive twelvemonth he has scaled backmost nan categories, meaning it seems much evident that earthy acquisition connected nan section is nan astir important facet to forecasting early protect ascension aliases regression.
So, pinch that successful mind, let’s break down what’s coming backmost and from whom (italicized players are not connected nan 2026 roster):
Returning Snaps - 65.9% Weight - 39.8% Returning Production
Returning Snaps
I cognize this mightiness beryllium difficult to see, there’s conscionable excessively galore dang dudes to fresh connected nan list. I’ll deed nan precocious points below:
- Missouri loses 5 of it’s apical 6 players successful ‘25 threat counts and 12 of its apical 14.
- Chris Graves, Jr. is your starring returner successful snaps played and his 683 protect snaps were successful work to Ole Miss.
- 3 of Missouri’s apical 4 returners successful 2025 snaps were astatine different schoolhouse past year.
- Fifth twelvemonth corners Sione Laulea (116) and Jahlil Florence (19) - wide viewed arsenic nan seamless replacements for Drey Norwood and Toriano Pride, Jr. - mixed for 135 snaps played past twelvemonth and will beryllium retired of eligibility astatine nan conclusion of nan ‘26 season.
- In fact, 5 of nan 15 protect players that portalled successful this rhythm are one-year rentals that will complete their assemblage profession astatine nan extremity of this season. Three of those are cornerbacks.
It seems nan unit prioritized instant, knowledgeable additions to nan protect secondary and coiled up pinch aged guys who could supply a one-year extremity gap. Both Laulea and Florence person played successful erstwhile years but a.) not a ton, and b.) transfers aren’t astir arsenic bully successful Year One arsenic they are successful Year Two…and these guys won’t get a Year Two. The remainder of nan additions aren’t ace experienced, nor are nan protect holdovers from past year’s Mizzou defense. It’s going to beryllium a batch of backups and rotational guys from past twelvemonth moving pinch nan transfers to cobble together a cohesive unit. It tin work! We amended dream it works!
Returning Tackles - 19.2% Weight - 39.3% Returning Production
Returning Tackles
Same story, different stat. Here are nan takeaways:
- Missouri loses 5 of its apical 6 tacklers and 12 of its apical 14.
- Your apical 5 returning tacklers are Robert Woodyard (Auburn transfer), Nick Rodriguez, Beans Banner, Mark Hensley (Northern Illinois transfer), and Chris Graves, Jr. (Ole Miss transfer).
- That apical 5 includes 2 linebackers, a safety, a protect tackle, and a cornerback. Yes, having a area successful your apical 5 of returning tacklers isn’t great, particularly erstwhile that tackle number is 27.
- Of nan full returning protect group, 8 had much than 20 tackles past twelvemonth while 18 had less than 20 tackles.
- Heading into nan 2025 play that number was flipped: 18 returning defenders had 20+ tackles, 11 had less than 20.
Returning Tackles for Loss - 14.9% Weight - 29.9% Returning Production
Returning Tackles For Loss
We prevention nan worst for last! The bully news is that TFLs aren’t heavy weighted. Why is that good? Because Mizzou only returns 29.9% of it’s full TFLs from past year. The transportation guys erstwhile again reign ultimate astatine nan top, pinch Darris Smith (4) and Marquis Gracial (3) being your apical 2 Mizzou returners successful this category. Zion Young, Josiah Trotter, Damon Wilson, Chris McClellan, and Daylan Carnell accounted for 49.7% of nan teams full TFLs, and each of those dudes are gone.
Oregon. Baylor. Ole Miss. Michigan. Auburn. Miami (Florida). Notre Dame. Other than nan Mark Hensley call-up from Northern Illinois, Mizzou’s transportation strategy connected defense was to target guys astatine elite protect programs that - for immoderate logic - weren’t seeing nan section much, and fold them successful pinch their existent roster of backups to create a new, tasty, protect gumbo.
I person nary thought if this will activity aliases really it will click or, hell, who moreover is going to start! There’s plentifulness of intriguing pieces present and Corey Batoon has proven to beryllium an fantabulous coordinator. The biggest trial of his Mizzou tenure will beryllium nan ‘26 season, erstwhile he takes each these misfit toys successful hopes of delivering different stellar capacity contempt nan deficiency of cohesion and proven production.
