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The offseason, as much as there is one in college football in 2026, is in full swing.
Missouri football, which holds its spring practices earlier than most SEC teams, wrapped up spring camp on March 19. The Tigers had 13 official practices, bringing nearly 50 newcomers to Columbia to get their first reps with the 2026 team.
Mizzou has important spots to fill on both sides of the ball, but the most turnover for Eli Drinkwitz’s next squad is on the defense. Several key players are going to the NFL, more are graduating, and a couple of starters have entered the transfer portal.
More: Post-spring Missouri football 2026 offensive depth chart projection
The depth chart now looks quite different from when Mizzou wrapped up its spring at this time in 2025.
All transfers are marked with an asterisk (*). Here’s our best guess at what the Tigers’ defense will look like next season:
Starters:Boundary: Darris Smith, r-sr.; Field: Langden Kitchen, sr.
Primary rotation:Boundary: *Malik Bryant, r-jr. Field: Kamauryn Morgan, so.; *Demarcus Johnson, jr.
Reserves: Daeden Hopkins, r-fr.; *Jaden Jones, r-sr.; *CJ May, r-fr.; *Cavan Tuley, r-jr.
We were unsure about what depth would look like at defensive end, but there have been a couple of developments.
One: Bryant looks SEC-ready. He’s a big presence from Mizzou’s primary edge-rushing position.
Two: The Tigers made a late portal addition with Baylor transfer Kamauryn Morgan. He hasn’t been in practice with Missouri yet, because of the timing of his move, but he has the measurables that Mizzou likes for its field end position. We’ll see if he can challenge for a playing role.
More: Missouri reportedly adds Baylor DE transfer. With portal closed, here’s how
Smith is going to need to be the difference-maker in this room. The staff loved what they saw out of him in the spring, so there are reasons to be encouraged.
We still think Kitchen will move into a starting role, but we’ll see if some fall camp competition from Morgan and Johnson shifts anything there. The staff liked Hopkins’ spring, but he still needs to add some weight.
Starters
T: Marquis Gracial, r-sr.; Nose: Jalen Marshall, r-sr.
Primary rotationT: Sam Williams, r-jr.; Nose: *Donta Simpson Jr., so.
Reserves: *Mark Hensley, r-jr.; Jason Dowell, r-fr.; Tajh Overton, fr.; Jocques Felix, fr.; Jadon Frick, r-so.
Injured: Elias Williams, r-so.
We feel confident that Gracial and Marshall are Missouri’s interior starters. Gracial, in particular, looks physically ready to make a major jump. Simpson (Miami) should find a role in the rotation. After that, there’s room for some competition.
The Tigers added Hensley, a Northern Illinois transfer and Labadie, Missouri, product, as a late transfer this spring. That news came after Drinkwitz announced Elias Williams, who we previously had tabbed for a rotational role, could miss time at the start of next season with an injury.
More: Missouri football gets late transfer commitment from NIU defensive tackle
We think Sam Williams is the next man up, but Dowell and Overton, a true freshman, could compete for roles, too.
Starters:Mike: *Robert Woodyard Jr., r-sr.; Will: Nicholas Rodriguez, jr.
Primary rotation:M: Jeremiah Beasley, jr.; W: Dante McClellan, so.
Reserves: Brian Huff, r-so.; *Bobby Washington, r-jr.; Jason King, r-fr.; JJ Bush, fr.; Keenan Harris, fr.; Jackson Daily, r-so.; Tommy Reese, r-jr.
There’s an argument that this is the strongest position room on the defense. Rodriguez and Woodyard (Auburn) are the top two and form an extremely promising duo.
Beasley and McClellan look to be the likeliest next men up in the rotation, and we really like what we’ve seen from both players. They have waited their turn, and that should pay off this season. They’ll get some competition from Huff and Washington (Miami).
Starters: *Chris Graves Jr., r-sr; *Jahlil Florence, r-sr.
Rotation/backups: *Sione Laulea, sr.; Cameron Keys, r-so.
Reserves: Nick DeLoach, r-jr.; Jaxson Gates, fr.; Ahmod Billins, fr.; Nasir Pogue, r-sr.
Graves (Ole Miss) and Florence (Oregon) project as the starters after spring camp. Graves earned a shoutout from Drinkwitz, who said the Mississippi transfer “has been really good for us in the secondary.”
“He’s a lockdown corner,” MU running back Ahmad Hardy said.
After that, it’s a battle for the third corner role to be the first player off the bench. Laulea (Oregon) and returners Keys and DeLoach will be the primary competitors to get into the rotation.
Starters:Free: Trajen Greco, jr. Rover: Santana Banner, r-jr. Star: *Elijah Dotson, so.
Primary rotation:Free: Jackson Hancock, r-so. Rover: *Kensley Louidor-Faustin, jr. Star: CJ Bass III, r-fr.
Reserves:*JaDon Blair, r-fr.; Jayden McGregory, fr.; Carter Stewart, fr.; Brody Jones, fr.; Maddux Hermestroff, r-fr.
Limited observable secondary reps in spring camp have made this somewhat tough to project. We feel fairly confident in the starters, but where they line up will be an area of intrigue in the fall.
“We all rotate throughout the different positions,” Banner said on March 18. “Everybody gets a feel of everything, so the coaches can evaluate and see where everybody's at. Our spring really isn't about who’s going to be a starter. It's really about player development. So everybody's getting a little taste of it, and we’ll go from there.”
Dotson (Michigan) has officially moved to safety from corner on the Missouri roster, so the slot-corner/nickelback role at the position Mizzou calls its ‘Star’ makes sense. He had offseason surgery on a torn labrum, according to a report from Pete Nakos at On3, but seems likely to be back by the summer.
We thought Banner would be a good candidate to take over there, but his size and notable spring progress may make him a better fit in the backfield.
There’s still a lot left to determine at the safety spots in the fall.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Post-spring camp Missouri football 2026 defensive depth chart projection
Continue reading...
Missouri football, which holds its spring practices earlier than most SEC teams, wrapped up spring camp on March 19. The Tigers had 13 official practices, bringing nearly 50 newcomers to Columbia to get their first reps with the 2026 team.
Mizzou has important spots to fill on both sides of the ball, but the most turnover for Eli Drinkwitz’s next squad is on the defense. Several key players are going to the NFL, more are graduating, and a couple of starters have entered the transfer portal.
More: Post-spring Missouri football 2026 offensive depth chart projection
The depth chart now looks quite different from when Mizzou wrapped up its spring at this time in 2025.
All transfers are marked with an asterisk (*). Here’s our best guess at what the Tigers’ defense will look like next season:
Defensive ends
Starters:Boundary: Darris Smith, r-sr.; Field: Langden Kitchen, sr.
Primary rotation:Boundary: *Malik Bryant, r-jr. Field: Kamauryn Morgan, so.; *Demarcus Johnson, jr.
Reserves: Daeden Hopkins, r-fr.; *Jaden Jones, r-sr.; *CJ May, r-fr.; *Cavan Tuley, r-jr.
We were unsure about what depth would look like at defensive end, but there have been a couple of developments.
One: Bryant looks SEC-ready. He’s a big presence from Mizzou’s primary edge-rushing position.
Two: The Tigers made a late portal addition with Baylor transfer Kamauryn Morgan. He hasn’t been in practice with Missouri yet, because of the timing of his move, but he has the measurables that Mizzou likes for its field end position. We’ll see if he can challenge for a playing role.
More: Missouri reportedly adds Baylor DE transfer. With portal closed, here’s how
Smith is going to need to be the difference-maker in this room. The staff loved what they saw out of him in the spring, so there are reasons to be encouraged.
We still think Kitchen will move into a starting role, but we’ll see if some fall camp competition from Morgan and Johnson shifts anything there. The staff liked Hopkins’ spring, but he still needs to add some weight.
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Defensive tackles
Starters
T: Marquis Gracial, r-sr.; Nose: Jalen Marshall, r-sr.Primary rotation
T: Sam Williams, r-jr.; Nose: *Donta Simpson Jr., so.Reserves: *Mark Hensley, r-jr.; Jason Dowell, r-fr.; Tajh Overton, fr.; Jocques Felix, fr.; Jadon Frick, r-so.
Injured: Elias Williams, r-so.
We feel confident that Gracial and Marshall are Missouri’s interior starters. Gracial, in particular, looks physically ready to make a major jump. Simpson (Miami) should find a role in the rotation. After that, there’s room for some competition.
The Tigers added Hensley, a Northern Illinois transfer and Labadie, Missouri, product, as a late transfer this spring. That news came after Drinkwitz announced Elias Williams, who we previously had tabbed for a rotational role, could miss time at the start of next season with an injury.
More: Missouri football gets late transfer commitment from NIU defensive tackle
We think Sam Williams is the next man up, but Dowell and Overton, a true freshman, could compete for roles, too.
Linebackers
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Starters:Mike: *Robert Woodyard Jr., r-sr.; Will: Nicholas Rodriguez, jr.
Primary rotation:M: Jeremiah Beasley, jr.; W: Dante McClellan, so.
Reserves: Brian Huff, r-so.; *Bobby Washington, r-jr.; Jason King, r-fr.; JJ Bush, fr.; Keenan Harris, fr.; Jackson Daily, r-so.; Tommy Reese, r-jr.
There’s an argument that this is the strongest position room on the defense. Rodriguez and Woodyard (Auburn) are the top two and form an extremely promising duo.
Beasley and McClellan look to be the likeliest next men up in the rotation, and we really like what we’ve seen from both players. They have waited their turn, and that should pay off this season. They’ll get some competition from Huff and Washington (Miami).
Cornerbacks
Starters: *Chris Graves Jr., r-sr; *Jahlil Florence, r-sr.
Rotation/backups: *Sione Laulea, sr.; Cameron Keys, r-so.
Reserves: Nick DeLoach, r-jr.; Jaxson Gates, fr.; Ahmod Billins, fr.; Nasir Pogue, r-sr.
Graves (Ole Miss) and Florence (Oregon) project as the starters after spring camp. Graves earned a shoutout from Drinkwitz, who said the Mississippi transfer “has been really good for us in the secondary.”
“He’s a lockdown corner,” MU running back Ahmad Hardy said.
After that, it’s a battle for the third corner role to be the first player off the bench. Laulea (Oregon) and returners Keys and DeLoach will be the primary competitors to get into the rotation.
Safeties
Starters:Free: Trajen Greco, jr. Rover: Santana Banner, r-jr. Star: *Elijah Dotson, so.
Primary rotation:Free: Jackson Hancock, r-so. Rover: *Kensley Louidor-Faustin, jr. Star: CJ Bass III, r-fr.
Reserves:*JaDon Blair, r-fr.; Jayden McGregory, fr.; Carter Stewart, fr.; Brody Jones, fr.; Maddux Hermestroff, r-fr.
Limited observable secondary reps in spring camp have made this somewhat tough to project. We feel fairly confident in the starters, but where they line up will be an area of intrigue in the fall.
“We all rotate throughout the different positions,” Banner said on March 18. “Everybody gets a feel of everything, so the coaches can evaluate and see where everybody's at. Our spring really isn't about who’s going to be a starter. It's really about player development. So everybody's getting a little taste of it, and we’ll go from there.”
You must be registered for see images
Dotson (Michigan) has officially moved to safety from corner on the Missouri roster, so the slot-corner/nickelback role at the position Mizzou calls its ‘Star’ makes sense. He had offseason surgery on a torn labrum, according to a report from Pete Nakos at On3, but seems likely to be back by the summer.
We thought Banner would be a good candidate to take over there, but his size and notable spring progress may make him a better fit in the backfield.
There’s still a lot left to determine at the safety spots in the fall.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Post-spring camp Missouri football 2026 defensive depth chart projection
Continue reading...
