Missouri’s fall camp is in the books, and with game week now here, the Tigers have a much clearer picture of who’s climbing the depth chart and who’s likely to matter once the season starts Thursday, Sept. 3 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Faurot Field.
The two-deep is largely sorted out at this point. The remaining position battles have been settled, and after a few weeks of work in Columbia, a handful of players have turned strong camps into real momentum heading into 2026.
Here are seven Tigers whose stock rose over the course of fall camp:
Dante McClellan is making a case to be a problem for offenses before long. At weakside linebacker, the 6-foot-1, 227-pound sophomore has flashed the kind of inside pass-rushing ability Missouri wants to lean on.
Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday, “Dante is going to bring pass-rushing ability from the inside for us,” and that lined up with what showed up during the open portions of camp. In the pass-rush work the media was allowed to watch, McClellan stood out in his room and even beat a couple of Missouri running backs in blitz pickup drills.
At left guard, Tristan Wilson finally looks ready for a full-time starting role after spending years as a backup and reserve. The Lebanon, Missouri, native won the job over Mississippi State transfer Zack Owens, and his path through the line has already given Missouri confidence.
Wilson filled in at center last season, has taken snaps at multiple spots, and by all accounts put together a strong offseason. Dominick Giudice summed him up Aug. 7 by saying, “He's a grinder.
He's a dog,” Giudice said Aug. 7.
“He's super about his business. No BS kind of guy, and I love playing next to him.”
Missouri also appears to have found answers on the edge. Darris Smith and Daeden Hopkins both drew repeated praise from Drinkwitz in his camp wrap-up, first with, “I think Darris Smith and Hopkins have really established themselves,” the head coach said, “as being able to rush the passer.”
Then Drinkwitz circled back a few minutes later and added, “I kind of already highlighted the defensive guys,” but Darris Smith and Hopkins have just really been really good at the edge position for us.” That kind of double mention matters, especially with Damon Wilson II and Zion Young gone.
The Tigers need production there, and camp suggests they may have it.
Jason Dowell went from an afterthought to a player with a real shot at major snaps. He played only 31 snaps last season, all of them in mop-up work against Central Arkansas, Louisiana and UMass.
Now Drinkwitz has singled him out as one of the players who had an “excellent camp.” The first-team interior line probably starts with Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall, with Sterling Webb also expected to play a prominent role, but Dowell looks like the fourth man in that rotation.
The Cahokia, Illinois, product has worked his way into the mix.
Missouri’s tackle depth also took a step forward. Jack Lange and Whit Hafer are not expected to start this season - Cayden Green is set at left tackle and Luke Work has won the job at right tackle - but both in-state linemen appear to be next in line.
If the Tigers need a backup tackle, Lange or Hafer may be ahead of Logan Reichert. Lange spent camp attached to Green, even filling in when Green was held out of a couple of mid-camp practices, and the 6-8, 318-pound Eureka native is a name to watch for the 2027 left tackle job.
Hafer, meanwhile, has kept drawing staff praise for his versatility since moving from tight end to the offensive line last season. The Joplin native is up more than 50 pounds from when he arrived, and Missouri has lined him up all over the front, giving him value as an emergency option at multiple spots.
In Other News...
Mizzou Has 4 Preseason All-SEC Snubs Fans Should Watch Closely
Missouri got some deserved preseason recognition when the SEC coaches put Ahmad Hardy and Cayden Green on the first team, but the list also underscored how much more talent the Tigers think they have than what showed up on paper. A few other names around the program have already started building the kind of rsum that can turn a snub into a season-long storyline, especially when a coach like Eli Drinkwitz is willing to talk up the groups potential and the past production is already there to back it up.
Donovan Olugbode, Nicholas Rodriguez, Jamal Roberts and Chris Graves Jr. all fit that mold in different ways, which is why their absence from the preseason team looks more like a checkpoint than a verdict. If Missouri keeps trending the way it hopes, those four could spend the fall turning early omission into end-of-year recognition, and for a team with bigger goals than preseason lists, that kind of chip-on-the-shoulder motivation is part of the appeal. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Fans Now Have One More Reason To Debate SEC Roster Rules
The Southeastern Conference has added a fresh wrinkle to roster-building across the league, and Missouri fans have another conference rule to keep an eye on. The league announced a policy that blocks athletes who sign professional contracts and then withdraw from drafts from returning to college competition, a move that could shape how SEC schools handle future roster decisions and transfer-market calculations.
For Missouri, the timing makes the discussion even more relevant because Mark Mitchell is chasing a spot on Kentuckys basketball roster and still may be operating under the new framework. On the football side, the conversation around the Tigers has also widened to what 2026 could look like, with analysts already digging into Missouris recruiting push and how the program is positioning itself for the next wave of roster construction. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous 2026 Defense Could Come Down To These Sophomore Breakouts
Missouris defensive depth chart is headed for another round of turnover, and the sophomore class is positioned to feel the ripple effects. With several departures and roster changes opening up snaps, players like McClellan, CJ Bass III, Jason Dowell and Hopkins are suddenly in line for far more responsibility than they carried a year ago, giving the Tigers a group of young defenders to watch closely as 2026 approaches.
The appeal goes beyond simple opportunity. Each of those sophomores has already shown some combination of early production, physical growth and the kind of upward trajectory coaches tend to circle when projecting future roles. Missouris staff and players have helped frame the expectation that this next step could be significant, but the real intrigue is whether one of those breakouts becomes a defining piece of what the Tigers want their defense to look like in 2026. [Read more 🡒]