Missouri’s offseason makeover has created a lot of new faces, but Bryson Tiller stands out as the transfer who could matter most when the Tigers get to 2026-27.
Dennis Gates has kept Missouri moving in the right direction since arriving four seasons ago. The Tigers did hit bottom in 2024, but in the other three years they won at least 20 games and made the NCAA Tournament. Last season fit that pattern, too: Missouri tied for seventh in a rugged SEC before exiting in the first round of the Big Dance.
Now comes the hard part. A big chunk of that production is gone, with a wave of seniors and other departures through the transfer portal leaving Missouri with plenty to replace. Mark Mitchell and Jayden Stone won’t be back next season, though Trent Pierce and some other frontcourt pieces do return.
The Tigers have been active in filling the gaps. The backcourt gets a major experience boost with BYU’s Kennard Davis, plus two mid-major guards who each averaged 14 points per game last season in Jordan Crawford from South Dakota and Cord Stansberry from Western Carolina. Jaylen Carey is arriving from Tennessee with hopes of earning a major frontcourt role, and former Providence forward Jamier Jones brings the profile of a double-digit scorer from the Big East.
Even with all that movement, Tiller is the name that jumps out. The 6-10 forward from Atlanta was a Top 100 prospect last season and was expected to do big things at Kansas.
As a true freshman in Lawrence, he started almost every game and averaged 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. Now he gets a fresh start with Missouri, and the Tigers are betting that the rival transfer can become a centerpiece.
That’s why the ceiling here feels so intriguing. Tiller already has the size, the pedigree and a freshman season that showed real production. Missouri should give him every chance to start and grow into a playmaking role, and if he builds on those numbers as a sophomore, the payoff could be significant.
There are other newcomers who could help right away, and Missouri is clearly counting on several of them to settle into bigger jobs. Jones has scoring ability, and one of the veteran guards could wind up in the starting mix. But Tiller is the transfer with the most upside, and he’s the one who brings the most attention with him after coming over from Kansas.
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These Mizzou Transfers Could Decide How Far 2026 Really Goes
Missouri spent the 2025 offseason working the transfer portal with a clear purpose, and the early returns suggest the Tigers were targeting experience as much as upside. After losses to the NFL draft and more portal departures, the staff went out and added pieces at cornerback, linebacker, receiver and right tackle, bringing in Graves from Ole Miss, Woodyard from Auburn, Cayden Lee from Ole Miss and Josh Atkins from Arizona State to help patch some of the biggest holes on the roster.
The real question for 2026 is not whether Missouri got active, but which of those newcomers will matter most once the season starts. Graves, Woodyard, Lee and Atkins all arrive with resumes that make them easy to project into important roles, and the Tigers need that kind of immediate help if they want to keep building on last seasons momentum. How quickly those transfers settle in will go a long way toward shaping just how far Missouri can push next fall. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Fans Have One Big Summer League Question Right Now
Missouris mens basketball program had a little summer rooting interest this week, sending out a good-luck note to five former Tigers who landed on NBA Summer League rosters. Caleb Grill is with the Celtics, Tamar Bates is in the Jazz mix, Sean East joined the Cavaliers, Mark Mitchell landed with the Nuggets and Jevon Porter is getting a look with the Grizzlies, giving Mizzou fans a handful of familiar names to track while the college game stays quiet.
Bates has already given that group something to follow, putting up 9 points in 21 minutes as Utah fell to Washington. The broader question for Missouri supporters is how many of these ex-Tigers can turn a summer invite into something more meaningful, and one name in particular has left the door open for even more intrigue as the rosters continue to settle. [Read more 🡒]