Missouri’s bye week brought a quick midseason check-in, and the early verdict on the Tigers is clear: the biggest impact has come from the transfer portal, while a few homegrown defenders have turned into major difference-makers.
At quarterback, Austin Simmons has become the name at the center of Missouri’s offense. Last season, the Tigers were hampered by shaky play under center and finished with 2,444 passing yards over 13 games, which ranked 14th in the SEC.
Missouri went shopping in the portal after that and took a swing on Simmons, who had lost his starting job at Ole Miss after an injury. Seven games into his Missouri run, that gamble looks like the right one.
Simmons has pushed the passing game to a much higher level. Through seven games, Missouri has 1,878 passing yards, good for third in the SEC.
Individually, Simmons ranks second in passing yards, is tied for third in touchdowns and has thrown the fewest interceptions among that group. Even when Missouri has stumbled, he has kept producing.
Against Ole Miss last week, he passed for 339 yards. In the loss to Mississippi State, he threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
He’s been calm in the pocket, tough to bring down and willing to make difficult throws while distributing the ball to a wide range of targets. That’s why he’s been the engine of a top-25 season.
Another transfer has changed the shape of the offense too. Kevin Coleman Jr. has become Simmons’ clearest go-to target and the most important addition after the quarterback himself.
He leads Missouri with 47 receptions and 678 yards, and those numbers also top the SEC. Coleman Jr., once viewed as a third-team SEC player, has gone beyond expectations and settled in as a reliable third-down answer, a dangerous option in the end zone and a receiver who creates extra yards after the catch with sharp route running.
His arrival has helped turn the passing game into one of Missouri’s strengths.
Elsewhere on offense, Robert Meyer Jr. has developed into a different kind of threat. Last season as a freshman, he posted 30 receptions for 401 yards and two touchdowns, flashing as a 50-50 ball receiver.
This year, he’s expanded his game. He has 35 catches for 534 yards and a team-high six touchdowns in seven games.
He’s become especially dangerous on out-routes that seem to keep moving the chains, and he has also grown into a dependable red-zone target. His size and speed have already shown up on two catches of at least 47 yards, and he’s gone from being mostly one-dimensional to a receiver Missouri can use in almost any situation.
On the defensive side, Triston Newson has been the stabilizing force. He and Daeden Hopkins stand out as the two clear leaders of the unit.
Newson leads Missouri with 76 tackles, well ahead of the next closest Tiger at 57, and his workload never seems to let up. The midseason AP All-American has handled a long list of responsibilities at linebacker, including reading the offense, covering the pass, stopping the run and occasionally attacking the quarterback.
He’s also been Missouri’s best solo tackler with 31, and he’s recorded eight solo tackles in each of his last two games. That kind of presence has made him indispensable to what is arguably Missouri’s strongest position group on defense.
Hopkins, meanwhile, has made the jump from promising piece to full-blown problem for opposing offenses. After appearing in four games last season and finishing with seven tackles and 0.5 sacks, the sophomore edge has played in every game this year and already has 19 tackles and a team-best seven sacks.
That total ranks third in the SEC, and Hopkins has become one of the league’s better edge rushers. With Darris Smith dealing with injury for all of SEC play and Langden Kitchen missing substantial time, Hopkins has not just filled the gap - he’s surged into the spotlight.
His offseason move to 250 pounds has not slowed him down, either. He still brings the speed and agility that make him so difficult to handle.
Missouri has also gotten strong value from the defensive line through Joshua Simpson. With three returning fifth-year tackles on the roster, his exact role wasn’t obvious coming into the season.
Seven games later, it’s clear he’s been the best pass rusher in that room and one of the nation’s better interior pass rushers. The Miami transfer has five sacks, which is tied for fifth in the SEC, and he ranks 23rd among eligible interior defenders in overall grade.
His 81.7 PFF grade is tied for the highest on the defense, while his 87.7 pass rush grade is the best on the roster and fifth in the country. Simpson’s pressure has also opened the door for Sterling Webb to move to edge amid the injury issues around him, giving Missouri another usable piece in a position group that keeps trending upward.
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