Whit Hafer came to Missouri as a tight end. Now, in his third year with the program, he’s the kind of lineman who can be tossed almost anywhere and make it work.
That’s the unusual part of his rise, and the reason he’s become one of the more intriguing depth pieces on Mizzou’s offensive front. The Joplin native arrived as a 3-star tight end recruit, then made the leap to offensive line and kept climbing. He’s gone from the 230 pounds listed for him as a high school senior to 310 pounds on a 6-foot-6 frame as a college junior.
The biggest adjustment, Hafer said on the "Inside Mizzou Athletics Podcast" earlier this month, was learning how to pass protect.
"That was a really big step because we didn't learn that as much as a tight end," Hafer said. "I had to learn the stance, set efficiently, not overset, and then just do my job the right way and not overthink it."
He picked it up fast enough to see the field last season, when he played 19 offensive snaps, all at right tackle, and added another 50 snaps on special teams. Since then, Missouri has kept stretching his range.
During the Tigers’ 13 spring practices, Hafer lined up all over the offensive line. That alone wasn’t especially surprising.
But he kept moving around in fall camp, too. He opened camp as the second-team center, spent time at guard in the middle of camp, and by the final week was taking reps at both left and right tackle during different drills.
"We've moved Whit around a ton," Drinkwitz said. "He's played tackle the past two days, and he looks really natural at it. To have that flexibility with him, he can play all five positions, it's pretty good."
That versatility has stood out inside the locker room as well.
"He's been doing a really good job," starting center Dom Giudice said. "I've tried to take him under my wing a little bit, just because he moved over from tight end, and I know how that can go, switching positions. But he's accepted it and taken on that challenge and he's just getting better."
The bigger picture for Missouri is pretty clear. The Tigers appear to have eight linemen they trust: the starting five of Cayden Green, Tristan Wilson, Giudice, Curtis Peagler and Luke Work; Jack Lange as the backup tackle; Zack Owens as the backup interior option; and Hafer as the swing piece who can fill in just about anywhere.
That matters even more with the first-ever 9-game SEC schedule looming. Missouri would love to roll through all 12 games with its starting five intact, but that’s not how football usually works. Depth is the safety net, and the Tigers made a point of building it - through the transfer portal in January and through the development work Brandon Jones has overseen since Drinkwitz hired him back in 2023.
"He's one of the best," Hafer said of Jones. "I had full confidence that he could mold me into what I can be.
He had no doubts, either. He knew what he was getting, a hard-worker with some athletic ability.
That's all he needed. I just need to put in the work."
For Hafer, the transition has also fit his skill set. The quick feet and strong hands that made him a flexible tight end - and a basketball prospect, too, with his dad having played at Mizzou under Norm Stewart - have translated to life in the trenches. The job changed from catching passes to protecting the quarterback, but the athletic base stayed the same.
"It's gone really well, just developing and learning this position, getting comfortable with it, finding confidence," Hafer said. "Having the athleticism and skillset from playing tight end, now it's fine-tuning things and figuring out how to play this position well."
He’s had help along the way from teammates who understand position changes firsthand. Green moved from left guard to left tackle.
Giudice shifted from defensive line to left guard before landing at center. Work and Owens both played interior spots at Mississippi State, and Work also has experience at both tackle positions.
"They've been great, a really pivotal piece in developing my edge at this position, the confidence in it, the skill, techniques, all that," Hafer said. "They've spoken encouragement to me to keep pushing through because they've all been there before."
And yet, the most likely outcome is that Hafer spends the season waiting rather than playing meaningful snaps. For him to get on the field in a real game, Missouri would probably have to run through a few injuries first.
Still, if that emergency ever comes, the Tigers believe big No. 74 can handle it - at tackle, at guard, at center, wherever they need him.
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
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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
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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 🡒]