2025 Mizzou Position Preview: Edge Rushers

In past seasons, Missouri football has produced some elite players at the edge rusher position. In each of the past three seasons, a Missouri edge rusher has finished in the top-five for sacks in the Southeastern Conference.

Whether or not a player will step up this season and fill that role of a leader on the defense is unknown, but Missouri's roster has lots of potential. The depth chart is highlighted by a returning stud entering his senior year and a highly touted transfer from Georgia.

"That is a group that has an incredible amount of depth, talent," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said after spring practices. "Got the ability to stop the run, rush the passer, really affect and influence the game at a really important level."

Here’s everything to know about Missouri's edge rushers in 2025.

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters : Zion Young, Damon Wilson

Rotation: Darris Smith, Nate Johnson, Javion Hilson, Langden Kitchen,

Backups: Daeden Hopkins

Players lost: Johnny Walker Jr. (graduate), Williams Nwaneri (transfer), Jaylen Brown (transfer) Jahkai Lang (transfer) , Eddie Kelly Jr. (transfer)

The Coach:

Edge coach Brian Early is entering his second season with the program. He has over 30 years of coaching experience across both the high school and collegiate level, at one point coaching against Drinkwitz at the high school level in Arkansas.

2025 will be Early's 13th season at the college level. Before joining Missouri's staff, he was the defensive line coach at Houston from 2019-2023.

The Starters

Georgia linebacker Damon Wilson II (10), linebacker Jalon Walker (11) and linebacker CJ Allen (3) react against Texas. — Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Damon Wilson II (10), linebacker Jalon Walker (11) and linebacker CJ Allen (3) react during the second half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Though there's questions about how exactly the rotation will shake out at the edge position, there's no doubt who will be the leaders in this room.

Zion Young, who transferred to the Tigers from Michigan State ahead of 2024, had no problems adapting to a new team, tallying 41 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.

Young has taken steps forward every year he has played, showing constant improvement. From 2022-2024, his total tackles increased from 21 to 41, and his sacks rose from one to 2.5.

Alongside Young will be Wilson, a new member of Missouri's roster. Wilson, rated as the third-best player available in the portal this offseason by 247Sports, transferred from Georgia in January.

READ: Former Georgia Teammates Praise Mizzou's Damon Wilson II

Even though Wilson never started in a stacked Georgia edge group, he was credited with 26 pressures by Pro Football Focus in 2024., the second-most on the team and only eight behind Jalon Walker, the 15th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

In the Rotation

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Darris Smith (19) reacts after a play against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second quarter. — Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Darris Smith (19) reacts after a play against the TCU Horned Frogs during the second quarter of the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Though the order is a mystery, expect Darris Smith, Appalachian State transfer Nate Johnson, Northwest Missouri State transfer Langden Kitchen and true freshman Javion Hilson to all contribute.

"I think we’ve got six to seven legit edges that are going to earn playing time," Drinkwitz said.

Smith is the lightest edge rusher on the roster, and it shows up in his agility. At 6' 5" and 232 pounds, he should be a great fit for the "joker" role in the Missouri defense, being able to rush the passer and drop back in pass coverage.

He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Georgia, where he made appearances in 16 games. Smith . Smith's first season with Missouri ended before it even started, suffering an ACL injury in fall camp. Drinkwitz said that, before his injury, Smith was "as impactful a defensive end as I’ve been around."

Johnson transferred to Missouri from Appalachian State in 2024. There, he burst onto the scene in 2023, as he was awarded a Freshman All-America selection and was a Second Team All-Sun Belt recipient. His production dropped in 2024 though, going from 37 pressures in 2023 to 10 in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

READ: Meet the Mizzou Transfer: Nate Johnson's Ceiling, Fit with Tigers

Expect Kitchen to be a stout run defender. He appeared in 11 games last year for Northwest Missouri State, notching 16 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He differs from the type of player that the Tigers typically gravitate toward at the position, with his 6-foot-6, 264-pound frame, but this does add more diversity to the skillsets in the position group.

"I think he's got very violent hands," Batoon said of Kitchen in a spring press conference. "He's very good in the run game right now. The physicality, the mindset that it takes to play, I'm very happy with that."

Finally, true freshman Javion Hilson is one of the few members in his class who could contribute this season. Rated as the eighth-best edge rusher in the class by 247Sports, Hilson recorded 18 sacks and 30 tackles for loss in his senior year.

READ: Hilson is a Clear Day-1 Contributor

Who’s next up?

Biggest question in fall camp: How will the transfers adapt find a role?

Many of the players the Tigers will utilize this season are transfers. Wilson, Harris, Johnson, and Kitchen have all never played a snap as a Tiger. It will be interesting to see how they adapt to a new team's defense. Additionally, Johnson is coming from the Sun Belt, while Kitchen is coming from a Division II program. Will they be able to handle the step up to the SEC?

This story is a part of a series from Missouri On SI taking a deep dive into each position on the Missouri Tigers’ 2025 season: Linebackers | Running back | Quarterback | Next up: Wide receivers.