2025 Mizzou Position Preview: Linebackers

Profiling every player at one of the deepest position groups for the Missouri Tigers.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Murray State Racers running back Jordan Washington (28) runs the ball as Missouri Tigers linebacker Triston Newson (14) makes the tackle during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Eli Drinkwitz expects his linebacker room to be just as deep and impactful as any on the Missouri Tigers roster. And for good reason.

The group features a transfer coming off a Freshman All-American season in the Big 12, a returning starter, a dynamic blitzer and two rising sophomores who showed flashes in their true freshman season.

Here’s everything to know about the group that will anchor the middle of the Missouri defense in 2025.

Projected Depth Chart: 

MIKE: 1. Josiah Trotter, 2. Jeremiah Beasley

WILL:  1. Triston Newson 2. Khalil Jacobs 3. Nicholas Rodriguez

Backups: Brian Huff, Dante McClellan, Jason King

Players Lost:
Corey Flagg Jr. (starter), Chuck Hicks, Brayshawn Littlejohn, Will Norris

The Coach:

U of L inside linebackers coach Derek Nicholson watches practice at the Trager Center in Louisville, Ky. on Mar. 6, 2020 | Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Arguably one of the biggest losses for Missouri this offseason was linebackers coach DJ Smith leaving to be the defensive coordinator at Appalachian, his alma mater. He was on the Missouri coaching staff since 2019, and was one of the staff’s most important recruiters. 

To replace him, Missouri hired Derek Nicholson, who previously held the same role at Miami over the last two seasons. Nicholson has also built a reputation as an elite recruiter over his 12-year coaching career. 

READ: 'He Taught More Than Just Football': Former Miami LB Praises Mizzou's Derek Nicholson

"Great guy, love him," linebacker Triston Newson said of Nicholson in a press conference in the spring. "Keeps high energy. I feel like we get better with him every day."

The Starters

West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker Josiah Trotter (40) intercepts a pass during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Missouri lost its two starters at middle linebacker, with both Corey Flagg and Chuck Hicks graduating. 

Enter West Virginia transfer Josiah Trotter. The 6-foot-2, 237-pound redshirt sophomore is a steady force over the middle of the field. He’s a physical, patient run defender, and has surprising quickness to drop back in pass coverage. Last season with West Virginia, he recorded 92 total tackles, including four for a loss, along with two pass breakups.  

“His physicality jumps out, his ability to communicate,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said of Trotter in the spring. “A guy that has played a lot of snaps as a relatively young player, and that experience shows.”

Another guy that has played a lot of snaps, but not so much at a young age, is Newson. His ability to return for a third season with the Tigers was a welcomed surprise, with the former JUCO transfer earning an additional year of eligibility thanks to the ruling Diego Pavia paved the way for.

READ: Newson Explains Decision to Return to Tigers for Final Year

Newson is a rangy, every-down defender with great vision. He can track down a running back as if he has a GPS marking on the runner’s path, and also can hunt down a quarterback on off-ball blitzes. Last year, he recorded 71 total tackles, and created a game-winning strip sack against Oklahoma. 

In the Rotation 

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez (20) signals during the second half against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Behind Trotter and Newson are a trio of players with less starting experience under their belt, but still plenty of potential.

Khalil Jacobs is the most experienced out of this second group, entering his senior season, and second with Missouri after transferring from South Alabama ahead of 2024. His season was cut short last year after he suffered a season-ending injury in Game 6. He made the most out of that time in rehab.

“(Jacobs) really utilized that injury as an opportunity for him to grow,” Drinkwitz said in the spring. “Not only with his knowledge of the game but also his off-the-field nutrition and strength and conditioning. Explosive.”

When healthy, Jacobs is a speedy player that is especially useful as a pass rusher. He was often involved in Missouri’s third-down package last year as a blitzer.

Also with Jacobs at weakside linebacker is Nicholas Rodriguez. No true freshman played more snaps from scrimmage for Missouri last year than Rodriguez. The St. Thomas Aquinas product worked his way into the rotation, primarily on third downs, especially in the second-half of the season. 

Though he’s by far the smallest linebacker under scholarship at 211 pounds, he’s not afraid to hit. You can tell he also wrestled in high school just from the physicality of his play on the football field. Like Jacobs, expect Rodriguez to primarily be used as a blitzer and run defender.

“His playmaking ability at the linebacker position was remarkable throughout spring, really challenging to block,” Drinkwitz said at the end of spring practices. “His instinctual play, physicality, has been remarkable to watch.”

Drinkwitz mentioned Beasley as another player that has “really taken that next step.” in the spring. He appeared in 12 career games last year, primarily on special teams. A former four-star recruit, Beasley has the tools to be one of the most-rounded players in the linebacker room. Also playing at running back in high school, Beasley is quick and physical. 

Who’s next up? 

Brian Huff only saw the field for eight snaps in his first season, but that could very well change in his second. The three/four-star prospect fits the prototype Missouri has recruited under Drinkwitz: very quick when moving horizontally, best in run defense.

Both true freshmen in the group — Dante McClellan and Jason King — have similar backgrounds. Both played on the edge and dropped back in coverage in high school, and likely will be tasked with putting on more size. In the future, both could be versatile pieces.

Biggest question in fall camp: How many opportunities will Rodriguez and Beasley earn? 

The duo has undoubtedly earned themselves some playing time this year, but how significant of a role they will earn is a mystery. 

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: Running back | Next up: edge rushers