3 Top Questions About Mizzou's Roster After Transfer Portal Acquisitions

With Missouri's transfer class likely complete, what questions still remain about the 2026 roster?

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz during his appearance on "SEC Nation" ahead of the renewed Border Showdown between the Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

This year's transfer portal period seems to be a hinging point for Missouri football and the vision Eli Drinkwitz has for the program.

After two seasons of not quite being able to get over the hump, including a 8-5 finish in 2025 that Drinkwitz called "good, not great," it was crucial Missouri made the right moves in this portal cycle. Several key players entering the transfer portal or exhausting their eligibility complicated those efforts.

This transfer class was a bit different from recent years for Missouri. There weren't quite as many players with proven production, nor many big splashes. The Tigers seemed to focus on balancing their additions across their many needs instead of making a few pricy moves.

Because of the makeup of this transfer class, there's still plenty of questions remaining about the roster. Here's the top three questions we're wondering about for the Tigers.

1. Was enough done to improve the passing game?

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The most important thing Drinkwitz had to figure out this offseason was the passing game. It's the one area that has most significantly impacted this program's ceiling over the last two seasons.

Missouri had no choice to overhaul the group. Not only based off of its performance from 2025, but also due to the pieces it lost.

Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore accepted the head coach job at Washington State after three years with the Tigers. Starting quarterback Beau Pribula and two starting receivers entered the transfer portal while another starting receiver, Kevin Coleman Jr., exhausted his eligibility.

Missouri made the additions they needed to in order to replace those spots on the roster, but whether the 2026 group will be an upgrade from 2025 is still a question.

Missouri hired former Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey to lead the unit. He has a proven history of developing quarterbacks, working with Drake Maye at UNC and Nick Mullens at Southern Miss.

With both Mullens and Maye, Lindsey didn't drive their development from beginning to end, but instead connected with the quarterbacks in the middle of their career to help them take a significant leap in their progression.

At Missouri, Lindsey will be tasked with a similar project in Austin Simmons, a transfer quarterback from Ole Miss. Simmons, a left-handed passer, has elite arm strength. He entered the 2025 season as the Rebels' starting quarterback before suffering an ankle injury that led to Trinidad Chambliss replacing him.

Simmons seemingly has all the tools to be the elite quarterback that Missouri has been lacking. It'll be up to Lindsey to help him put those tools together.

For Simmons' weapons, there's few known quantities. Rising senior Brett Norfleet is a reliable, 263-pound target at tight end. At wide receiver, rising sophomore Donovan Olugbode is already a star, being an elite contested-catch option. Caleb Goodie, a transfer from Cincinnati, is an experienced speedy deep threat. Plus, Simmons will reunite with his former Ole Miss teammate, Cayden Lee, who caught 44 passes for 635 yards and three touchdowns for the Rebels in 2025.

But the rest of the wide receiver room is full of unproven transfers and young, unproven returners. Transfers Naeshaun Montgomery and Kenric Lanier II were highly-touted prospects out of high school, but have caught a combined seven passes across their collegiate careers. Between rising sophomore returners Shaun Terry II and DaMarion Fowlkes, the only reception between the two was a nine-yard catch Terry made in garbage time against Louisiana.

Retaining Olugbode along with adding Simmons and Lee were arguably the three biggest moves Missouri made all offseason. But how Simmons will look as a full-time starter and what the depth at receiver will look like are huge questions that the passing offense will depend on.

2. Where will the production at edge rusher come from?

Nov 8, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Darris Smith lines up for a snap in the Missouri matchup against Texas A&M at Faurot Field. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

Elite edge rushers have become somewhat of a staple for Missouri over recent seasons, with a Tiger finishing in the top five in sacks in the SEC in each season since 2022.

That position stood out as a need entering the offseason, with starter Zion Young exhausting his eligibility and fellow starter Damon Wilson II having the chance to forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2026 NFL draft.

Instead, Wilson entered the transfer portal to join Miami. Matters got worse for Missouri when four-star freshman Javion Hilson also entered the portal.

Out of all the big needs Missouri had in the transfer portal, the Tigers really seemed to strike out here, being unable land top players at the position, let alone anyone with starting experience.

Because of this, Missouri will have to have faith in returners Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen, both of whom were reserves in the second lineup last season. Plus, expect rising sophomore Daeden Hopkins to take a step up after a promising debut season. Those three are the only returning scholarship players at the position.

Missouri did still add four players at the position through the transfer portal, three of which don't have much experience.

The most experienced of the group is Jaden Jones from Florida State. He appeared on 170 defensive snaps for the Seminoles in 2025, where he recorded six total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He's battled injuries throughout his career, tearing his ACL in both 2022 and 2024.

The most promising of the group of additions is CJ May, a transfer from Louisville. The former four-star prospect has elite athleticism and power.

With no player in the group having starting experience, just about everyone in the room will have to take on larger roles than they have previously. They'll have a high standard to live up to for what has recently been an elite position group for the Tigers.

3. Which returners will have to step up?

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Tristan Wilson (73) lines up against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the second half at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. | © Eric Canha-Imagn Images

On top of edge rusher, Missouri will likely need returning players at several other positions to take the next step in their development in order to take on a larger role.

That's especially true along both the offensive and defensive line, where multiple returners could finally have the chance to compete for starting roles.

On the offensive line, Missouri lost two starters due to exhausted eligibility and six depth pieces entered the transfer portal. The Tigers added multiple versatile players with starting experience to the offensive line, making for an interesting equation for what will the starting group will end up looking like.

Especially along the interior of the offensive line, being shaken up after four-year starter Connor Tollison exhausting his eligibility. This could open the door for rising redshirt senior Tristan Wilson, last year's backup center, to start at one of the three interior spots. Rising redshirt junior Logan Reichert could also have the opportunity to compete for an important depth spot after being buried on the depth chart so far in his career.

Rising redshirt freshman Jack Lange, the highest-rated prospect in the state of Missouri in the class of 2025, could also compete to be Missouri's swing offensive tackle.

On the defensive line, Missouri lost two starters due to exhausted eligibility. Marquis Gracial was a part of the starting rotation in 2025, and will likely have to take on a larger role in 2026. Donta Simpson, who appeared on 105 defensive snaps for Miami in 2025, is the sole transfer addition Missouri made at the position.

This could open the door for rising redshirt freshman Jason Dowell and redshirt sophomore Elias Williams to take on key depth roles at a position that Missouri likes to frequently rotate. Returners Sam Williams and Jalen Marshall, who were in the middle of the depth chart in 2025, will likely hold similar roles in 2026.