Freshman Mizzou Safety CJ Bass III to Enter Transfer Portal, Per Report

The Tigers are down another member of its 2025 recruiting class, this time in a four-star freshman.

Sept 27, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers safety CJ Bass (30) tackles a Minuteman in a game against UMass at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

The Missouri Tigers are losing a former four-star recruit in the class of 2025 in safety CJ Bass III. Bass appeared in two games this season for the Tigers, playing 27 snaps in that time. He recorded four total tackles and a pass deflection in appearances against Central Arkansas and UMass.

Bass did not burn his redshirt this season, meaning he has four years of eligibility remaining.

NEW: Missouri safety CJ Bass plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports

The 6-foot-2 safety appeared in three games, totaling four tackles.https://t.co/QqpSqOcrVd pic.twitter.com/oeAc3BOZlH

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 31, 2025

Bass is a St. Louis native who attended East St. Louis High School. He was the No. 335 player in the country and No. 31 at his position. Bass held offers from Auburn, Indiana, Illinois, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Nebraska and others.

The St. Louis native was buried on the depth chart this season behind a bunch of talented safeties, but a possibility for more playing time as a redshirt freshman may have been likely. As of now, the safety room contains Santana Banner, Marvin Burks Jr., Trajen Greco, Jackson Hancock and three incoming freshmen.

The Tigers did add four-star Jayden McGregory in their 2026 recruiting class, along with three stars Brody Jones and Carter Stewart. Despite those freshmen additions, Missouri's staff will likely add some depth to the room in the transfer portal.

Veterans Daylan Carnell and Jalen Catalon are going to be missed presences in the room, especially Carnell. He spent five seasons with the Tigers, for the most part showing progressive improvement for all of that time. He was also a captain this season for the first time.

Missouri has had 15 members of the 2025 team hit the transfer portal so far. Most of those have been on offense and only three have been on defense. The others were safety Caleb Flagg, who left in the middle of the season, and former four-star freshman defensive end Javion Hilson. Hilson, so far, has been the biggest of the losses on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tigers are expected to be very active in the transfer portal, especially on offense. Missouri had three members of its offensive line enter the transfer portal on Tuesday, along with three wide receivers and a quarterback, before the playing of the Gator Bowl on Dec. 27. Missouri will, in some ways, need to completely remake its offense.

The transfer portal officially opens on Friday, Jan 2. and is open for a 15-day window. To keep up with all of the transfer movement for Missouri, follow our offseason tracker here.