Mizzou Football's Most Important Players: No. 16, Curtis Peagler

One of the biggest fall camp surprises for Missouri in 2025 was Curtis Peagler rising up the depth chart to claim the team's starting right guard spot. After only appearing on 26 total snaps entering 2025, Peagler started all 13 games at guard for the Tigers.

Now, he enters 2026 as one of three returning starting offensive linemen for the Tigers. His experience from last season undoubtedly places him near the top of the race to earn the starting spot for 2026, and puts him at No. 16 on our ranking of the 30 most important players on Missouri's roster for 2026.

Like he did in 2025, Peagler will likely have to compete again to earn a starting spot. Redshirt senior Tristan Wilson and Mississippi State transfer Zack Owens stand out as two competitors for one of the two guard spots.

Those three will compete, with likely two golden tickets to a starting opportunity available. Missouri does return its starting left guard from 2025, Dominick Giudice, but it seems he will make a step over to be the Tigers' starting center, opening up both of the guard spots.

Read: The Depth Zack Owens Adds to Mizzou's Offensive Line

Though Peagler was always the starter on the depth chart, Wilson did appear to give him a run for his money early in the season. In Weeks 3 and 5 (both nonconference games), Peagler and Wilson rotated consistently, giving Wilson significant playing time.

Both Wilson and Owens have proven to be versatile, which adds another layer to the competition.

One of Peagler's best traits is his stocky, 6-foot-4, 338-pound, build. The 2025 offseason was clearly when he was able to pair that size with technique.

"He's always been a physical specimen," offensive tackle Cayden Green said of Peagler during fall camp in 2025. "He's always been a bigger guy, and he can move well at his size. So for him, it was only a matter of time before he just put it all together."

Now with a season under his belt, Peagler should be able to continue to add to his skillset, growth that will be necessarily for him to retain his starting spot.

"Curtis Peagler's body has changed," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said ahead of the 2025 season. "He's a big guy, powerful, but if he uses his feet right, gets his hands on you, that's a tough out."

As was the case last season, the multiple competitions along Missouri's offensive line will be some of the most important offseason questions for the Tigers to figure out. Peagler will be one of the most important factors in two of those questions.

If he does earn a starting spot, he'll add more contiuinity to Missouri's offensive line, a trait that the offense as a whole won't have much of.

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