Mizzou Football Position Preview: Offensive Line

The bruiting trench unit that is Missouri's offensive line has blossomed into a staple identity of the program in recent seasons, churning out new talent at a high rate. With a scheme designed by head coach Eli Drinkwitz and highly-regarded offensive line coach Brandon Jones, the position group is among the strongest on the roster heading into the 2026 season.

It also returns plenty of quality production from the 2025 season, including captain Cayden Green at left tackle and fellow starters Dominick Giudice and Curtis Peagler on the interior. While Jones' success with the unit and the talented roster indicates success is likely in the position group's future, a few questions have arised over the offseason that will be monitored throughout camp and the regular season.

Here's everything to know about Missouri's offensive line heading into 2026, including the depth chart, coach and biggest questions.

Projected Depth Chart

Starters: Cayden Green (LT), Zach Owens (LG)*, Dominick Giudice (C), Curtis Peagler (RG) Luke Work (RT)**
Backups: Tristan Wilson, Logan Reichert, Jack Lange, Whit Hafer
Depth: Josh Atkins, Colin Sorensen, Ryan Jostes, Will Kemna, Johnnie Jones, Braylon Ellison, Khalief Canty Jr., Brysen Wessell
Players lost: Keagen Trost, Connor Tollison, Jayven Richardson, Johnny Williams IV, Keiton Jones, Henry Fenuku, Brandon Solis,

*We project Owens to be in a competition for the starting left guard spot with Tristan Wilson, a position battle certainly worth monitoring during fall camp.

**We also project Luke Work to start at right tackle, filling in for once-projected starter Josh Atkins, who is now set to miss a significant portion of the season with a lower leg injury he re-aggravated in June.

The Coach

Missouri OL coach Brandon Jones poses with Luke Work, Dominick Giudice, Curtis Peagler and Cayden Green on June 9 at the OL Mastermind Summit | Courtesy of Brandon Jones' Twitter / @CoachJonesB

Jones has as good of a case as any to be the best offensive line coach in the SEC, as he's built Missouri's trenches into a well-oiled machine. Since his arrival ahead of the 2023 season, Jones has helped develop four NFL draft picks — including Armand Membou, who went No. 7 overall in 2025 — and is set to have at least one more in Green, who's widely-projected as a potential first-round pick in 2027. There's also been six instances in which a Tiger lineman was selected to an All-SEC team since Jones took over.

In 2025, Missouri's offensive line ranked fifth-highest in the nation with a pass-blocking grade of 83.7 and ranked 12th-highest in the nation with a run-blocking grade of 74.9, per Pro Football Focus. Missouri was the only SEC squad to be graded in the top-40 in both categories.

Jones' unit has been consistent as well, ranking in the bottom half of the conference in sacks allowed in all three seasons under his guidance. While Curtis Luper's rushing scheme likely plays a big factor, Jones' offensive line has also helped Missouri rank in the top half of the SEC in rushing yards in each of the last three seasons — Jones has been a run-game coordinator with previous teams.

Among the highlights of Jones' coaching stops prior to Missouri include coaching two all-conference honorees at Houston in 2021, coaching two future NFL draft picks at Texas Tech in 2018, turning around a poor offensive line at California in 2016 and breaking records at East Carolina in the early 2010s.

It's difficult to find a better pair of hands to leave Missouri's offensive line in than Jones, who's proven to churn out talent that translates to unit success with ease.

The Starters

Oct 11, 2025; Columbia, MO; USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Cayden Green stands on the sidelines during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

There's three returning starters from Missouri's 2025 offensive line, two of which are guaranteed to start and another that seems like an incredibly safe projection to: Green at left tackle and Dominick Giudice at center for the former, and Curtis Peagler at right guard as the latter. Green is among the best left tackles in the nation, while Peagler was a steady presence at right guard and Giudice seems to be capitalizing on his transition from left guard to center, replacing former four-year starter Connor Tollison.

"On the offensive side of the ball, I want to say I'm extremely proud of Dominick Giudice," Drinkwitz said at SEC Media Days. "Dom has done an excellent job transitioning from guard to center and really establishing the mentality and work ethic of our offensive line, and therefore the identity and work ethic of our team.

The two solidified spots are the right tackle, which was originally thought by many to be Josh Atkins before the sixth-year transfer re-aggravated his injury, and left guard, which was manned by Giudice in 2025 but is now vacant due to the veteran's move to center. Drinkwitz and Jones have a plethora of options to turn to for both positions, as there's many Tigers waiting to make their climb in the depth chart.

The top two competitors for left guard seem to be Zack Owens, a three-star transfer and former four-star prospect that started every game for Mississippi State last season, and Tristan Wilson, a returning fifth-year lineman that battled with Peagler for the starting right guard job in 2025. Owens has the edge in raw size, potential and starting experience, but Wilson has been in Missouri's system for four seasons now. It's also important to note that Owens was originally recruited as a tackle out of high school, but his snaps at the position since have gone poorly.

A dark horse that could compete for both the left guard and right tackle spots is returning lineman Logan Reichert, who stands at 6-foot-6, 344 pounds and was a three-star prospect in the class of 2023. Reichert only played special teams in 2025 but played 43 snaps at left guard in 2024. Drinkwitz also mentioned Reichert as a potential candidate for the right tackle spot at SEC Media Days.

"I thought we did probably as good a job as we've ever done attacking that position," Drinkwitz said. "We've got Luke Work, we've got Zack Owens, we've got Logan Reichert, we've got Jack Lange... Whit Hafer's a guy that has played a lot of different positions and has had an excellent offseason, so I feel very confident in the offensive line."

As far as right tackle goes, it seems like fellow Mississippi State transfer Luke Work could be the frontrunner for the starting job, given his prior starting experience, SEC-caliber size and the praise Drinkwitz gave him at SEC Media Days.

"I think Luke Work has had as good an offseason as I've ever seen an offensive lineman have."

The Backups

Offensive tackle prospect Jack Lange on an official visit to the University of Missouri. | @JackLange55 on X, Mizzou Athletics

While top backups like Reichert, Wilson and Work seem like primary candidates to spring into the starting unit, there's still interesting options and prospects further down the depth chart that could play a role for Missouri next season.

First is Jack Lange, a four-star prospect in the class of 2025 that measures in at a gigantic 6'8, 250. Although he played just four snaps in his true freshman campaign, Lange's frame and potential makes him a major name to watch for seasons down the line — perhaps even the 2026 season, if he's ready and Missouri needs to accelerate his timeline.

Next is Colin Sorensen, the most experienced backup of the bunch. The third-year lineman has started 20 games at left tackle the last two seasons at Charleston Southern, posting a pass-blocking grade of 68.5 and a run-blocking grade of 59.6 in 2025, per PFF. He's making the jump to the FBS for the first time.

Another intriguing name is Whit Hafer, who transitioned from tight end to offensive tackle last season and is now entering his second season at the position. Hafer has an extra bit of burst and athleticism relative to most at the position, thanks to his time at tight end.

Four-star freshman Johnnie Jones, redshirt freshman Kansas State transfer Will Kemna and redshirt sophomore Ryan Jostes round out the tackle room.

As for the interior, after passing Wilson and Reichert, the depth falls mostly in the hands of three-star true freshmen: Khalief Canty Jr., Braylon Ellison and Brysen Wessell.

Biggest Question for Fall Camp: Who Will Start at Right Tackle and How Good Will They Be?

The success of Missouri's starting right tackle will be crucial to the success of the offense as a whole, as the man for the job will need to replace an All-American in Trost, blindside block for lefty QB Austin Simmons and keep the ground game steady. With a heavy weight being placed on the starter's shoulders, only time will tell how capable they are of carrying it.

The Final Word

"Yeah, I'm excited. I don't think anybody in the country has outworked us. So I'm excited to see the fruits of that labor, because we're getting it in every day. There's never a day that goes by we're not doing something to get better."
Cayden Green at SEC Media Days

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google