Mizzou Football's Most Important Players: No. 22, Kamauryn Morgan

Missouri got some late transfer portal love with the addition of Kamauryn Morgan from Baylor. The 19th-best EDGE in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports, made an interesting group of defensive ends that much more interesting with his fascinating transfer portal recruitment.

Morgan projects as a modern-day pass rusher with his 6-foot-5, 251-pound frame. He's a rangy athlete who produced in a minimal capacity as a freshman for the Bears, despite showing off some of those tools.

His traits alone place him at the No. 22 spot on our list of Missouri's 30 most important players for the 2026 season.

Morgan recorded only six total tackles last season, appearing in only five games and logging 125 snaps. He's a former four-star recruit and was ranked No. 307 according to composite rankings in the class of 2025.

His being high on our list is a true and complete projection of his talent and potential. Morgan could still add some mass to his frame while maintaining his quick first step and bend off the edge. He already gained 20 pounds between his senior year of high school and freshman year with Baylor, showing he could do so effectively.

An argument could be made that Morgan has the most potential out of any of Missouri's young edge rushers. Redshirt freshman Daeden Hopkins may also share that crown, but neither player was productive last season. They do, however, have builds and physical traits that make it easy to project them as being productive.

It's no secret that the defensive end position for the Tigers is full of unproven players with potentially elite physical traits. Morgan fits that bill perfectly and is another example of a guy who could break out if he puts things together. That's a big if, though.

Mogan fits a similar mold as Hopkins, Malik Bryant and C.J. May. There isn't a ton of snaps played among all of those players, but they all have traits and builds that could lead to production. In general, the position group is a massive question mark.

Around him are players who also haven't truly put big seasons together yet. Darris Smith is the coaching staff is looking toward to lead the group and the defense in general, but he also hasn't truly been a top option yet. He logged 15 total tackles and four sacks last season.

Langden Kitchen, a senior who has one year with the Tigers under his belt, will be a veteran who could help a guy like Morgan. If Morgan is to bulk up, he could fill into the mold of the player that Kitchen is: a bigger, more physical run defender.

Projecting what Morgan's role will be next season and how he will grow between campaigns isn't easy. He has the tools, but has yet to produce. Others also have the tools and are in the same boat production-wise.

This all comes down to one of the younger, more traitsy defensive ends needing to step up next season. It very well could be Hopkins, May, or Bryant, but there's also no reason it couldn't be Morgan. It's too tough to call right now, but Morgan's tools and high school pedigree give him an edge over others as of now.

30 Most Important Players Series: 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23

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