Mizzou Safety Santana Banner Recaps Spring Ball, Personal Growth and Secondary Standouts

Missouri's secondary experienced loads of turnover in the offseason , but returning safety Santana Banner is ready to pioneer the unit in the 2026 season, especially after what he's seen from his teammates in spring practice.

Banner leads all defensive returners with 710 total snaps in 2025 and now provides needed experience to the room. He's now in a much different position on the team than he was this time last year, as last spring he was a transfer from Northern Illinois looking to earn snaps in any way he can.

Now, thanks to a standout 2025 season in which he led all Missouri defensive backs with 59 total tackles, he's firmly cemented a role as a starter. The job security has helped shift his mindset going into his second season with the Tigers.

"When I first came in here you thinking, 'Oh my God I gotta start right away. I gotta be at the top of the depth chart,' Banner said. "But once you really like settle in as a second year. I mean, I know the playbook. I know that now I need to know what I need to work on."

Onlookers of Missouri football see the athleticism that Banner plays with. They see the 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame he uses to wrap up receivers, tight ends and running backs alike. But Banner's focus of improvement this spring wasn't something onlookers can see, rather what opposing quarterbacks can: his eyes.

"I feel like I really improved upon having better eyes this spring," Banner said. "That's something I really want to emphasize going into this, not playing just off athleticism, having pretty much minimizing as many false steps."

"Knowing where my eyes need to be, where they don't need to be," Banner said. "Because, as a safety, eyes can be your best friend or your worst enemy."

He'll helm the safety room alongside a plethora of young returners and transfers. Juniors Trajen Greco and Kensley Louidor-Faustin provide experience in the safety room, while CJ Bass III and JaDon Blair offer youthful athleticism. Aside from Banner's role as a starting safety, much of the depth chart is far from penciled in.

"In the spring, we all rotate throughout the different positions," Banner said. "Everybody gets a feel every day, so that coach can evaluate to see where everybody's at. Our spring really isn't about like, who's going to be a starter, it's really about player development."

One highly-touted transfer, former Ole Miss cornerback Chris Graves Jr., differs from that — he's quite a safe bet to start on the boundary. He played 759 snaps with the Rebels last season, allowing 18 total receptions and zero touchdowns on 35 targets.

He's made a quick impression on his teammates.

"He's come out every day, same person, same intensity," Banner said. "Just coming out, making plays — Wether it's a PBU, a pick — every practice."

Graves, now entering his redshirt senior season but first with Missouri, will look to follow the footsteps of recent high-impact transfer corners to suit up for the Tigers. Graves isn't the only Rebel to transfer to Missouri this offseason, though — the quarterback-receiver tandem of Austin Simmons and Cayden Lee are now donning black and gold.

Lee, a slot wideout who's racked up 101 receptions for 1,509 yards and five touchdowns the last two seasons, will operate as a top receiver with the Tigers in 2026. Despite being a quiet character, his play has caught Banner's eye as an early standout.

"He don't talk, he just gives you a nod," Banner said. "He come out here every day, just all of it. Deep ball, short ball, he catches almost everything."

Lee's star play will only help test the new-look Missouri secondary improve throughout the offseason.

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