Versatile Mizzou Offensive Lineman to Enter Transfer Portal

The former four-star prospect spent one season with Missouri after three at Florida State.

Florida State football players take part in drills during FSU final spring football practice of the 2023 season on Monday, April 17, 2023. Jaylen Early | Ehsan Kassim/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

Missouri offensive lineman Jaylen Early plans to enter the transfer portal, per a report from Hayes Fawcett on Wednesday. The transfer portal officially opens Friday. He'll have one season of eligibility remaining.

Early was listed as the backup left guard on Missouri's depth chart throughout the season. He transferred to Missouri in the spring after spending the first three seasons of his career at Florida State. He started in six games for Florida State in 2024, seeing time at both right guard and right tackle. He appeared in 52 snaps for Missouri in 2025, all of which came in the first five games of the season.

"That's a guy that availability came about, and so we said, 'Hey, look, we can add a guy who's got a lot of career starts at both guard, tackle.'" head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a press conference shortly after acquiring Early. "We're still in the search of our best five. So we're going to throw him in that mix and see who shakes out the best five."

Early was a four-star prospect out of high school.

Even with his limited role in 2025, Early could've been a valuable depth piece for the Tigers in 2026, especially with his versatility. Early is the fifth Missouri offensive lineman to announce plans to enter the transfer portal, joining three offensive tackles that all did so Tuesday — Brandon Solis, Jayven Richardson and Johnny Williams IV — plus, true freshman offensive guard Henry Fenuku.

Early's departure is just another reminder that Missouri will have to add both depth and capable starters to its offensive line for the 2026 season. The Tigers will lose starting center Connor Tollison and starting right tackle Keagen Trost due to both of them running out of eligibility. Additionally, starting left tackle Cayden Green could be a candidate to declare for the upcoming NFL draft as an underclassmen.

Missouri has had success bringing in offensive linemen through the portal, however. Most recently, the Tigers landed Keagen Trost from Wake Forest. Trost became Missouri's starting right tackle and was named to the AP's All-American third-team. Green was also a transfer addition from Oklahoma ahead of 2024.

Missouri will also bring in five offensive lineman through the 2026 class. That group includes four-star offensive tackle Johnnie Jones, three-star offensive tackle Brysen Wessell, and three-star interior linemen Brandon Anderson, Khalief Canty and Braylon Ellison. Jones, a Florida native, was the highest-rated member of Missouri's signing class.

To keep up with all of the transfer movement for Missouri, follow our offseasontracker.