Bring out your depth!
Missouri football has completed its second week of fall camp, holding a team scrimmage Saturday to wrap up its penultimate week of preseason practices. Just one week — and four camp practice sessions — remain until the Tigers roll into gameweek preparations for their season-opener.
Just 17 days remain until Mizzou kicks off against UAPB on Sept. 3 on Faurot Field to begin the 2026 season.
So, what’s the team looking like?
Here is our updated depth chart projection for Missouri football:
All transfers are marked with an asterisk (*). We have listed each player’s eligibility in accordance with the NCAA’s recommendation for new eligibility criteria, which eliminates redshirts: freshmen; sophomores, juniors, seniors and fifth-years.
Quarterback
Starter: *Austin Simmons, sr.
Backup: Matt Zollers, so.
Reserves: *Nick Evers, 5th.; Gavin Sidwar, fr.; Brett Brown, 5th
No surprises here. Simmons is the starter, Zollers is the backup and, in a pinch, Evers will get the call.
Eli Drinkwitz said he wants to see Simmons take some “takeaways off tape,” but was complimentary of the starter’s willingness to be coached and ability to learn from mistakes.
Running back
Starter: Ahmad Hardy, jr.
No. 2: Jamal Roberts, sr.
No. 3: *Xai’Shaun Edwards, jr.; OR *Malae Fonoti, jr.
Reserves: Maxwell Warner, fr.; Brady Hultman, so.; Anthony Favrow, 5th.; Preston Hatfield, fr.
The new distinction we’re making here is the “No. 3” option. Drinkwitz said to expect another update on Hardy — there have been very few so far — on Aug. 22.
Depending on what comes from that update, the third option at running back could very well be the No. 2 running back in the season opener. Keep an eye on Fonoti, whose versatility out of the backfield, better reps in pass-protection drills and overall encouraging fall camp could make him the first option off the bench.
Wide receiver
Starters:Slot: *Cayden Lee, sr. X: *Caleb Goodie, sr. Z: Donovan Olugbode, so.
Primary rotation:Slot: Shaun Terry II, so; X: DaMarion Fowlkes, so. Z: *Naeshaun Montgomery, so.; OR *Kenric Lanier II, sr.
Reserves: Jabari Brady, fr.; Devyon Hill-Lomax, fr.; Gavin Wyatt, jr.; Jayden Bolton, 5th.; Noah Flaskamp, sr.; Derrick McBride II, fr.; Karsten Fiene, fr.
The top three are settled. Lee, Goodie and Olugbode will be the receivers who take the most snaps and see the most targets this season.
We think Terry has the edge in the race to be WR4. When Lee was late to practice earlier in camp, it was Terry who got sent up to play with the ones.
We’ve bumped Lanier up from the reserve section to a possible rotation member. He’s made some plays in camp that warrant a look.
Tight end
Starter: Brett Norfleet, sr.
Rotation/backups: Jude James, jr.; Jordon Harris, sr. Gavin Hoffman, jr.
Reserves: Isaac Jensen, fr.; Adam Molitor, jr.
If Hoffman is healthy — he hobbled off the practice field Monday, Aug. 10 and has yet to return — then the Tigers have four tight ends who will see the field in some capacity.
We expect to see some 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) this year, and the Tigers have capable options.
Offensive line
Starters:Left tackle: Cayden Green, sr. Left guard: Tristan Wilson, 5th.; Center: Dominick Giudice, 5th; Right guard: Curtis Peagler, 5th.; Right tackle: *Luke Work, jr.
Backups:LT: Jack Lange, so. LG: *Zach Owens, sr. C: Whit Hafer, jr. RG: Khalief Canty Jr., fr.; RT: Logan Reichert, sr.
Reserves:*Colin Sorensen, jr.; Ryan Jostes, so; *Will Kemna, so; DJ Jones, fr.; Brysen Wessell, fr.; Braylon Ellison, fr.; Chace Missouri, jr.; Joe Schranz, so.
Injured:*Josh Atkins, 5th.
Two changes here since our pre-camp projection.
First: Wilson has locked down the starting role at left guard over Owens. Drinkwitz said he has developed into an SEC starter, and by all accounts has had one of the most impressive camps on the roster.
Second: Canty, a true freshman, has been running with the twos. There’s a good chance that Owens is the backup guard on both sides, but we’re putting the rookie with the backups for now.
Work has also won the job at right tackle, which was our pre-camp projection. The Tigers’ major question along the O-line, Drinkwitz said, is now finding their swing tackle.
Lange, Reichert and Hafer appear to be in the running for that role. We’re also monitoring the status of Green, who missed practice Friday and was held out of Saturday’s scrimmage. Drinkwitz said it was nothing more than a holdout and an opportunity to see the swing tackle competition in action, but we’ll still keep close tabs on the action there.
Defensive ends
Starters:Boundary: Darris Smith, 5th; Field: Langden Kitchen, sr.
Primary rotation:Boundary: Daeden Hopkins, so. Field: *Jaden Jones, 5th.
Reserves: *Malik Bryant, sr.; *Kamauryn Morgan, so.; *Demarcus Johnson, jr.; *CJ May, so; *Cavan Tuley, sr.; Aidan Dubbert, sr.
The top four here are looking more and more settled as camp progresses. Smith and Kitchen have been the starters for every observable rep, and Hopkins and Jones have been the next men up.
Bryant could take some snaps at outside linebacker. Morgan also should see the field in some capacity for at least the first month of the season.
More: Homegrown Langden Kitchen filling big role in Missouri's pass rush
Defensive tackles
Starters:DT: Marquis Gracial, 5th.; Nose: Jalen Marshall, 5th
Primary rotation:DT: Jason Dowell, so.; Nose: Sterling Webb, 5th
Reserves: *Mark Hensley, sr; Sam Williams, sr.; Tajh Overton, fr.; Jocques Felix, fr.; Jadon Frick, jr.
Injured: Elias Williams, jr.; *Donta Simpson Jr., so.;
The Tigers have been easing Webb, who was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA to play this season, back into action, so Gracial and Marshall are still the projected starters.
Simpson, a Miami transfer, has not practiced so far in camp. If and when he returns, he should compete for a spot in the rotation, but we haven’t seen it yet.
Linebackers
Starters:Middle: *Robert Woodyard Jr., sr.; Weakside: Nicholas Rodriguez, jr.
Primary rotation:M: Jeremiah Beasley, jr.; W: Dante McClellan, so.
Reserves: Brian Huff, jr.; *Bobby Washington, sr.; Jason King, so.; JJ Bush, fr.; Keenan Harris, fr.; Jackson Daily, jr.; Tommy Reese, sr.
This is looking more and more like one of the strongest rooms on the roster this year. The top four here all will see significant action, and Beasley is making a legitimate push to start alongside Rodriguez with some extremely impressive fall camp work.
McClellan is maybe our pick for the most underrated player on the team this year. He has looked fierce in some pass-rush drills and could make a real impression.
Cornerbacks
Starters: *Chris Graves Jr., 5th; *Jahlil Florence, 5th.
Rotation/backups: *Sione Laulea, sr.; Nick DeLoach, sr.
Reserves: Cameron Keys, jr.; Jaxson Gates, fr.; Ahmod Billins, fr.; Nasir Pogue, 5th.; Trashundon Neal, fr.
The one change we’re making at corner is throwing DeLoach into the rotation ahead of Keys. The Tigers typically use three players at this position, but they might go a little deeper this year. If they do, DeLoach has made the best impression in camp.
Graves is going to play a lot. Maybe the most of any player on this defense. Drinkwitz said he has the “best grasp” of what the Tigers are trying to do at corner.
The Oregon transfer duo of Florence and Laulea are who we project to take the second- and third-most reps at corner. Florence looks very much like the second starter at this stage of camp.
More: Jahlil Florence gets chance to prove himself at Missouri football
Safeties
Starters:Free: Trajen Greco, jr. Rover: Santana Banner, sr. Star: *Elijah Dotson, so.; OR *Kensley Louidor-Faustin, jr.;
Primary rotation:Free: CJ Bass III, so.; Rover: Jayden McGregory, fr.; Star:*JaDon Blair, so.;
Reserves: Jackson Hancock, jr.; Carter Stewart, fr.; Brody Jones, fr.; Maddux Hermestroff, so.
There’s a true ‘OR’ between Dotson and Louidor-Faustin at STAR. They are both going to see the field. Dotson has looked like the player with a little more positional versatility so far, so we expect to see him play multiple positions.
Banner and Greco are locks to start. Bass, McGregory and Blair each have seen time with the twos and should find roles in the rotation.
Special teams
Placekicker:Starter: Blake Craig, sr.; Backup: *Brunno Reus, so.; OR Oliver Robbins, jr.
Punter:Starter: *Brunno Reus, so.; Backup: John Butcher, sr. OR *Mark Shenouda, sr.
Long-snapper:Starter: Brett Le Blanc, sr.; Backups: Henry Crosby, so.; Sean Gross, so.
Punt/kick return: DaMarion Fowlkes, so.; Shaun Terry II, so.; Donovan Olugbode, so.
All the specialist roles are settled. Craig is back as the placekicker, Reus will handle punting and kickoffs and Le Blanc is a preseason All-SEC long-snapper.
More: How Missouri’s Blake Craig dealt with year lost to injury, return to kicking
The punt and kick return duties are still very much TBD. The whole wide receiver room and a handful of running backs have taken reps so far in camp. Our best guess says that Terry and Fowlkes get the nod in Week 1, but that could certainly change.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football depth chart projection after 2 weeks of camp