How many college first-timers are going to make the Tigers' two-deep? Missouri football is almost finished with its second week of fall camp. Starting with a team scrimmage Saturday, the Tigers have five practices left on the schedule until they enter gameweek preparations for their Thursday, Sept. 3, opener against UABP in Columbia. Mizzou signed 22 players in its 2026 high school class, and a handful have made some strong early impressions in their first preseason on the Columbia campus. More: Homegrown Langden Kitchen filling big role in Missouri's pass rush Based on what we’ve seen from fall camp, here are three freshmen who we think could soon be playing on Faurot Field: Jayden McGregory, safety If there’s a freshman who looks likely to be part of the two-deep this season, it’s safety Jayden McGregory. The four-star prospect out of West Des Moines, Iowa, has frequently been running with the second-team defense in fall camp, which puts him squarely in the mix for a rotational role this coming year. The specific roles on the back end of the defense are becoming more and more clear as camp progresses. Santana Banner and Trajen Greco will start in the free and rover safety roles, respectively. Auburn transfer Kensley Louidor-Faustin and Elijah Dotson look likely to rotate at STAR. Then, we’ve seen McGrogory, sophomore CJ Bass II, and Notre Dame transfer JaDon Blair have been competing for the remainder of the snaps on offer this year. McGregory is listed at 6 foot 2 and 198 pounds. That’s a college-ready build, and we’d wager that fans will see him in action sooner rather than later this year.
Jaxson Gates, cornerback The later it gets into camp, the more it looks like Mizzou has its cornerback rotation set with Chris Graves Jr., Jahlil Florence, Sione Laulea, and Nick DeLoach Jr. But we’re not quite ready to discount Gates. The rookie out of La Verne, California, has checked into his first camp at 6-foot, 185 pounds. That’s 16 pounds heavier than his listed high school weight, which will be necessary mass to compete against SEC pass-catchers. The four-star recruit, ranked among the top 200 players at any position in his class by 247Sports, has taken multiple reps with the second-team defense throughout camp. He’s got a tough path to significant snaps. The Tigers’ three transfers each have significant high-level experience or a strong upside. That doesn’t mean Gates won’t see the field as a rookie. There will be spots on various special teams units and early on in the nonconference schedule. Khalief Canty Jr., offensive guard
Canty has been one of the bigger — and we mean that quite literally — surprises in camp so far. The 6-4, 315-pound Detroit native has been taking the backup reps at right guard behind returner Curtis Peagler. Canty was a three-star signing this past December, rated by 247Sports as the No. 49 interior offensive lineman in his class. He had scholarship offers ranging from Alabama and Penn State to Michigan and Michigan State. This is beginning to look like a strong pickup for the Tigers. More: Starting Mizzou football OT absent from practice, more notes from camp We’d still expect either Tristan Wilson or Zack Owens — whoever comes up short in the ongoing competition at left guard — to take the backup interior reps. But Canty looks like he’s well ahead of schedule in his college career. We should see him in Mizzou's home nonconference games, once those are out of sight. It’s possible that four of Mizzou’s starting offensive linemen will move on after this season, so there will be opportunities for Canty to lock down a future role. This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: These 3 freshmen could see the field early for Missouri football