COLUMBIA — Missouri’s 2025 defense was undoubtedly its strongest phase. The unit allowed the third-least points per game and the second-least yards per game among the 16 Southeastern Conference teams. 

It lived up to the self-given moniker of “Death Row Defense” which the 2023 Tiger squad had begun and teams following held — you couldn’t look at a position group on the unit without seeing a player that strikes fear into hearts of opponents. 

Zion Young, a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, headlined the edge room alongside now-Miami edge Damon Wilson II. The pair combined for 15.5 of Missouri’s 36 total sacks. Between those two was 6-foot-4, 323-pound defensive tackle Chris McClellan, who logged 48 tackles and six sacks and is well on his way to becoming a Day 2 pick at the draft. Sterling Webb also started alongside him.

Josiah Trotter starred as the face of the linebacker room, as he racked up a team-high 84 tackles. Fellow linebackers Khalil Jacobs and Triston Newson 91 tackles to complement him. Rounding out the front seven was 

Even outside of the front seven, potential NFL draft picks like Toriano Pride Jr. and Daylan Carnell headlined the cornerback and safety room, while they were supported by fellow part-time or full-time  starters Stephen Hall, Marvin Burks Jr., Jalen Catalon and Drey Norwood. 

Besides playing high-usage for Missouri in 2025, each of those players have something in common: they aren’t on Missouri’s 2026 roster. 

That’s 5,423 snaps evaporated. Most of those snaps came from incredibly high-level talent that’s not replaceable overnight — Young and Trotter especially. Finding singular replacements for players of their caliber isn’t realistic, unless an organization is willing to pay an incredibly hefty price in the transfer portal for a player who may not pan out the same way the organization envisions. 

So instead of putting all his chips in a basket to make a splash-landing in the portal, Drinkwitz implemented a strategy used by 2002 Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane, who was then portrayed by Brad Pitt in 2011’s “Moneyball”, directed by Bennett Miller. 

In the film, Beane realizes star-hunting isn’t a championship formula, but finding under-the-radar players who fit his team’s scheme, is. 

“It was kind of a formula to put all of that together,” Drinkwitz said. “It's that scene from Moneyball, you know, throw the deal up. We're trying to replace this many at-bats and figure out how we're going to do it. Form that player in the aggregate.”

So who are some of the aggregates Missouri is honed in on? In the case of replacing Young and Wilson’s star talent, the Tigers are relying on returners and transfers that played complementary roles in 2025, rather than being full-time starters. 

Here’s how the room shapes up:

Darris Smith, 347 snaps in 2025 (Missouri)
Langden Kitchen 171 snaps (Missouri)
Daeden Hopkins, 52 snaps (Missouri)
Cavan Tuley, 123 snaps (Houston)
Malik Bryant, 31 snaps (Miami)
CJ May, 0 snaps (Louisville)
Demarcus Johnson, no snap count, (Hutchinson CC)

This room-building method presents a stark contrast to how the Tigers have approached building the defensive end group the previous two offseasons, which included throwing hefty NIL contracts toward top-rated prospects and transfers like Williams Nwaneri and Wilson, both of whom left after one season with the Tigers.

The eggs are now spread between plenty of baskets, as Drinkwitz and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon will bank on their bets to pan out. 

Other position groups are banking heavily on internal development, which the Tigers have done successfully in years prior. Look toward the defensive line — it lost starters in McClellan and Webb and brought in just one transfer portal addition, former Miami freshman Donta Simpson. 

Marquis Gracial, otherwise known as “Big Grizz”, is a top candidate to take a leap, continuing the pattern of a senior season leap that Tiger defensive tackles before him have. Jalen Marshall joins him atop of the new-look room. 

“We feel really strongly about Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall,” Drinkwitz said. “I think those two guys played well in their roles last year, and now it's an opportunity for their roles to really expand and be bigger.

“When you look at the progression of players that we've had here at that position, you know, that's what Chris McClellan did — he developed into that senior year. Kristian Williams developed into that senior year. Jayden Jernigan developed into that senior year. And so that's the jump we're looking to make with those guys.” 

McClellan agrees that Gracial is poised for the same leap he once took. 

“I think Marquis could become a high draft pick next year,” McClellan said at the NFL Draft Combine. “What impressed me most about him is how seriously he’s taken his body transformation over the last couple years… and then just, becoming more mature, becoming more of a leader.” 

Gracial has a clear lead ahead of the rest of Missouri’s defensive tackle room and will be heavily relied upon to helm the group. 

Only one of the top 13 snap-getters on Missouri’s defense is back for the 2026 season, that being returning junior safety Santana Banner, who played 541 snaps last season. 

“We would feel really good about Santana banner being a returning starter for us at the safety room,” Drinkwitz said. “So maybe we didn't feel the need to have to go get that much experience at that position.” 

That’s true — Missouri added just one true safety in former Notre Dame freshman JaDon Blair, who’s much more of a piece for the future than an immediate competitor to start alongside or in place of Banner. 

While Banner solidified himself as a star not in need of replacing in the 2025-26 offseason, he was in a much different position heading into the 2025 season. He transferred to Missouri from Northern Illinois and wasn’t projected at all to compete for a starting spot — Carnell, Burks and Catalon had a leg ahead of him entering the season. 

Instead, he was in a position that many of the 2026 newcomers now find themselves in: a depth piece made for the aggregate or the future. He now has experience in both positions to help those once in his shoes. 

“I stepped up more to be  a leader (this season),” Banner said. “I was a younger-ish guy coming in last year. Catalon, (Carnell), all those guys took me under their wing and helped me out get acclimated to the way we operate around here. So I feel like I became that guy.” 

Now the most experienced returner on the defense, Banner feels it’s up to him to keep up the highly-touted identity of his unit. 

“The goal this spring is to really establish the identity,” Banner said. “Not only the football team, but specifically for my unit, Death Row.”