Columbia, Mo. — Missouri football's success in 2026 will largely hinge on returners and transfer portal additions, while the incoming high school recruits develop into the future pillars of the program.

There will, however, be a few incoming freshman who make immediate impacts in 2026. Four-star wideout Donovan Olugbode ranked top-3 on the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Robert Meyer started 11 games at kicker and Dante McClellan snagged a pick-six in Week 1 — opportunity to play will present itself. 

That path to true freshman rotational snaps is narrow and littered with obstacles, but the path is open nonetheless. Here's the three incoming freshman most likely to walk that path in 2026. 

Jones enters a Missouri offensive tackle room with little proven depth as a highly-touted four-star recruit. He is the prized possession of Missouri's 2026 incoming class, ranked as the No. 99 player and the No. 10 offensive tackle in the nation.

Missouri lost All-American starting right tackle Keagen Trost, while starting left tackle Cayden Green could get kicked inside to guard. Five additional backup tackles hit the transfer portal — there are a plethora of openings on the depth chart. 

Josh Atkins, OT, senior (Arizona State transfer)
Cayden Green, OT, junior
Luke Work, OT, sophomore (Mississippi State transfer)
Colin Sorensen, OT, sophomore (Charleston Southern transfer)
Whit Hafer, OT, redshirt freshman
Jack Lange, OT, freshman
Will Kemna, OT, freshman (Kansas State transfer)
Ryan Jostes, OT, freshman
Johnnie Jones, OT, incoming freshman
Brysen Wessell, OT, incoming freshman

Atkins and Work project to compete for starting jobs, while the spots for top backup jobs remain relatively open. Lange was a four-star recruit in Missouri's 2025 class, and Sorensen struggled in his first two seasons at Charleston Southern, while the rest of the group has played less than 10 snaps at the college level. 

Jones' immediate talent could launch him up the depth chart and into rotational snaps should injuries arise as they did in the 2025 season. 

Overton is the highest-ranked incoming defensive tackle of Missouri's 2026 freshman class, ranking as a four-star recruit and the No. 23 defensive tackle in the nation, per 247sports. He stands at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds — already weighing more than former starter Sterling Webb.

Webb, along with Chris McClellan and Bralen Henderson, departed from the team. Missouri's only defensive line additions are incoming three-star freshman Jocques Felix and three-star transfer Donta Simpson.  Here's how the room shapes up: 

Marquis Gracial, DT, redshirt junior
Jalen Marshall, DT, redshirt junior
Sam Williams, DT, redshirt sophomore
Elias Williams, DT, redshirt freshman
Jason Dowell, DT, freshman
Donta Simpson, freshman (Miami transfer)
Tahj Overton, DT, incoming freshman
Jocques Felix, DT, incoming freshman

Gracial and Marshall played rotational roles on the interior in 2025, but have never played full-time starter roles at the collegiate level. Overton's college-level size and high potential could allow him to jump ahead of low-depth pieces like Sam and Elias Williams.

Gates headlines as Missouri's highest-ranked cornerback recruit, ranked as a four-star and the No. 19 cornerback in the nation. He joins a Missouri cornerback room that lost its top-3 boundary starters in Toriano Pride Jr., Stephen Hall and Drey Norwood. Slot cornerback Daylan Carnell exhausted his eligibility, while slot corner Mose Phillips and depth corner Shamar McNeil hit the transfer portal. Missouri's cornerback unit was completely torn down and will now be rebuilt from the ground up. 

Cornerback might be one of the most difficult positions to earn quick reps in, but Ole Miss transfer Chris Graves Jr. is the only member of Missouri's room to play more than 150 snaps in 2025. 

Here's who joins Graves and Gates in the group: 

Jahlil Florence, CB, senior (Oregon transfer)
Chris Graves Jr., CB, redshirt junior (Ole Miss transfer)
Sione Laulea, CB, redshirt junior (Oregon transfer)
Nick Deloach Jr. , CB, redshirt sophomore
Cam Keys, CB, redshirt freshman
Elijah Dotson, CB, freshman (Michigan transfer)
Jaxson Gates, CB, incoming freshman
Ahmod Billins, CB, incoming freshman
Trashundon Neal, CB, incoming freshman

The assumption of Graves locking down the top spot is a safe one, given his prior experience at the position. Every spot after that will be a battle between little-experienced cornerbacks, giving Gates a reasonable opportunity to play a rotational role.