Here’s where Missouri football defense looks strong and where questions still need answered

One side of the ball is going to have a bit of a different look about it this year in Columbia, Missouri.

Some of the biggest questions facing Missouri football in the 2024 season, when all signs point toward a serious challenge for a College Football Playoff berth, is what the defense will look like after a period of not-insignificant turnover.

Ten Mizzou players from the defense’s core of starters and main depth pieces in 2023 have either moved on to the NFL or exhausted their eligibility. That includes three of the Tigers’ primary four-man rotation at defensive tackle, both of their starting cornerbacks and a first-round draft pick at defensive end.

Oh, and there’s a new defensive coordinator — Corey Batoon is in from South Alabama, Blake Baker is away to LSU — calling plays in Columbia, too.

The Tigers hit the transfer portal hard to replenish after the exodus. Nine of the 15 players Missouri signed over the offseason are on the defensive side of the ball.

With approximately one month remaining until Missouri players report for training camp, and a little more than two months until the Tigers open their season Thursday, Aug. 29, at home against Murray State, here are positions that shape up to be areas of strength for Mizzou — and positions where there are important questions to answer:

Positions of strength for Missouri football defense in 2024

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs away from Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Johnny Walker Jr. (15) during the third quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Ohio State lost 14-3.

▶ Defensive end: Darius Robinson is now an Arizona Cardinal, but the Tigers look like they’ve done the necessary work to replace the first-round draft pick’s production.

Darris Smith was a big-time…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-where-missouri-football-defense-091423883.html

Author : Columbia Daily Tribune

Publish date : 2024-06-27 09:14:23

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