There’s a preseason case to be made that Missouri football defensive coordinator Corey Batoon has the strongest tools at his disposal among the play callers in Columbia.
Mizzou players are less than a month away from reporting for preseason camp. The Tigers, in recent seasons, have reported to campus in Columbia on the final weekend of July. The first game on Faurot Field — Aug. 28 versus Central Arkansas — is less than 60 days away.
Talking season will be in full swing in the middle of this month, with Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz set to appear at SEC Media Days on July 17 in Atlanta.
One of the major talking points could be the anticipated collective quality of the pieces Mizzou has assembled for its defense in 2025.
While it’s popular, here are five Missouri football players on the defensive side of the ball who we think have the best chance to have All-SEC-caliber seasons.
Daylan Carnell, safety
With 43 games under his belt in the black and gold, nobody on the Mizzou defense is more experienced than Carnell.
He’s emerged as a bit of an everything-man for Missouri — and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time — with 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, four picks, 20 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and nine quarterback pressures across his career at the ‘Star’ safety spot, which essentially operates as a hybrid between the front and the secondary.
Don’t be surprised to see Carnell’s final year in Columbia bring around some significant NFL chatter. He was named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-SEC third-team, but the ceiling may be even higher for the projected mainstay on the MU defense.
Jalen Catalon, safety
By all indications, Catalon was no friend of…
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Publish date : 2025-07-04 08:03:00
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