Missouri’s 2026 Returning Production: Defense

• Percent of returning snaps: 65.9%
• Percent of returning tackles: 19.2%
• Percent of returning tackles for loss: 14.9% This is the second consecutive year he has scaled back the categories, meaning it seems more apparent that raw experience on the field is the most important aspect to forecasting future defensive ascension or regression. So, with that in mind, let’s break down what’s coming back and from whom (*italicized players are not on the 2026 roster*):

**Returning Snaps –***65.9% Weight***– 39.8% Returning Production**

• Missouri loses 5 of it’s top 6 players in ‘25 snap counts and 12 of its top 14.
• Chris Graves, Jr. is your leading returner in snaps played and his 683 defensive snaps were in service to Ole Miss.
• 3 of Missouri’s top 4 returners in 2025 snaps were at another school last year.
• Fifth year corners Sione Laulea (116) and Jahlil Florence (19) – widely viewed as the seamless replacements for Drey Norwood and Toriano Pride, Jr. – combined for 135 snaps played last year and will be out of eligibility at the conclusion of the ‘26 season.
• In fact, 5 of the 15 defensive players that portalled in this cycle are one-year rentals that will complete their college career at the end of this season. Three of those are cornerbacks. It seems the staff prioritized instant, experienced additions to the defensive secondary and wound up with old guys who could provide a one-year stop gap. Both Laulea and Florence have played in previous years but a.) not a ton, and b.) transfers aren’t nearly as good in Year One as they are in Year Two…and these guys won’t get a Year Two. The rest of the additions aren’t super experienced, nor are the defensive holdovers from last year’s Mizzou defense. It’s going to be a lot of backups and rotational guys from last year working with the transfers to cobble together a cohesive unit. It can work! We better hope it works!

**Returning Tackles –***19.2% Weight***– 39.3% Returning Production**

• Missouri loses 5 of its top 6 tacklers and 12 of its top 14.
• Your top five returning tacklers are Robert Woodyard (Auburn transfer), Nick Rodriguez, Beans Banner, Mark Hensley (Northern Illinois transfer), and Chris Graves, Jr. (Ole Miss transfer).
• That top five includes two linebackers, a safety, a defensive tackle, and a cornerback. Yes, having a corner in your top five of returning tacklers isn’t great, especially when that tackle number is 27.
• Of the entire returning defensive group, 8 had more than 20 tackles last year while 18 had fewer than 20 tackles.
• Heading into the 2025 season that number was flipped: 18 returning defenders had 20+ tackles, 11 had fewer than 20.

**Returning Tackles for Loss –***14.9% Weight***– 29.9% Returning Production**

**Conclusion**

Oregon. Baylor. Ole Miss. Michigan. Auburn. Miami (Florida). Notre Dame. Other than the Mark Hensley call-up from Northern Illinois, Mizzou’s transfer strategy on defense was to target guys at elite defensive programs that – for whatever reason – weren’t seeing the field much, and fold them in with their current roster of backups to create a new, tasty, defensive gumbo. I have no idea if this will work or how it will click or, hell, who even is going to start! There’s plenty of intriguing pieces here and Corey Batoon has proven to be an excellent coordinator. The biggest test of his Mizzou tenure will be the ‘26 season, when he takes all these misfit toys in hopes of delivering another stellar performance despite the lack of cohesion and proven production.