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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Mizzou football, welcome to the quest for the best available.
College football’s spring transfer window opened Tuesday morning, establishing another window for player movement that runs through the end of the month.
The Tigers, on the cusp of a highly anticipated 2024 season, enter the next couple of weeks without much urgency. There are established starters at most positions, and there’s optimism for the rotational pieces at the others.
Stars, including quarterback Brady Cook and wide receiver Luther Burden III, are back. Winter-window transfers who participated in spring camp, such as edge rushers Darris Smith and Zion Young, impressed. Incoming freshmen like defensive end Williams Nwaneri and running back Kewan Lacy come with plenty of hype.
So where does that leave Missouri?
“We have an open-minded approach to the portal,†coach Eli Drinkwitz said ahead of Monday’s offseason caravan stop in Overland Park, Kansas. “I don’t think there’s any one particular area that we’re saying, ‘Man, we have to have this, we have to have that.’â€
The one spot of immediate need — backup quarterback after QB No. 2 Sam Horn underwent Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out through the entire 2024 season — was settled a while ago, with the arrival of Drew Pyne from Arizona State.
“It’s more like, some guys left,†Drinkwitz said. “Now we’re going to have opportunities to backfill that position.â€
Offseason departures were particularly prevalent in the trenches, where experienced players along both the offensive and defensive lines exhausted their eligibility.
With Mizzou expected to once again use a rotation of four or so defensive tackles, that position is one that could still see added competition. Returner Kristian Williams is in pole position for playing time there, alongside transfers Chris McLellan from Florida and Sterling Webb from New Mexico State. Adding a player with some experience but also a couple of years of eligibility could be an attractive option for that position.
The most interesting position to watch as Drinkwitz and company navigate the spring transfer portal is the offensive line. They tinkered with different arrangements of linemen during spring camp, working out where to line up options around center Connor Tollison and right tackle Armand Membou.
Cayden Green, the Oklahoma transfer in line to become the lynchpin of the O-line’s left side, has practiced at both left tackle and left guard. Cam’Ron Johnson, who spent last season at right guard, has worked on the left side too. Logan Reichert, a prospect whose build stands out, even among fellow linemen, has slotted in at right guard at times, while junior college transfer Jayven Richardson has gotten reps at left tackle.
The best offensive combination hasn’t yet emerged for Mizzou, which suggests the Tigers might be trolling the portal for a fifth starter.
One early transfer portal option of intrigue is Louisville offensive lineman Lance Robinson, who On3 reported earlier in the week was set to enter the portal when it opened.
He began his career at Middle Tennessee, starting at both right and left tackle before transferring to Houston. There, Robinson worked with current MU offensive line coach Brandon Jones before Jones swapped jobs for Missouri. Because of now-voided NCAA transfer rules, Robinson was unable to play for Louisville last season until the Cardinals’ bowl game.
Trevonte Sylvester, another former Houston offensive lineman who played under Jones before transferring to Louisville, is also reportedly hitting the portal this week, creating another intriguing potential target.
Should Missouri choose to do so, it could also make portal additions that target depth. The Tigers operated under their scholarship threshold for spring camp, meaning it can take on more players without needing to make room.
Losses to the transfer portal are likely to be minimal this spring. Tight end Ryan Hoerstkamp, who made one appearance on special teams in 2023, and defensive lineman Ky Montgomery, who did not appear in a game in three seasons, both confirmed on social media that they intend to enter the portal as it opens this week.
Similar to the winter transfer window, other players who may enter the transfer portal from MU would likely come from the lower portions of the depth chart and be departing in search of playing time elsewhere.
The focus for Mizzou, this time around, is equipping its roster with the tools needed for legitimate contention in both the Southeastern Conference and the College Football Playoff — both freshly expanded for the season ahead.
That could mean depth, that could mean rotational pieces and that could, if the circumstance presents itself, mean something more valuable.
“If there’s a player who we think can come in and compete to be a starter, we would always take that player — outside of the quarterback position,†Drinkwitz said. “So I don’t know that there’s one specific area that we’re really nervous about that we feel like we’re not capable of playing SEC, winning football. I think it’s more about: Do we have enough pieces if you get fortunate enough to play into that 13th, 14th, 15th game of the season?â€
And Drinkwitz doesn’t want the general comfort regarding the current state of the Mizzou roster to be mixed up with complacency.
“We’ll be aggressive in the portal this cycle. We want to reinforce our roster,†he said. “We want to create a competitive culture where every day you got to compete to win, and the only way to do that is to add talented to your team.â€
