The Henderson transfer bolsters the one position group that had yet to see an addition this off-season.
The spring transfer portal may be closed, but that hasn’t stopped Mizzou from continuing to add pieces to its 2025 roster. The latest addition to the Tigers comes in the form of redshirt senior Bralen Henderson, who comes to Columbia by way of Ohio University. The former Bobcat spent four years in Athens, Ohio, redshirting in 2021, playing sparingly in 2022 and then becoming a contributor in 2023 and on the MAC championship-winning defense in 2024.
Tallying 49 tackles and two sacks in his career, Henderson hasn’t been a major producer in terms of countable stats, but he has served as a consistent interior piece for a solid-to-good MAC defense the last two years. In fact, Ohio led the MAC in rushing defense last year, giving up 92 yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry on ground. They finished second in the MAC in total defense, just behind the Northern Illinois team that beat Notre Dame in South Bend. So where does Henderson fit in for the Tigers? Let’s dive in.
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Where he fits: Clocking in at 6’2, 280 lbs., Henderson enters the Mizzou Tigers defensive tackle room as one of lightest members on the squad. The only defensive tackle who is smaller at the moment is redshirt freshman Elias Williams, who just recently transitioned from defensive end to tackle and has plenty of room on his 6’3 frame to bulk up quickly. There is a decent chance that Henderson will be the lightest in the room by the time August rolls around, which says more about the size Eli Drinkwitz is building on the trenches than it does about Henderson’s ability.
While Henderson’s relatively slight frame might cause some small concern about his ability to hold up against SEC guards in the run game, it may give him a leg up in terms of rushing the quarterback. As a smaller, quicker player he might be best suited to spell the larger folks like Marquis Gracial (330 lbs.) and Jalen Marshall (320 lbs.) and pin his ears back on passing downs while the beefeaters concentrate on stuffing the run on early downs and short-yardage plays.
When he’ll play: Henderson is expected to play immediately. While it’s doubtful that he’ll wrestle away a starting spot from Chris McClellan or Sterling Webb, the Tigers’ defensive tackle position was one that was lacking significant depth before the Henderson signing. In fact, I was calling for the coaching staff to add a defensive lineman in my portal preview and update because it seemed like the area of largest need.
Behind McClellan and Webb, there is little proven production. While the coaches have hoped for a couple years that Marquis Gracial, Jalen Marshall or Sam Williams will step up, they haven’t yet shown they are able to manage a large number of snaps, which is something Henderson has done (albeit at a lower level) for two years now. Even if Henderson can only serve to spell the top line guys for 15-20 snaps a game, that will go a long way in keeping them fresh for crunch-time stops in the fourth quarter.
What it all means: The Tigers addressed the position of biggest need for them in the transfer portal this spring by bolstering their thin defensive line corps. Developing quality depth on both sides of the trenches is vital for success in the SEC and while Henderson isn’t expected to be a star for Corey Batoon’s defense, he will play a significant role in providing depth for the unit. Furthermore, he continues the developing Pennsylvania Pipeline as he becomes yet another Pennsylvania native (Pittsburgh in Henderson’s case) to grace the Tigers’ roster.
Whether or not Henderson is the final addition to the Mizzou roster before summer conditioning begins is yet to be seen, but he could be the missing piece to what should be an excellent Death Row Defense in 2025.