What are some options for the Tigers at positions of need now that the transfer portal has closed to new entries?
The spring transfer portal has come and gone, officially closing on April 25 to new entries. Thankfully, the Tigers haven’t had any more portal entrants since my portal preview posted two weeks ago, so the Mizzou coaching staff has known exactly what they’ve been looking for sans surprises since the portal officially opened.
While the portal is now closed to any new entries, there are still hundreds of players looking for new homes. Since they are already in the portal, they are free to commit and sign at any time, so the Tigers’ staff still has some work left to do to put the finishing touches on the 2025 roster.
While the coaching staff must continue to burn the midnight oil on the recruiting trail, that doesn’t mean they haven’t already been busy bringing in spring commits. In my aforementioned transfer portal preview, I highlighted four areas of, if not need, than at least want, on the Tigers roster heading into the summer: interior defensive line, offensive line, wide receiver and linebacker.
The coaching staff seems to be seeing their roster the same way I do, as they’ve already added transfers to two of those areas and are working on addressing at least one more. Since my last piece, the Tigers have added an experienced offensive lineman and a productive wide receiver to fill out those rooms.
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The lineman, Florida State tackle Jaylen Early, played in 17 games, starting seven of them in his two years in Tallahassee. Even though he played on a porous unit for the Seminoles, Early graded out fairly well by Pro Football Focus. In fact, he would have been the third-best lineman on the Mizzou roster last year, so adding him to the fold will create depth and ratchet up the competition for both tackle spots moving into the summer.
Likewise, Eli Drinkwitz and company heeded my advice to add some experience to a young, talented wide receiver unit by bringing in the senior Xavier Loyd from Illinois State. Loyd began his career at Kansas State before stepping down to the FCS level last year. For the Cardinals, Loyd grabbed 66 balls for 912 yards and six touchdowns last year. That production would have put him at the top of the Tigers’ list for wide receivers last season. While he may not be as explosive as some of the other talent on the Mizzou roster, Loyd will bring a steady hand and a proven commodity to the position.
So, what does Mizzou have left to accomplish in the portal? In my opinion, they can still add another piece or two to bolster depth along the front seven of the defense, especially after losing the short-lived services of Mikai Gbayor at linebacker. Let’s take a look at some of the options currently in the portal that the Tiger coaching staff might want to examine:
Interior Defensive Line
This one is a bit of a cheat on my part because Mizzou has already been reportedly shown interest in Henderson. In fact, it sounds like he has already been on campus visiting earlier this week. The rising senior has one year of eligibility left and put up some production in his last two seasons as a Bobcat. A bit undersized at 6’2, 280 lbs, Henderson has two career sacks and 49 career tackles.
Kirkland is a big boy. Actually, at 6’3, 345 lbs. calling him a big boy is probably an understatement. The former Cowboy is a rising senior and has seen the field all three years he spent in Stillwater, racking up 72 tackles and three sacks in his career. A true nose tackle, Kirkland would be serve as a great run-stopping plug up the middle. While he may be better suited for a defense that runs more 3-4 sets, he would be valuable as an early down stopper on any defense.
Taylor’s path into the portal has been a strange one. He began his career at Mississippi State, seeing the field a decent amount as a freshman in 2023. That year he had 15 tackles, which is a fine number for a young interior lineman just cutting his teeth against SEC offensive linemen. He didn’t see the field at all in 2024 and entered the portal in the winter, committing to SMU in January. However, once the spring portal season came around, Taylor jumped back in the portal again without playing a down for the Mustangs. The 6’4, 310 lbs. lineman has the SEC size and pedigree to be a contributor on a front seven that needs depth.
Linebackers
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One of the most coveted linebackers currently in the portal, this one might be a long shot for the Tigers as they are looking for depth rather than a sure-fire starter. Campbell will be a junior and played his first two years for Mack Brown at North Carolina. As a sophomore, Campbell had 76 tackles and 6.5 sacks, which is a crazy number for an off-ball linebacker. Even though it might be a stretch, it’s definitely worth a call by the coaching staff to see what it might take to get Campbell to Columbia.
This one might be a bit more achievable for the Tigers as Lane is a Missouri native, hailing from St. Louis. Lane enters the portal with two years of eligibility remaining. Last year he saw the field a bit, grabbing 26 tackles for the Wildcats. With his marginal production, he may be a bit more willing to come in and find a spot on the depth chart for a year before seeing a starting role in 2026.
Mizzou is already hosting one former Bobcat defender this week. Who’s to say they couldn’t make it a package deal? Taylor has at least one year of eligibility left, if not two (2022 is a bit iffy on how many games he played.) Last year he finished with 73 tackles and three sacks for the MAC champions. While not the most athletic guy at his position, he knows where he is supposed to be and is able to get there.
All in all, the Tigers’ roster for 2025 is probably pretty close to being finalized. However, adding just one or two more pieces to build depth before the summer begins will go a long way to solidifying what should be a competitive roster for Eli Drinkwitz next fall.