Ranking Mizzou's 5 Most Important Transfers: The Read Option
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Ranking Mizzou's 5 Most Important Transfers: The Read Option
Sep 20, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Kapena Gushiken (14) and linebacker TJ Dottery (6) react with defensive back Chris Graves Jr. (32) after a defensive stop during the first quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Zachary Knox-Doyle·Missouri Tigers On SI
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6 min read
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Watch the video below as Missouri On SI reporter Zachary Knox-Doyle explains his ranking of Missouri's top transfers.
Welcome to "The Read Option," a series featuring Missouri On SI's beat reporters providing analysis or intel on the Tigers.
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Missouri was active in the transfer portal this offseason after losing a variety of starters to the portal and NFL draft. Missouri had six players selected in the NFL draft - four of which went in the first three rounds - and lost starting quarterback Beau Pribula and star edge rusher Damon Wilson II in the transfer portal.
While the Tigers didn't make a splash at every position, they focused on addressing many positional groups that lacked experienced returners. Here are Missouri's most influential pickups of the offseason, from five different positions.
No. 5 Chris Graves Jr.
Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Mississippi Rebels cornerback Chris Graves Jr. (32) against the Miami Hurricanes during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Missouri's cornerback room was left with many unanswered questions following the 2025 season as the top three options had exhausted their eligibility. In an attempt to fill the void left by last year's starters Dreyden Norwood andToriano Pride Jr., the Tigers acquired three major transfers: Sione Laulea, Jahlil Florence and Graves.
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Graves is the only clear-cut starter of the group after spending the last three seasons at Ole Miss. He played in a total of 41 games across three years as a Rebel and started nine contests last season for the College Football Playoff semifinalists.
Graves played in 783 snaps during his redshirt junior season and spent 606 of them as an outside cornerback. He recorded 33 tackles and four pass break ups and adds playoff experience and coverage stability to the Tigers roster.
No. 4 Robert Woodyard Jr.
Sep 27, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Auburn Tigers linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. (0) wraps up Texas A&M Aggies running back Le'Veon Moss (8) during the third quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Woodyard is possibly the most statistically proven transfer at Missouri. But since the linebacker room already had one of the defense's most established players on roster in Nicholas Rodriguez, the addition of Woodyard lands just outside of the top three.
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Pairing Woodyard with Rodriguez makes the Tigers' starting linebackers one of the best starting groups on the entire team. Woodyard, much like Rodriguez, has played a large amount of snaps in his young career.
During his redshirt sophomore season, Woodyard started 11 of 12 games for Auburn and ranked second on the team in tackles and third in pass breakups. He recorded 50 of his 67 tackles during SEC play and accumulated seven pass breakups throughout the course of the season.
Woodyard specializes against the run, earning a 86.6 run defense grade in PFF, that allowed the linebacker to earn PFF first team All-SEC. The redshirt junior brings a rare combination of experience and youth, making linebacker a must-see position for Missouri in 2026.
No. 3 Cayden Lee
Sep 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Cayden Lee (19) runs after a catch during the third quarter against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After former All-SEC wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. ran out of elgibility following the 2025 season, the Tigers found their replacement in All-SEC receiver Cayden Lee. Lee joins the Tigers for his senior season, after spending three years at Ole Miss, in which he earned All-SEC third team during his sophomore season.
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Last year as a junior, he started all 15 games at slot for the Rebels. Lee's stats decreased slightly due to a stacked wide receiver room, but he still tallied 44 catches, 635 yards and three touchdowns on one of the top teams in the country.
The shifty receiver was a full-time starter at Ole Miss for two years and accumulated over 1,500 yards during those seasons. Much like Graves, Lee adds playoff experience to a positional group that lacked depth before his arrival.
No. 2 Josh Atkins
Oct 5, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils offensive lineman Josh Atkins (65) against the Kansas Jayhawks at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Arizona State transfer Josh Atkins will be tasked with protecting Austin Simmons in 2026 as Missouri's blindside right tackle.
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Last year one of Missouri's most influential players was right tackle transfer Keagen Trost. Trost,also played for three teams prior to Missouri and was an addition that the Tigers relied on heavily. Atkins will play a different role than Trost though, as he will be given the assignment to protect the left-handed Simmons.
Cayden Green protected the blindside last season for Beau Pribula and Matt Zollers, but the task is certainly daunting for a transfer to step into. There is a chance Atkins will not be starting at right tackle to begin the season, since he suffered a leg injury in spring, but it's expected that he will start when healthy.
Atkins started every game for Arizona State in the last two seasons at left tackle, operating as the blindside protector for right-handed Sam Leavitt. Atkins thrived in the role, playing 791 snaps and allowing just three sacks in 439 pass sets. Due to his success, PFF ranked him as the 53rd best left tackle in college football.
Changing positions may cause an adjustment period for Atkins, but he is not new to protecting the blindside.
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No. 1 Austin Simmons
Sep 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) passes the ball during warm ups prior to the game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
During the 2026 season, three different Missouri quarterbacks had the chance to start. First the race was between Pribula and Sam Horn, but after Horn's early injury, the job was given to Pribula. Then after Pribula went down midseason, freshman Matt Zollers was given the reins for a large portion of the remaining games.
That all goes to show that the Tigers - despite having four All-SEC first team selections - were held back from being one of the top teams in the SEC because of quarterback inconsistencies. This year, the Tigers tried to tackle that problem before the season began by acquiring Simmons.
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Simmons was the starting quarterback for the Rebels to begin the season but after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2, he became the backup. The redshirt junior is unlike anyone on the list, he's unproven and has started in just two contests. But Missouri needed a quarterback with the potential to lead the group and that's what Simmons brings to the table.
He was a four-star prospect and top 10 ranked quarterback out of high school. He steadily improved throughout his career at Ole Miss, but his injury derailed his improvement. Simmons is the Tigers' biggest acquisition of the offseason, not because he has the best resume, but because Missouri's season outlook rests in his left hand.
