We're almost there.
Missouri football players will report for preseason camp this upcoming weekend, marking the beginning of the final run of preparation before the 2025 season begins.
The Tigers will open their season Thursday, Aug. 28, against Central Arkansas in Columbia. When the Mizzou players go through their first fall practice, that matchup will be less than five weeks away.
So, who should we expect to see playing for MU this season?
Before fall camp begins, here's how we see Mizzou's depth chart currently shaping up. Every scholarship player is included along with their listed year, all first-year transfers have been marked with an asterisk (*) and, of course, this is just a projection and liable to change throughout the fall:
Starters: Joker:Damon Wilson II, jr.*; Field:Zion Young, sr.
Primary rotation: Darris Smith , r-jr.; Nate Johnson , jr.*
Reserves:Javion Hilson, fr.; Langden Kitchen, jr.*; Daeden Hopkins, fr.; Aidan Dubbert, fr.
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Just how deep this room will run will be settled in fall camp. As we see it entering camp, there are four players you can count on getting consistent reps: returners Young and Smith, as well as transfers Wilson (Georgia) and Johnson (Appalachian State).
Hilson, a true freshman, and Kitchen, a Division-II transfer (Northwest Missouri State), are very much in the running to see the field as members of the rotation.
Starters: Chris McClellan , sr.; Sterling Webb, sr.
Primary rotation:Marquis Gracial, r-jr.; Jalen Marshall , r-jr.; Bralen Henderson, gr.*
Reserves:Sam Williams, r-so.; Elias Williams, r-fr.; Justin Bodford, r-fr.; Jason Dowell, fr.; Jadon Frick, so.
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Mizzou needs to round out its two-deep on the interior of its defensive line.
McClellan and Webb were consistent players for the Tigers in 2024 and look set to play significant reps in 2025. After that, it's an open competition.
Gracial and Marshall both have experience in the system, and Henderson ( Ohio ) joins the competition as a spring transfer.
Starters: Mike: Josiah Trotter , r-so.*; Will:Triston Newson, gr.
Primary rotation: M:Jeremiah Beasley, so.; Brian Huff, r-fr. W: Khalil Jacobs , sr.; Nicholas Rodriguez, so.
Reserves:Dante McClellan, fr.; Jason King, fr.; Brady Hultman, jr.
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This could be one of the deeper rooms on the Mizzou roster this season. Expect Trotter ( West Virginia ) to step straight into a starting role.
Newson and Jacobs, both returning members from Mizzou's core rotation last season, should each see plenty of playing time and rotate often.
How the Tigers fill out the remainder of the rotation likely will depend on fall camp performances. Rodriguez, Beasley and Huff each are in their second year on campus and have a chance to make the rotation.
Starters:Dreyden Norwood, r-sr.; Toriano Pride Jr. , sr.
Rotation/backups: Stephen Hall , r-sr.*; Nick DeLoach, r-so.
Reserves:Shamar McNeil, r-so.; Cameron Keys, r-fr.; Mark Manfred III, fr.; Nasir Pogue, sr.
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Norwood is almost certainly returning as an every-down player, but the second starting cornerback spot is still unsettled.
Pride and DeLoach each rotated at the spot in 2024. Hall ( Washington State ) joins the competition as an experienced transfer. It's unclear if any of the players further down the depth chart are challenging that group.
As of the beginning of preseason camp, Pride and Hall are the most likely players to play their way into a starting role. Mizzou has run some defensive packages with three corners on the field at the same time under Batoon, so they will both likely at least see some playing time.
Starters: Free: Jalen Catalon , gr.*; Strong:Marvin Burks Jr., jr.; Star:Daylan Carnell, gr.
Primary rotation: Free:Santana Banner, r-so.*; Strong:Mose Phillips III, jr.*; Star:Trajen Greco, so.
Reserves:Caleb Flagg, sr.; Jackson Hancock, r-fr.; CJ Bass III, fr.; Rico Merriweather, jr.;
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Mizzou's three transfers at safety — Catalon (UNLV), Banner (NIU) and Phillips ( Virginia Tech ) — should find a role in the rotation. The Tigers also return starters Carnell and Burks to the lineup. Greco, after an impressive freshman campaign, should see an uptick in playing time.
The roles and duties at safety will be somewhat interchangeable, so the positions are not set in stone. But, we feel pretty confident that the top six we have listed here will lead the room in snaps.
Starter:Connor Weselman, gr.*
Backup:John Butcher, jr.*
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Weselman joined the Tigers from Stanford and has locked down the starting job. He did not play for the Cardinal in 2024 but was their starter the year prior.
Butcher is a junior-college transfer — and the only other punter on the roster, although the Tigers' kickers likely could feature here in an emergency.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football defensive depth chart projection before fall camp
