Missouri football is leaning into development at defensive tackle.
The Tigers haven't seen too much turnover on the interior. One starter moved on to the NFL, and one player joined the squad via the spring transfer portal.
But, that's it. Otherwise, the Tigers are returning a few multi-year members of the squad and seemingly trusting them to take on bigger roles.
Mizzou's season-opener for the 2025 campaign against Central Arkansas on Aug. 28 on Faurot Field is less than seven weeks away. Fall camp is right around the corner, as the Tigers typically have players report to campus in Columbia over the final weekend of July.
The Tigers' coaching staff has expressed confidence about its edge rushers and linebackers on the defensive front. So, how will the interior linemen help that cause?
Here is how Missouri's defensive tackles shape up heading into fall camp, including a projected (but not finalized) depth chart, the upside and possible questions for the room and some snippets of what the coaches said during the spring:
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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.
Mizzou's starters are likely both returning primary members of the 2024 squad, with McClellan and Webb both entering their senior seasons and second year with the team.
After that, the order of the rotation gets a little murky.
Mizzou waited until the spring transfer portal window to make a transfer addition at the defensive tackle position, bringing in Henderson from Ohio. He was moderately productive in the MAC, notching 47 tackles and a couple sacks over the past two seasons.
But, the Tigers are likely hopeful for a couple more returners to take developmental leaps to round out the rotation.
Gracial and Marshall are the likely top-two candidates. Both Sam Williams and Elias Williams will compete for reps, but for the time being appear to be further down the depth chart.
After a highly impactful first season in Columbia after making the move across the conference from Florida, McClellan figures as one of the top returning tackles in the league.
The former Gator and Tulsa, Oklahoma, product earned a fourth-team preseason All-SEC pick by Phil Steele's magazine. He recorded 39 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks, in his debut season with the Tigers in 2024.
This will be his fourth season of SEC football, which makes him one of the most experienced players at this level on the entire roster. It's reasonable to expect another jump forward, and the expectation will be for McClellan to lead the room.
Mizzou is losing its clear leader and most experienced defensive tackle in Kristian Williams , who signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Denver Broncos after the NFL Draft this year.
Mizzou is putting a lot of trust in its returners to bridge the gap from 2024 to 2025, which is an increasingly uncommon story in the transfer portal era.
The Tigers need at least two players to take a developmental leap this upcoming season, or the top of the rotation is going to be stretched extremely thin.
Mizzou also is dealing with a little bit of coaching turnover along the defensive line, as position coach Al Davis resigned in May. Former defensive tackles coach David Blackwell has been promoted to oversee the defensive line, and the Tigers reportedly have hired Sabbath Joseph as an assistant defensive line coach following three years as an analyst at Miami .
Coaching changes always have some sort of an impact, and the timing is certainly unideal, but that's not necessarily the biggest concern.
He took a step last season, and Gracial is the player we're watching to make another jump in 2025. If there is a defensive tackle who could challenge for starting reps from further down the depth chart, it's him.
The St. Charles alum and St. Louis native is listed at 6-4, 322 pounds, which is good size for an SEC defensive tackle. He found some extra play time in 2024 as the Tigers, at times, went to a five-man defensive line to counter run-heavy, 12-personnel sets — something the coaching staff called its "rhino package."
Gracial was the player Mizzou turned to as its additional linemen on those plays, as he slotted in between the likes of McCellan and Kristian Williams as a sort of nose tackle.
That's solid experience to build off of, and we'll see if it translates into an increased role in 2025.
Eli Drinkwitz, April 8: "Really encouraging and challenging both Jalen Marshall and Marquis Gracial to take that next step. They've been in the rotation and kind of waiting their turn. We don't need them to wait any longer. It's their time to play."
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Added Drinkwitz: "There is a healthy competition in the defensive tackle room, and if our edges are as good as we believe they are, it's going to only create more opportunities for our defensive tackles with one-on-one blocks. So, really need those guys to continue to move forward."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Why in-house development is vital for Missouri football defensive tackles
