Missouri football had a problem. Defensively, it brought back plenty of talent for 2023, but at end, with Isiaih McGuire and Trajan Jeffcoat both leaving for the NFL and Arkansas respectively, it had a hole.
The Tigers did what they could to fill it. Johny and Arden Walker will both be expected to step up this coming season, and MU added Joe Moore, a transfer from Arizona State. It also looked internally, moving one of its best interior forces out to end.
Darius Robinson is back for one more year in Columbia, and played end in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl after McGuire opted to sit out and train for the NFL Draft. He'll be doing even more on the outside this season.
"He has the arm length, sheer power, I think he can really put that on display," defensive coordinator Blake Baker said Wednesday. "Because a lot of times at end, it's more one-one-one, where at tackle, you're usually getting combo'd or double-teamed, so show that individual power and then show that versatility.
Robinson struggled with the choice of whether he should return to Columbia. After last season, he had been leaning toward leaving for the NFL.
However, the Michigan native didn't feel like he was a finished product yet.
"I feel like I can go even higher this year, just putting the hard work in," Robinson said. "It was definitely a hard decision, because literally a few days after the bowl game, I got invited to the combine, so when I got invited to the combine, I said 'I'm about to be out,' but I was just like 'Man, let me come on back, put one more good year of tape together.'"
Toward the end of the 2022 season, Baker said he was hoping to convince Robinson to stick around for another year. He felt the lineman could be a first or second round pick, given another year to develop.
Playing more end could help on that front as well.
"He realizes that that can increase his draft stock," Defensive ends coach Kevin Peoples said. "Any time you can play multiple positions and any time you can put multiple skills on the football field, on tape, that is going to help your future. He's a team guy, but his individual goals align with our team's, so that's a win-win situation us and him."
Last season, Robinson made a huge impact for a much-improved defense, eating up blocks at tackle that helped McGuire and linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper get in the backfield. He'll still split time at that spot, but Missouri has more experienced talent at tackle than end at the moment, and he can help with that, while also helping balance out scholarship numbers across the line.
Coaches and teammates were convinced he'd find success on the edge.
"D-Rob has played multiple positions before," linebacker Chad Bailey said. "The fact that he can go out there and line up is going to help all the rest of those D-ends that are just coming in or are just a little young."
The six-foot-five, 296 pound Robinson also has the physical tools he'll need on the outside.
"For as big as D-Rob is, he is very athletic," Bailey said. "The fact that he is that huge and that athletic is a big thing. I feel like that's his main factor. And he's smart, he makes a lot of plays just off of his mental."
There's still challenges with the move. The spacing and timing are different at end, and Robinson will have to get used to that.
Still, his coaches think he'll be up to it, and Robinson was excited to give it a shot.
"You gotta think, when you watch tape on me, you're gonna see me at a nine (technique), a six, a three, a 4i, zero, 2i," Robinson said. "When you compare me to all the other D-linemen in the country, they can't truly do that, their coaches don't allow them that freedom. At the end of the day, it allowed me to have the opportunity, but I gotta make the most of it."
Robinson and his Missouri teammates are currently in the midst of spring practice. The Tigers' spring game is scheduled for March 18 in Memorial Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football helped by Darius Robinson's move to defensive end
