The Tigers have a Monday double.
Missouri football has signed Nebraska transfer linebacker Mikai Gbayor, the team announced Monday via its official X account. Gbayor was the second defensive player to commit to the Tigers out of the transfer portal of the day, following Northern Illinois safety Santana Banner earlier in the day.
Linebacker, like safety, is a position the Tigers needed to target in this transfer portal window.
Gbayor, who just finished his junior campaign with the Cornhuskers , has one remaining season of eligibility. He played in all 12 of Nebraska's regular-season games, starting 11 and recording 49 total tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack and three batted passes.
The linebacker, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and hails from Irvington, New Jersey, has played in 25 games over the course of his collegiate career after committing to Nebraska as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2021.
Gbayor could potentially fill an instant need on the Tigers' roster.
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Three players in Mizzou's core four-player rotation at linebacker are expected to run out of eligibility at the end of the season, with Chuck Hicks, Corey Flagg Jr. and Triston Newson each moving on after the bowl game.
That means only outside linebacker Khalil Jacobs, who missed more than half of the 2024 regular season due to injury, is eligible to return among the main rotation.
The Tigers played true freshman Nicholas Rodriguez in some reserve situations at outside linebacker after Jacobs' injury. Fellow true freshman linebacker Jeremiah Beasley played extensive reps on special teams units throughout the season, and is expected to return in 2025. True freshman Brian Huff, a former four-star prospect, also is eligible to return.
Mizzou signed two linebackers in its Class of 2025 earlier this month, landing four-star prospect Dante McClellan and three-star signee Jason King.
Gbayor's physical profile matches what the Tigers typically use at middle linebacker, where Hicks and Flagg played in 2024, but it's unclear if that's how Mizzou plans to use him next season.
Mizzou also has now gone one in, one out with Nebraska in December. Missouri freshman defensive end and former five-star prospect Williams Nwaneri committed to the Cornhuskers on Thursday.
Monday has been Mizzou's busiest day in the transfer portal to date, with two newcomers now on board and freshman running back Kewan Lacy announcing his intention to transfer out of the program.
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Gbayor is the third player to sign for the Tigers out of the transfer portal since it opened Dec. 9, following Banner at safety and Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman.
The December portal window will remain open through Dec. 28, which serves as the deadline for players to enter their names into the database. Players, provided they are already in the transfer portal, can commit to a new school after that deadline.
The Tigers likely will look to add at least one more linebacker before the winter window is shut down.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football addresses area of need, signs Nebraska linebacker
