Monday triple: Missouri football lands West Virginia linebacker from portal, 3rd commit of day
- Story byColumbia Daily Tribune
- Monday triple: Missouri football lands West Virginia linebacker from portal, 3rd commit of day

Racing
It's a Tiger triple.
Missouri football put together its most productive day of the December transfer portal window on Monday, securing a commitment from West Virginia linebacker Josiah Trotter, who became Mizzou's third signing of the day.
With Trotter on board, the Tigers landed two linebackers in the space of a few hours. Earlier Monday, Nebraska linebacker Mikai Gbayor announced he was transferring to Mizzou. Before that, Missouri got the ball rolling on a busy recruiting day with Northern Illinois safety Santana Banner, who confirmed to the Tribune that he was signing for MU.
Mizzou now has four total players committed in this portal cycle. Mississippi State wide receiver Kevin Coleman was the first to announce, doing so on Saturday.
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Trotter, like Gbayor, comes in to fill a position where the Tigers needed some help.
After Mizzou's bowl game Dec. 30, Mizzou is going to lose three players in its four-man linebacker rotation. Chuck Hicks, Triston Newson and Corey Flagg Jr. each are set to run out of eligibility. That means only Khalil Jacobs, who spent more than half of the 2024 season sidelined with an injury, is eligible to return from that main group.
Trotter, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds and hails from Philadelphia , recorded 93 total tackles for West Virginia in 2024, which was his redshirt freshman season. He also recorded two pass breakups and one interception.
The linebacker was sidelined as a true freshman in 2023 with a knee injury.
Both Trotter and Gbayor are likely to compete for key roles on Mizzou's defense next season. Monday's announcements likely wrap up Missouri's chase for linebackers in this cycle, although Mizzou may opt to add one more before the portal window closes Dec. 28.
Trotter's father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., was a third-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and a four-time Pro Bowler. Josiah Trotter's older brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., was a fifth-round pick by the Eagles out of Clemson in the 2024 draft.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football lands WVU linebacker from portal, 3rd commit of day