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College football season is upon us, now less than a few months away from the official start of Missouri football. If ever there was a reminder of the sport’s current landscape, Monday marked the official induction of Texas and Oklahoma into the Southeastern Conference, along with a flurry of moves literally from coast to coast.
As the SEC gets bigger and, presumably, tougher, doing good work in the transfer portal becomes even more important. Missouri football has had some busy windows, securing commitments from 15 players for the new season.
Here are three transfers that may have gone a little unnoticed, but could be vitally important to Mizzou’s success in the 2024 campaign, when a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff appears to be an achievable ambition for Eli’s Tigers. Drinkwitz.
More: Here’s where the Missouri football defense looks strong and where the questions still need to be answered
Marcus Bryant, left back
The success of Missouri’s offense will largely be dictated by the performance of its potential new left tackle, Marcus Bryant.
Good news, pre-season at least: this was as promising a move for the position as was available.
Bryant is 6-foot-3 and weighs 318 pounds. He was selected first-team All-AAC last season with SMU. While not a perfect O-Line efficiency statistic, the Mustangs allowed just 16 sacks in 14 games last season – a rate good for 13th in the FBS.
Now, Bryant is tasked with protecting quarterback Brady Cook’s blindside.
Mizzou left tackle Javon Foster was selected first-team All-SEC his senior year before being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft. He was a mountain in the run game, often serving as a play-side blocker for running back Cody Schrader in his record-setting season.
Bryant has yet to get through his first camp with the Tigers, but best guesses suggest he’ll be the starting tackle when the Tigers open their season on Thursday, Aug. 29, at home against Murray State. There is a possibility he could line up alongside highly touted left guard and Oklahoma transfer Cayden Green on the left side of the line.
If Bryant wins the starting left tackle job, the team’s success won’t rest entirely on his shoulders, but his level of play will be an important indicator of how Missouri’s offense is performing.
Zion Young, defensive end
New defensive coordinator Corey Batoon has a set plan for how he wants his edge rushers to operate. On one side, in what he calls the ‘Joker’ role, is the edge and seemingly the team’s leading pass rusher. On the other side is probably Zion Young, the burly end of the field.
Young, who is 6-6, 265, was among the players most mentioned by coaches during the spring. The Michigan State transfer, who had 47 tackles and 2.5 sacks in two seasons in East Lansing, has been hailed as the prototype for what the Tigers are looking for on that side of the line, which looks like it will primarily focus on setting the edge on the who MU’s new defensive ends coach Brian Early called a “bigger anchor type.”
How Batoon wants its edge rushers to create chaos will become clearer in the fall. Missouri’s defense — especially in the Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State — made a name for itself by chasing the passer. Johnny Walker Jr. was a potent threat for most of last season. Georgia transfer Darris Smith will split reps with Walker and appears to be a promising addition.
If Mizzou can get both sides to play the role of disruptor, that will be a solid foundation for a PCP push.
“Zion is like a bull in a china shop, man,” Walker said during spring camp. “The guy, he’s an aggressive pass rusher, an aggressive rim setter – just aggressive and a great player.”
More: Meet ‘Huge’ Chris McClellan, Missouri Football’s Potentially Crucial New Defensive Tackle
Nate Noel, running back
Running behind Anderson Hardy and pulling Bucky Williams, Nate Noel missed a man and went 2-for-2 in scoring from 50+ yards in Statesboro.
Noel ran for 70 yards here as a freshman in 2020.
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The sprawling receivers room transforms into the Tigers’ Golden Child. Tight end Brett Norfleet added a new outlet to the Tigers’ offense in his freshman year. Georgia State transfer running back Marcus Carroll gives MU a big, busy, downhill running back.
But don’t underestimate what Noel could offer this offense on defense.
The coaching staff seemed impressed with Noel’s craftiness and evasiveness during the spring. If Mizzou has a tailback capable of changing pace, it could change the dynamic of its running game.
Noel rushed for over 3,000 yards during his four-year career at Appalachian State. Of his 18 career touchdowns for the Mountaineers, five started in his own half. Ten were from within the red zone.
Mizzou running backs coach Curtis Luper isn’t opposed to running with two tailbacks and drew a comparison between Carroll and Noel to former MU standouts Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie.
One of the staff’s main offensive missions was to improve red zone efficiency. The 5-10 quarterback’s tape shows big-play ability, elite speed — it’s worth noting that Noel was part of a state championship-winning 4×100-meter relay team in high school in Florida — and a natural ability to make the defenders make mistakes, which wins. it won’t hurt Mizzou’s cause.
More: One question facing every position group about the 2024 Missouri football offense
This article originally appeared in the Columbia Daily Tribune: 3 transfers that could help shape Missouri football’s success in 2024
