After deciding he wanted to come back to Columbia for one more season with Missouri, senior safety Daylan Carnell instantly became one of the most important pieces of the Tiger defense.
“The decision to come back mostly just came down to what was left on the table for me,” Carnell said. “I mean, I felt like me coming back would only help me.”
From his hybrid "star" position on the defense, Carnell has been one of the leaders on the Tiger defense the past two years. As a sophomore, he recorded 51 tackles with six for loss, three sacks, seven passes broken up and two forced fumbles to go with an interception he returned for a touchdown against South Carolina.
Then his junior season he added 51 tackles with five for loss, seven passes broken up, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown to give him one score in each of his three seasons.
“I just want to come out, lead, be a high-energy guy,” Carnell said.
But he’s leading a group of safeties that had a lot of turnover from last year to this year. Carnell had a lot of new faces to get to know as the safety group lost Joseph Charleston, Tre’Vez Johnson, Sidney Williams and Phillip Roche, while adding Santana Banner, Jalen Catalon and Mose Phillips through the transfer portal and four-star CJ Bass as a true freshman.
“Transfers … they all came in and competed,” Carnell said. “They all come in super early every day, they come get work in. The room is very competitive, I’m really excited to see how it turns out. We've got ball players, like, one-through-nine in that room.
“CJ Bass, that’s little bro right there, I really took him under my wing. I’ve really been doing extra work with him right now.”
Carnell said Bass has jumped in with him and sophomore Trajen Greco at the "star" spot, while the remaining safeties have been playing in the back end of the Tigers’ three-safety defense.
But he added that you might see anyone in the safety room playing in any role.
“Anybody at the back end, anybody could play any position,” Carnell said. “So right now, that’s where they’re working, but by Tuesday, that could change.”
With Carnell returning for spring practice and one more year with the Tigers, he’s now the elder statesman in a room that has had a lot of talented players in his time in Columbia. And in his final trip through the March schedule, he said he’s focused on self improvement and leadership as the Tigers try to set themselves up for a third consecutive double-digit win season.
“My first (spring practice) I was just out here trying to get recognized,” Carnell said. “... But now, it’s more like just polishing my game and really honing in on the details and trying to perfect certain things."
“We’ve got a whole new makeup,” Carnell added. “Whole new team, quarterback is new, new everything it feels like. So, I mean, we’re just going out there and re-establishing our identity in pracitce, just really leaning on our EDGE acronym we always live by. Energy, details, grit and emotional consistency, and just build from there.”
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription.
Talk about this story in the story thread and discuss so much more in The Tiger Walk.
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines.
