We're less than a month away from SEC Media Days in Dallas. With the offseason slowly but surely winding down, there’s still enough time to talk about the acquisitions and departures Missouri's 2024 (and 2025) conference opponents have made.
Next up is Auburn, which is Missouri's third conference opponent. The two teams will match up in Week 8 on Oct. 19.
Last season's record: 6-7
Key departures: CB Nehemiah Pritchett, S Jaylin Simpson, CB D.J. James, DT Justin Rogers, DT Marcus Harris, QB Robby Ashford, WR Ja'Varrius Johnson
Key additions: WR Keandre Lambert-Smith, DE Keyron Crawford, DL Gage Keys, WR Robert Lewis, DL Philip Blidi, S Jerrin Thompson, OL Percy Lewis
Key departures
Almost all of Auburn's key departures are players who went to the NFL.
Pritchett, Simpson, James, Rogers and Harris were Day 3 draft picks in April, and anytime you lose five players to the draft that's a massive loss.
Pritchett was the highest-drafted Auburn player going with the first pick of the fifth round to the Seattle Seahawks after he had 22 tackles, a tackle for loss, three pass deflections and an interception in nine games.
Simpson lined up at free safety and racked up 36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a team-high four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), three pass deflections and a fumble recovery in 13 games. He was a fifth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts.
James was Auburn's other outside corner opposite Pritchett last year and he recorded 38 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 10 pass deflections (team-high) and two interceptions in 12 games before being selected in the sixth round by the Seahawks.
Rogers was a seventh-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys after recording 17 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. At 6-foot-3 and 346 pounds, he was mostly there to clog the inside running lanes.
Harris was the last Auburn player picked with pick No. 247 by the Houston Texans. He recorded 40 tackles, a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 7.5 sacks, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The most high-profile departure that didn't go to the NFL is Ashford, who started 12 games in 2022. In 2023, he completed just 14-of-27 passes for 145 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 46 carries for 217 yards and five touchdowns. He's transferred to South Carolina.
Lastly, the team's second-leading receiver from a year ago, Johnson transferred to UCF after recording 19 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns.
Key additions
Auburn found an instant starter in former Penn State wide receiver Lambert-Smith, who led the Nittany Lions in receptions (53) and receiving yards (673) last year to go with his four touchdowns. He's listed as a four-star transfer and the No. 118 overall player in the Rivals transfer tracker rankings.
Last season, Crawford was second on Arkansas State in tackles for loss at 10.5 and sacks at 5.5 to go with 44 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a pass deflection. Crawford is the No. 158 overall player in the portal.
Keys recorded 21 tackles for Kansas in 2023.
Robert Lewis was Georgia State's leading receiver with 70 receptions for 770 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. He is the No. 271 overall player in the portal,
Blidi, the 285th overall transfer, recorded 30 tackles, four tackles for loss and a pass deflection for Indiana in 12 games last season
Thompson, the No. 305 overall player in the portal, recorded 38 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and led the team in pass deflections (seven) and interceptions (three) for Texas in 14 games.
Percy Lewis played in 12 games (seven starts) for Mississippi State and had a run-blocking grade of 63.0 and a pass-blocking grade of 72.2. The 6-foot-7, 355-pounder is the No. 575 overall player in the portal.
Overall, the Tigers lost NFL talent and that hurts but they brought back some decent pieces going into year two of the Hugh Freeze era.
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