Mizzou camp preview: Defensive end
On Sept. 1, Missouri will kick off the third season in the Eli Drinkwitz era with a home matchup against Louisiana Tech. The entire month before then will be used to prepare for a campaign that feels like it could go a long way toward defining Drinkwitz's Missouri tenure.
Fall camp, the official start of full-time practices, will begin Aug. 1. Each day between now and then, we will get fans set for camp by breaking down the Tiger roster one position at a time. In today's preview, we examine the situation at defensive end, which on paper looks like it could be one of the strongest positions on the Missouri defense.
The Starters
Missouri brings both of its starting defensive ends back from a season ago in Trajan Jeffcoat and Isaiah McGuire. Both players have shown flashes of dominance at times in their college careers. The question is whether or not they can achieve consistent production, which was an issue last season.
Missouri's defensive improvement toward the end of last year coincided with Jeffcoat and McGuire playing quite a bit better. Jeffcoat, a first-team all-SEC selection in 2020 when he logged six sacks in 10 games, logged 18 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, during the first eight games he played in 2021. Across the final four, he made 16 tackles, with 5.5 coming behind the line of scrimmage. Thirty of McGuire's 55 tackles and six of his 14 tackles for loss came in the final four contests. That included a dominant performance against South Carolina, during which McGuire recorded two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. If Jeffcoat and McGuire can play like that all season, particularly against the run, it would make life easier on the entire front seven.
The Backups
Despite the stability at the starting spots, the coaching staff added some reinforcements at defensive end during the offseason. Tyrone Hopper and DJ Coleman both joined the position group from the transfer portal. Hopper, a seventh-year senior from North Carolina, is the elder statesman of the defense. His career has been plagued by injuries but he's proven effective when healthy, such as when he logged 27 tackles and two sacks in 10 games in 2010. Coleman dominated at the FCS ranks, twice earning FCS All-American honors at Jacksonville State. He recorded 12 sacks across the past two seasons. If his ability to harass opposing quarterbacks can translate to the SEC, he could be a valuable situational pass-rusher.
Those newcomers will have plenty of competition for regular playing time, though. Johnny Walker and Arden Walker (no relation) both saw some playing time a year ago. Johnny Walker recorded a pair of sacks last season, while Arden Walker saw some early playing time but ultimately preserved his redshirt. If one of them can take a step forward, he could earn a spot on the two-deep.
The position group also includes a pair of talented, albeit inexperienced, in-state players in Travion Ford and DJ Wesolak. Ford has battled injury since arriving on campus in the 2021 class, and as a result he only appeared in one game last season, but there was a reason he earned offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and others on the recruiting trail. Wesolak comes to Missouri as a true freshman and brings unique athleticism that could earn him some playing time on special teams, but it would be a bit of a surprise if he's called upon to play a major role at defensive end this season considering the experiences Missouri has at the position.
Camp Storyline to Watch
Who wins out in the battles for the backup spots, the senior transfers or the underclassmen? The experience and age of Coleman and Hopper could give them an edge, and you have to think the coaching staff added them to the roster for one year with the idea that they would likely be used. But the trio of former four-star recruits in Arden Walker, Ford and Wesolak will likely make them work for it.
PowerMizzou prediction
It would come as a surprise if anyone supplanted McGuire and Jeffcoat atop the depth chart. We think Coleman and Hopper are the safe picks to at least open the season as the primary backups given their experience. But keep an eye on Arden Walker, who the coaching staff spoke highly of as a true freshman last season.
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