Mizzou football notebook: Walker's role, DE depth, & Robinson's development

Last season’s Mizzou defense was really good. It was a top 35 defense in the nation and had two NFL defensive ends, Isaiah McGuire and DJ Coleman, manning the edges.

But despite losing those two players, Missouri has a chance to have a better defense in 2023.

Eight starters have returned on defense and the supplementary pieces the team has got via their freshmen class or players from the portal has really enhanced the depth of this team.

The only significant questions are at defensive end.

Not only will the Tigers be replacing McGuire and Coleman, but Trajan Jeffcoat and Arden Walker too. The former was a starting EDGE for multiple seasons while the latter looked primed to compete for a starting spot this season.

It won’t be an easy proposition to replace the team’s top four defensive ends (snaps-wise) from a season ago, but Missouri seems to think the EDGE spot won’t be as bad as some may think.

“I don’t think you’re ever really satisfied with anything that you have out there and that’s why we’re always trying to compete,” defensive end coach Kevin Peoples said. “But, I’m confident that our guys have the ability to be able to be successful. So, yes and no (about the concern of EDGE depth) naturally, but I’m confident in the guys that we have.”

One of the two starting EDGE spots seems to be Johnny Walker’s to lose.

He’s only seen limited reps in his first three seasons with the team, but now it’s his time to grab the brass ring that is one of the starting EDGE spots.

From spring, all the way through the first week of fall camp, he has been running with the first team, and Peoples has liked what he has seen so far.

“He’s done a really good job and we’re looking for him to be able to step up 一 a lot of production we lost with Isaiah McGuire,” Peoples said. “So, it’s not going to fall all on Johnny’s shoulders, but there’s going to be a team effort to get a bunch of production. … But John has done a great job of increasing his size, strength, his football IQ and you see a different level of seriousness in his approach to the game.”

Walker has embraced the idea of being expected to do more and lead this new wave of Missouri pass rushers.

But first, he had to get in the weight room.

It was always going to have to start there for Walker, who entered the program at 190 pounds in 2020.

Last season, Walker was at about 245 pounds last season and is currently hovering around 260 pounds.

“That’s been my biggest thing, gaining weight to play,” Walker said. “At the end of last year, I was around 240-245 pounds. I felt like if I was a little bit heavier I can be a better player. So, I mean just eating a little bit more, hitting the weights a little bit harder and it made me gain around 12-15 more pounds.”

In his opinion, Walker feels that the extra weight has already been helping his game.

He feels a lot stronger and believes he's setting edges better because of it.

Ultimately, Walker wants to establish himself as a starter with the intention of being "dominant and terrorizing quarterbacks in the SEC,” but there are still three weeks of camp left.

Walker may be considered the starter for now, but he'll have to continue to put the work in if he wants to retain that spot because there are a couple of defensive ends who have already been putting the coaching staff on notice.

A big part of why Missouri isn't worried about the depth of the position group is because they have a batch of newcomers that have already shown some promise.

Arizona State transfer Joe Moore has already been making waves for how he's attacked the offseason and put on some weight and got his conditioning on par for what it needs to be in the league.

"Joe has grown tremendously," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "We saw on tape pass rush ability, a guy who create pressure and was very effective for Arizona State in some difficult situations and challenges. Since Joe has been here, he's gained weight, put on muscle mass and has been able to really work on endurance.

"He has really responded. He's a guy that has had an outstanding summer and you can see it out there. I mean, he's got definition in his biceps and he looks like an SEC defensive end.

Moore comes to the team as the most experienced defensive end against Power 5 foes.

He racked up 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery in 2022.

Another transfer that has also shown signs of promise is Jackson State transfer Nyles Gaddy.

Last season under Deion Sanders, Gaddy was able to snag an All-Southwestern Athletic Conference first-team selection after recording 40 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and two bat downs.

Peoples said Moore and Gaddy have not only embraced the culture that's in place but have already shown their ability to have an impact on the field, and both should feature as integral parts of the EDGE unit.

"First of all, they both have the characteristics that we're looking for," Peoples said. "They fit in with what the culture is that Coach Drink built. So, that's the first thing, but then they both have pass-rush ability and have the ability to win one-on-one matchups against offensive tackles which is so key in football these days.

"So, we're really looking forward to seeing what those guys can do here in fall camp and I think the future is bright for both those kids."

Gaddy is listed on Missouri's roster at 6-foot-4 and 248 pounds but he is probably closer to 260 pounds.

Moore and Gaddy are at least likely to be heavy rotation pieces with Moore probably being the first EDGE off the bench or the person to start at defensive end whenever Darius Robinson is starting at his natural position of defensive tackle.

It's not just the transfers either.

Freshmen Serigne Tounkara and Jahkai Lang have seemingly gotten better week after week.

It's hard to know how much playing time either one of those guys gets on a regular basis but with each passing week it appears that these two will bypass the redshirt.

"I've really been impressed with Lang and Tounkara," defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. "Those two freshmen have flashed."

Both players appear to have a foundation for their pass-rush abilities and Lang specifically already has a solid frame at 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds.

The luxury of the Tigers bringing back eight defensive tackles from a season ago is being able to take one like Robinson and move him to EDGE to try and fill that hole on the depth chart.

Robinson will be splitting snaps at EDGE and defensive tackle on a situational basis.

So far, it's been a work in progress but Robinson is coming along.

"It's been different but I've been learning a lot," Robinson said. "I have a great coach in Coach Peoples teaching me all of the fundamentals I need to know because there's a big difference between the edge and the inside. The alignment and the space, the distance from defensive end to defensive tackle and where your angles are they're way off."

Another big adjustment for Robinson has been his conditioning and weight.

He played last year at around 300-305 pounds and is now at 290 with his goal being to stay within 285-290 for the rest of the season.

"You've got to run a lot," Robinson said. "The first few days I was exhausted and I was wondering if I was in shape but I realized you have to cover more ground and our defense requires a lot more conditioning and running."

Robinson spent most, if not all, of spring trying to learn how to play EDGE, and at this point in camp, Peoples (and the Tigers coaching staff as a whole for that matter) has confidence in Robinson's ability to play both spots and contribute wherever they put him.

"He's a big, fast, strong athletic guy and done a really good job of working very hard to learn the position," Peoples said. "It's just different blocks and different spaces, and it takes a while. So, it's nice to have him out there in spring and be able to work hard in the summer and I think it's becoming more natural for him. I know he'll still have the ability to slide inside and be able to do both. So, that's the advantage for us."

Robinson recorded 35 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

He also was named to the preseason All-SEC third team.

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