3/8/2024 football Edit

Mizzou Spring Ball Notebook: Overhauling the defensive tackles

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou

Staff Writer

Mizzou has experienced several changes to the defense this offseason, which included losing its defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach to LSU. Still, seven starters are returning to that side of the ball.

However, only one of those starters (Kristian Williams) is a defensive tackle. Not only that, the Tigers will have to rebuild their two-deep around Williams. The four-man rotation of Williams, Realus George, Josh Landry and Jayden Jernigan is no more after the latter three ran out of eligibility following the 2023 season.

The Tigers do have a lot of bodies at defensive tackle, but who makes the two-deep is one of the bigger questions for this squad.

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On top of all the loss defensively, Missouri lost five of its six team captains from a year ago. But defensive tackle coach Al Davis believes that had the makings of team captain dating back to at least last season.

"He was already that (a leader). When that dog barks everybody listens. They've got to," Davis said. "It's one of those deals where Kristian has earned his respect around him. He's the only kid on the football team who is going to be fully dressed for football practice before we go to position meetings. He's the only kid that you're going to see up here on an off day consistently. Most of our team comes in on Saturdays. But who is going to be here on Sunday too? Kristian Williams.

"So, he's already earned that respect. Again, he's never been on a list for missing weights, missing class or any of that stuff. So, when he talk the whole program listens and he earned that way before those other three seniors got out of here and D-Rob is gone. Nah, when those guys were here, if Kristian said something they listened too."

The former Oregon Duck had a career year last season, racking up 25 tackles, five tackles for loss, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Going into year three with the Tigers, he wants to improve his play, that's part of the reason why he came back, but he's focusing on being a better leader for the team's young defensive tackle group that has a combined 24 snaps returning to the position group (not including transfers).

“(I've) just got to stay hungry. Stay humble and hungry. Bring other guys up with me as well,” Williams said. “And then on top of that, I mean, like I said before, I wish nothing but the best for the guys (who departed the team) but I mean, new guys coming in, we've got to step into the roles of them as well. So there just can't be any drop-off."

Behind Williams, the team brought Florida transfer Chris McClellan and New Mexico State transfer Sterling Webb.

McClellan, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, recorded 23 tackles, a tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks last season. He seems like the most likely candidate to slide into that DT2 spot alongside Williams in the lineup. For now, though, it's just about getting him used to playing in a four-down linemen set.

"I think he's a big athlete that moves extremely well. The style of defense is a little different," Davis said. "So, he has to get adjusted to his stance changing, playing a little bit more single-gap stuff. They were in that 3-4 where he was always a zero or a 4i. Here, he's going to play all along the line but his movement skills are great. He's got some stuff that he needs to continue to work on but it's been good having him around because we're trying to replace a lot of depth."

Webb, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, racked up 30 tackles, six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks (led the team) last season.

"I love Sterling. He's a real good kid. A yes, sir. No, sir kind of guy. He works extremely hard," Davis said. "He's a young guy that has some experience at an early age out in New Mexico. Here, we didn't have those guys. All our guys that played were the older guys. Our young guys didn't get that same experience. So, where he helps us is he bridges a gap between Kristian's class and then the Jalen Marshall and Marquis (Gracial) class. So, it was really good for us to be able to bring a kid back home because he from St. Louis.

"And on film, you can see he played in the Auburn game last year,” Davis said. “You see him play against guys that are in this conference, (and he'd) hold his own, get off blocks and go make plays. So, he's going to be an asset for us, that's for sure."

Gracial, who will be a redshirt sophomore in the fall, is the only returning defensive tackle outside of Williams to have played any snaps in his career.

He recorded a tackle in 24 snaps across two appearances last season and has been working alongside Marshall, who is also a redshirt sophomore, for the last couple of years, as the team has hoped that they'd be part of their rotation of the future, which now is the present.

"I think Marquis and Jalen both in the same class get here at the same time, two different types of body types, two different kids but learned from those older guys how to work, how to take notes and how to study the film," Davis said. "The last scrimmage we had on Saturday they watched that with Kristian on Sunday. That's growth. Marquis and Jalen wouldn't have done that two years ago ... But also now they're on their own. They know how to work a little bit. And it's starting to show up a little bit."

The Tigers have enough players to fill out the defensive tackle room but like defensive ends, it's more so about who is going to slot in where on the depth chart.

On the other hand, starting and not starting doesn't matter nearly as much at this position as it does at others. The top four players usually get the same workload. So, it's really about finding out who the top four will be.