Past or present: Comparing Missouri's 2023 & 2024 defensive tackles
Spring ball and the spring transfer portal are long behind us, which means Missouri's roster is taking more of a definitive shape. So now is as good a time as any, to compare the 2023 team to this year's team.
PowerMizzou will make a position-by-position comparison. Next up, are the defensive tackles. We'll do just the top four scholarship players on the depth chart for this group.
| 2023 | 2024 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
|
Kristian Williams (starter) |
Kristian Williams |
2024 |
|
Jayden Jernigan (starter) |
Chris McClellan |
2024 |
|
Josh Landry |
Sterling Webb |
2023 |
|
Realus George |
Several players |
2023 |
Kristian Williams is the only player from the four-man unit in 2023 who will be returning this fall. He racked up 25 tackles, five tackles for loss, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He's the only player with a solidified spot (as the starter) in the defensive tackle rotation entering fall camp. He should have more reps than everyone even if it’s by a little and another year of experience doesn’t hurt.
It’ll be a little harder since he doesn’t have a first-round pick getting some extra attention but he should be alright.
Jayden Jernigan had a much better year in 2023 than in 2022 with him recording 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. All of those stats were up compared to the prior year.
However, Chris McClellan (on paper) seems to be an upgrade.
McClellan transferred to Mizzou this offseason after two productive seasons at Florida. As a freshman in 2022, he recorded 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Last season, he put up comparable stats to his 2022 season with 23 tackles, a tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks.
Jernigan was an undersized defensive tackle at 280 pounds.McClellan will be one of the bigger players on the team at 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds. So, expect him to be more of a presence plugging up gaps in the run game.
The former four-star prospect isn't a lock to start but he will almost certainly be in the rotation and will probably go into camp as the projected DT2.
Josh Landry had the most tackles of any defensive tackle last year with 32 to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss. The 2023 campaign was far and away the best season of his career and led to him getting a rookie minicamp invite by the Detroit Lions following the 2024 NFL Draft.
Sterling Webb is another transfer coming over from New Mexico State. During spring ball, defensive tackle coach Al Davis said he "loves" Webb and that the former Aggie proved what he could do in league play when he had two tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss in the win over Auburn last season.
For the 2023 campaign, he registered 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Like McClellan, Webb brings playing experience having also played two seasons but still has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Webb could be an upgrade over Landry considering the numbers he put up as just a sophomore but those numbers didn't come from playing in the SEC, which gives Landry the slight edge.
Realus George played 380 snaps to Landry's 383 in 2023 so he technically was the DT4, but he far and exceeded the expectations of most DT4s. The former Miami Hurricane recorded 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
The Tigers have several options at DT4 with redshirt sophomores Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall, redshirt freshman Sam Williams and freshman Justin Bodford.
It would be wishful thinking to assume that any of those players will put up the level of production that George put up in 2023 when considering Gracial is the only one to have played any defensive snaps (24 career snaps).
Other scholarship defensive ends: Gracial (R-So.), Marshall (R-So.), Williams (R-Fr.), Bodford (Fr.)
Overall advantage: 2023
As a unit, defensive tackle was one of the more complete positions on the team. Only 76 snaps separated DT1 (Kristian Williams) and DT4 (George). Also, three of the four top tackles recorded 25 tackles, and all four recorded at least 2.5 tackles for loss. When you have two starters coming off the bench and everyone is producing it's hard to say that a younger group with a couple of transfers is a better unit than that. At least, right now.
Other comparison profiles
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