Sign up for a new annual subscription today using the promo code KICKOFF2023 and you'll save 60% off your first year of an annual subscription.

Missouri just finished up fall camp over the weekend and will start to turn its attention to its season opener versus South Dakota on Aug. 31.

With most positions likely being determined internally, let's project who the first team defense and special teams will be entering week one.

Players available: Darius Robinson (Gr.), Kristian Williams (Sr.), Realus George (Gr.), Johnny Walker (Jr.), Jayden Jernigan (Sr.), Joe Moore (Jr.), Nyles Gaddy (Sr.), Josh Landry (Gr.), Jahkai Lang (Fr.), Serigne Tounkara (Fr.), Jalen Marshall (R-Fr.), Marquis Gracial (R-Fr.), DJ Wesolak (R-Fr.), Austin Firestone (R-Fr.), Ky Montgomery (R-So.), Sam Williams (Fr.), Andrew Serrano (Jr.), Jack Meyer (R-So.)

Analysis: Starting with the defensive tackles, this is one of the deepest positions on the team with their top 8 players at the position returning.

Williams is probably the second-best defensive lineman on the team behind Robinson, who has moved to EDGE as his new primary position to start the season.

Robinson will split time between EDGE and tackle, but he spent most of spring and fall camp working at defensive end. So, he will probably be on the outside more than the inside.

Jernigan has had a good offseason and will be in a good position to start if Robinson stays at defensive end for the whole season. This same scenario applies to George.

Marshall and Gracial have been built over the last year as the future of the position, and with four defensive tackles running out of eligibility and someone like Kristian possibly being NFL-bound, those two will have to get some reps this year.

Defensive end is the only position on defense with any true questions, and head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff have never seemed too worried about the position because they're an aggressive defense.

They'll blitz linebackers and secondary players to help complement the four-man front regardless of who was lining up at EDGE anyway.

Walker has been the talk of the offseason and he will figure into a big role.

The transfers Moore and Gaddy have had good offseasons and will be a part of the rotation probably on passing downs.

The freshmen Lang and Tounkara have really impressed the team since they arrived and they'll play. As of now, they will probably skip the redshirt.

Projected starters: Robinson, Williams, George and Walker

Robinson will start at EDGE opposite Walker. If Robinson, doesn't work at defensive end he will simply reclaim his starting spot at defensive tackle.

For Walker, Drinkwitz has said he's earned his starting spot but he will have to work to fend off Moore and Gaddy.

Williams is a lock while the defensive tackle is anyone’s guess.

Jernigan was working with ones during camp, but George was working with the ones at the last practice of fall camp. Plus, he had a much better season than Jernigan a year ago.

Either one of them could start, but I'll go George for now.

Players available: Chad Bailey (Sr.), Ty'Ron Hopper (Sr.), Dameon Wilson (So.), Chuck Hicks (Gr.), Triston Newson (Jr.), Carmycah Glass (R-Fr.), Ben Straatmann (Gr.), Brayshawn Littlejohn (Fr.), Will Norris (Jr.), Tyson Ellison (Fr.), Tommy Reese (Fr.)

Analysis: Hopper is a preseason All-Southeastern Conference second-team selection and probably the best defender on the team.

Bailey has been dealing with a "soft tissue" injury for a while now and was limited throughout camp.

He told us last Friday he was fine before Drinkwitz said on Saturday Bailey is working his way back to being "comfortable." So, he's probably day-to-day.

This doesn't appear to be something that'll keep him out of action for a long period of time.

Wilson has been getting the first-team reps due to Bailey's absence and the team feels comfortable with him filling the role. He did it last year for a couple of games when Bailey was dealing with an arm injury.

Newson was a guy who had a great spring and an okay fall camp. He's very athletic and has been called a "ballhawk," but the leap from JUCO to the SEC is massive.

He will still figure into their plans, but entering fall camp, it seemed he would be in Wilson's spot as the first linebacker off the bench.

Hicks is returning to the field after missing all of last season. It'll be interesting to see how he's used. There were a couple of times during fall camp when Bailey would be running gassers or doing stuff to the side and Hicks was working with him.

Glass is an intriguing prospect at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, but his role and where he would fit in the defense is still unknown.

Straatmann, who was recently awarded a scholarship, switched from defensive lineman to linebacker from what we saw during last Friday's scrimmage and performed well.

Projected starters: Hopper and Bailey

Hopper is a lock. If Bailey is healthy, which we expect him to be, he will retain his starting spot.

If not, look for Wilson to do the honors in his place.

Players available: Kris Abrams-Draine (Jr.), Ennis Rakestraw (Jr.), Dreyden Norwood (R-So.), Marcus Clarke (Sr.), Shamar McNeil (Fr.), Nicholas DeLoach (Fr.), Devyn Butler (R-So.), Boyton Cheney (R-Fr.), Ricardo Merriweather (Fr.), Nasir Pogue (R-Fr.), Caiman Hayes (Jr.)

Analysis: There's not too much to say about Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw. The former is on the preseason All-SEC second-team with Hopper while the latter probably should've been on one of the three preseason all-conference teams.

Norwood is a depth piece that should be a solid fill-in whenever Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw need a breather or are unavailable.

McNeil has flashed as someone who may be able to compete with Clarke for that fourth cornerback start and avoid the redshirt, but that's to be determined.

Projected starters: Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw

They’re one of the best, if not, the best cornerback duo in the nation.

Players available: Jaylon Carlies (Sr.), Joseph Charleston (Sr.), Daylan Carnell (R-So.), Tre'Vez Johnson (Jr.), Marvin Burks (Fr.), Sidney Williams (Jr.), Tyler Hibbler (R-So.), Phillip Roche (Fr.), Isaac Thompson (R-Fr.)*

Analysis: Carlies has a lot of potential but he has to put it together this season. The free safety missed a few days of camp dealing with an injury, but Drinkwitz said he is a "full-go" going forward.

Carlies has the physical tools of an NFL safety, but Drinkwitz said he returned to the Tigers to improve his "fundamentals, technique and be one year better."

Charleston served in a Swiss army knife type of role for the Tigers last season with the former Clemson Tiger having over 300 snaps at slot corner, over 200 snaps at free safety and over 100 in the box.

The Tigers believe Williams can do a similar thing and has a good chance to serve as Charleston's main backup.

Burks has climbed the depth chart really fast and was named as the backup free safety to Carlies before fall camp began. Other players and coaches have been high on him all offseason, so he will be a a big part of this rotation going forward.

Carnell led the team in takeaways with five a season ago while coming off of the bench behind Martez Manuel and now will have a bigger role in the defense this year.

Johnson was someone described as possibly "the steal of the portal" for how well he's acclimated to the team on and off the field. He and Carnell will probably be in a 1-1A role at the STAR this season.

Hibbler and Roche had good camps but it's unknown how they'd fit into the rotation.

Thompson missed all of camp and will now miss the season with what appears to be a knee injury.

Projected starters: Carlies, Charleston and Carnell

Not many surprises here as far as who starts but this is one of the deepest positions on the team.

Although, each safety spot has a starter and a backup, all of the safeties have played in different safety spots. So, don't be surprised if you see someone like Johnson at free safety or Williams lining up at STAR.

Players available: Harrison Mevis (Sr.), Blake Craig (Fr.), Nick Quadrini (R-Fr.), Riley Williams (Sr.), Luke Bauer (So.)

Analysis: Mevis is still a top-three or four placekicker in the country. So, no competition exists for that spot.

Williams and Bauer have had one of the better position battles of fall camp, and it's possible both punters get a chance to compete in the first couple of weeks of the season.

Projected starters: Mevis (kicker), Williams (punter), Luther Burden III (So.) (punt returner), Kris Abrams-Draine

Obviously, Mevis as the kicker.

Williams is the scholarship punter who was fourth in the FCS in punting last season en route to all-conference honors at Towson. In a position battle this close, you have to assume the scholarship player with the accolades gets the nod.

Burden will simply be the punt returner as long as he wants to be or until the coaching staff thinks it's too dangerous to let him do it.

There's been a number of players practicing kick returns during fall camp, but the player who was running with the hands team and was the deep man for kick returns was Abrams-Draine.

Kickoffs are being phased out of the game more and more, so the Tigers just need someone who is good at decision-making and knows when to return the kick or not.

It could very well be someone else, but it needs to be someone who won't turn the ball over or jeopardize field position.

Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription

Talk about this story and more in The Tigers' Lair

Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video and live streaming coverage

Follow our entire staff on Twitter