Spring football preview: Defensive end
Missouri will enter kick off its first spring under new head coach Eliah Drinkwitz on Saturday, March 7. Each day until then, we will break down the roster one position group at a time. Today, we switch over to the defensive side of the ball and take a look at the defensive ends.
The starters: For the second offseason in a row, the biggest question mark facing the Missouri defense comes at defensive end. The Tigers only got four sacks combined from its defensive ends a season ago, and one of those came from Franklin Agbasimere, who is no longer on the roster. That’s the bad news. The good news, I suppose, is that Missouri brings everyone except Agbasimere back in 2020. Still, someone will need to take a step forward and become a consistent pass rusher for the Tiger defense to reach its potential.
Chris Turner has the most experience of the group, having started 25 games in a row. Turner is rarely caught out of position but hasn’t shown the explosiveness of a feared pass-rusher; he has just two sacks each of the past two seasons. Tre Williams and Jatorian Hansford split time across from Turner a season ago, and they figure to be the two primary contenders for the other starting spot. Williams, a Columbia native, had three sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2018 but has just 3.5 sacks in the past two seasons combined. Hansford drew high praise as a recruit but has yet to put it all together in his first two years at Missouri. He recorded 15 tackles last season and is still looking for his first sack.
The backups: The coaching staff brought in Sci Martin out of junior college prior to last season with the hope that he could make an instant impact. Instead, Martin never saw the field. Still, the former LSU signee who put up 33.5 sacks as a senior in high school clearly has talent; perhaps he can contribute after a full offseason at Missouri. Same goes for redshirt freshman Z’Core Brooks, who sat out all of last season.
Newcomers to know: Missouri added another junior college transfer this offseason in the hopes that he can provide a spark off the edge. Australia native Ben Key has only been playing American football for a few years, but he recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks at East Los Angeles junior college last season and he has already enrolled at Missouri and will thus participate in spring practices. The Tigers also signed high school prospect Johnny Walker, who will enroll in the summer.
Storyline to watch: Can anyone on the current roster provide a consistent pass rush, or will Missouri have to look elsewhere? During his National Signing Day press conference, Drinkwitz said the Tigers have to do a better job of getting pressure with their front four. If none of the returning players has taken a big leap in the offseason, look for the staff to heavily pursue any available graduate or junior college transfers.
PowerMizzou prediction: As of right now, it’s hard to forecast the defensive end depth chart looking much different at the end of the spring than it does currenlty. Turner, Williams and Hansford likely continue to play with the first team, with Key possibly joining the rotation. However, at some point it seems the staff has to try to find a transfer to boost the pass rush.
Previous position previews: