Who was Mizzou's defensive MVP?
Missouri (6-6) has a little over two weeks left to prepare for Wake Forest (7-5) in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23, but the team will look significantly different than it did a few weeks in the regular season finale versus Arkansas.
The Tigers have lost 10 scholarship players to the transfer portal and a couple of guys to the NFL Draft as of this writing.
Since the season is winding down, let's take a look at who should be the candidates for Mizzou's Defensive Most Valuable Player award.
The offense had just three players up for the MVP in the offensive version of this article. Part of that is because it's hard to judge offensive linemen and make a case for them to win the award. The other part is there were legitimately about three players worthy of the award while the defense has no less than five players who are worthy of claiming this award.
The Candidates
1.) Kris Abrams-Draine
Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine faced somewhat of a task in the offseason transitioning from a slot cornerback in Steve Wilks' 4-2-5 defense to an outside cornerback in Blake Baker's version of the defense.
This season, you could make an argument that Abrams-Draine played just as well on the outside against the opposing team's No. 1 wide receiver as he did on the inside in 2021. Last season he recorded 37 tackles, seven pass deflections, three interceptions and a fumble recovery last season in 13 games. This season, he had 40 tackles and Southeastern Conference-leading 13 pass deflections in 11 games this season.
Abrams-Draine made a fierce cornerback tandem with another player on this list and if he doesn't decide to depart the program he could be in line for another big season in Columbia in 2023.
2.) DJ Coleman
When defensive end DJ Coleman came over from Jacksonville State it's unknown whether Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz expected him to be a starter for him, but that's what happened. The former two-time FCS All-American took over the starting role from Trajan Jeffcoat in the last three games of the season after Coleman proved to be somewhat of a pass-rush specialist with 4.5 sacks which was the second-best on the team. He also added 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles across 12 games.
From week seven to week 12 Coleman had a streak of at least 0.5 sacks and 0.5 tackles for loss in each game. In week 13, his streak snapped, but he still recorded four tackles and had a forced fumble.
Coleman is one of two transfers to make this list, so for him to be one of the better defensive players on the team despite the depth of this defense is telling.
3.) Ty'Ron Hopper
The other transfer to make this list is linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper and if there were a midseason version of this award linebacker he'd probably win it going away. Through the first six games, the Florida transfer had 37 tackles, three pass deflections, an interception and a forced fumble.
In his first seven games, he recorded five tackles or more and finished the season with a season-best 11 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Hopper ended the regular season with 68 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four pass deflections, an interception and a forced fumble.
The linebacking core needed an upgrade and found a massive one in Hopper. He's undoubtedly a player Mizzou would like to return if he doesn't bolt for the NFL Draft.
4.) Isaiah McGuire
Defensive end Isaiah McGuire won this award last season after recording 55 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, six sacks, one pass deflection, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and he may be the favorite to win it again. McGuire earned All-SEC first-team honors this season after recording 40 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and a pair of fumbles.
From weeks 4-10, McGuire had at least 0.5 tackles for loss. From weeks 8-10 he had at least 0.5 sacks.
It probably helps that McGuire probably had the gutsiest performance of the season with five tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks with a separated shoulder with bowl eligibility on the line in week 13.
McGuire has declared for the NFL Draft and will miss the bowl game, so his presence will be well missed along that defensive line until the Tigers can replace him.
5.) Ennis Rakestraw
Abrams-Draine received a lot of attention for his play as the team's leading cornerback, deservedly so, but statistically, Ennis Rakestraw may have had a better season.
Rakestraw, who makes up the other side of the aforementioned tandem with Abrams-Draine, finished second in the SEC behind Abrams-Draine with 12 pass deflections and he added 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery. It's even more impressive that Rakestraw did this coming off of an ACL tear he suffered in 2021.
Rakestraw showed in week six against Florida that he is capable of being a team's No. 1 cornerback when he had five tackles and a pair of pass deflections. He actually had another pass deflection in that game, but a penalty negated the play which would've tied him with Abrams-Draine for the SEC lead.
Rakestraw ended the season with a pass deflection in eight straight games.
Who do we think will win?
PowerMizzou's pick: Isaiah McGuire
McGuire was the best defensive player last year and other teams knew that and he still had a career-high in sacks and he almost matched his totals in tackles for loss. Not to mention, he was a team captain this season and was one of the faces of a defense that enters the Gasparilla Bowl 28th in the FBS.
When he played well with a separated shoulder it was equivalent to having a Heisman moment.
The fact that there are five candidates who have a legitimate shot at winning the award is a testament to how much the defense has changed in a year.
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