Last season, the Missouri Tiger defensive tackle group was mostly a two-man show down the stretch of the season.
And with Kristian Williams out of eligibility, that leaves only Chris McClellan back from the primary rotation.
“Chris McClellan coming back, Sterling Webb, both were very, had a lot of plays, played a lot of games,” Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Very impactful in the games they played.”
Alongside McClellan and Webb - who was the distant third in the rotation last season - the Tigers will be looking for development from some combo of Marquis Gracial, Jalen Marshall, Justin Bodford, Sam Williams and Elias Williams, while also mixing in Ohio transfer Bralen Henderson and true freshman Jason Dowell.
Each of the younger guys will have specific battles to overcome to become a key member of the Tiger rotation.
For Marshall and Gracial, who both played somewhat regularly early in the season before falling to fewer than 10 snaps per game down the stretch, it’s as simple as taking advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
“Really encouraging and challenging both Jalen Marshall and Marquis Gracial to take that next step,” Drinkwitz said. “They’ve been in the rotation and kind of waiting their turns. We don’t need them to wait any longer. It’s their time to play.”
“Marquis has really improved with his weight, getting his weight more under contral so that he can be more explosive and continually find that next disruptive player,” Drinkwitz added. “We really are challenging Jalen Marshall. He’s got all the potential in the world to be a dominant football player, but he’s got to want it more every single day and so we’re challenging him to do that.”
But beyond that pair, the development of the pair of Williams’, who have limited combined playing experience with Sam Williams playing 49 total snaps last season and Elias Williams playing 11 total snaps last year, could be an even more key aspect of the room.
Especially if Elias Williams is as talented as the coaching staff has signaled.
“He’s actually a guy that, throughout the spring, flashed for us and very, very impressed with his growth,” Drinkwitz said of Elias Williams.
Add in Henderson and incoming freshman Dowell, a four-star recruit rated as the No. 27 defensive tackle in the country, and there is a lot of opportunity available to those willing to step up and take it in the defensive tackle room. Especially when surrounded by an edge rusher room touted as one of the best in the country and a linebacker room that is stacked with talent.
“There is a healthy competition at the defensive tackle room and if our edges are as good as we believe they are, it’s going to only create more opportunities for our defensive tackles with one-on-one blocks. So, really need those guys to continue to move forward.”
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