Eli Drinkwitz has this goal for the Missouri Tigers secondary entering 2025
Missouri’s secondary isn’t short on talent. Or experience. Or competition.
But as the Tigers turn the page toward the 2025 season, it’s still unclear whether all those assets will lead to production.
The Tigers return multiple players with significant SEC experience — and welcome in several seasoned transfers. That depth has fueled one of the most tightly contested position groups in fall camp. But as proven last year, familiarity doesn’t always equal stability.
“We had alignment errors defensively,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said earlier this summer. “We’ve got to be more consistent in the back end.”
The issues were obvious last fall.
In road losses at Texas A&M and South Carolina — and even in tighter-than-expected wins against Auburn and Vanderbilt — breakdowns in the secondary allowed opposing offenses to both extend drives and strike quickly. The Tigers finished the year allowing 27.1 points per game in conference play, despite ranking near the top of the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss.
Now, with a defense built to disrupt up front, Missouri’s season could hinge on whether its back end can hold up.
Transfer addition Jalen Catalon was key
Few offseason additions were more important than that of Jalen Catalon. The seventh-year graduate safety has played in the SEC before at Arkansas and Texas and starred at UNLV last season. He quickly has become one of the defense’s most respected leaders even before playing his first snap with the Tigers.
“I want to be a champion in conference. I want to be a national champion,” Catalon said during spring camp. “If you’re not doing this to be that, you’re wasting your time.”
Catalon led UNLV with five interceptions and 95 tackles in 2024, earning first-team All-Mountain West honors and second-team All-America recognition from the College Football Network. He brings not only anticipation for highlight-reel hits, but also experience in communication — an area that plagued the MU secondary in key moments last year.
“The best way to adapt somewhere new is to make plays,” Catalon said. “I think when you make plays, everybody starts noticing you.”
Daylan Carnell brings big-play upside
Returning at the “STAR” position is graduate safety Daylan Carnell, who has recorded a defensive touchdown in three consecutive seasons at MU. His coverage grade of 81.9, according to Pro Football Focus, was the highest among Missouri defensive backs in 2024.
“I want to come out and lead, be a high-energy guy,” Carnell said in the spring. “My personal goal, though, is just to go out there and be dominant.”
While Carnell was above-average in coverage, he missed eight tackles last season. His run-defense grade came in at 69 — a sign that, while his ball skills and size can change games, the Tigers still need more consistent tackling from one of their most experienced leaders.
Mizzou’s ongoing cornerback competition
One of the most intriguing camp battles has unfolded at cornerback, where senior Toriano Pride Jr. and graduate transfer Stephen Hall are locked in what appears to be a close competition.
Pride, a transfer from Clemson, started last season with a pick-six against Murray State, but struggled to find consistency. His 70.3 PFF coverage grade was solid, but lapses in communication and downfield positioning led to chunk plays — several of which came in deflating road losses.
“The biggest thing for me is staying consistent,” Pride said in the spring. “Week by week, day by day, at practice and in the games, that’s something big I want to work on this year.”
Hall, a Washington State transfer who previously played junior-college ball, brings length and physicality. He graded out at 72.4 in coverage on 536 snaps last season and aims to battle Pride for the starting role.
Redshirt sophomore Shamar McNeil is expected to back up that tandem, while freshman Mark Manfred III will likely have the opportunity to develop and redshirt this season.
Marvin Burks and Dre Norwood seek redemption
At strong safety, junior Marvin Burks Jr. returns after a rocky 2024 season. While he’s one of the team’s most athletic players, Burks posted a PFF coverage grade of just 48.1 — the lowest among all returning Missouri defensive backs. He also missed nine tackles, a couple of which came in critical moments.
He’s being pushed by Virginia Tech transfer Mose Phillips and former Texas A&M transfer Dre Norwood, a redshirt senior whose own coverage grade (59.4) left plenty to be desired last season.
Phillips quietly posted a missed tackle rate under 8% last season at Virginia Tech and could be a breakout candidate if given extended reps.
Depth and new faces round out the group
Sophomore Trajen Greco, who saw limited action last season, is expected to back up Catalon at free safety but could take a leap into the rotation with a strong fall camp.
Redshirt sophomore Nick DeLoach returns after seeing an increase in action throughout the 2024 season. Northern Illinois transfer Santana Banner has earned praise for his physicality in camp and has an opportunity to play a pivotal role if his play translates to the SEC.
Senior Caleb Flagg, who transferred in from Houston Christian, offers depth at corner, while freshmen C.J. Bass (St. Louis) and Cameron Keys (Florida) may factor in later depending on health and development.
One thing is clear: Missouri has options, and fall camp will be pivotal in identifying which players are ready to make an impact.
“The room is very competitive. I’m really excited to see how it turns out,” Carnell said. “We’ve got ballplayers one through nine in that room.”
What to expect
This unit has the potential to be much improved. Catalon’s leadership and communication should help stabilize the group, and Carnell’s experience gives Missouri a reliable playmaker in the slot.
But several questions remain — especially at outside corner and strong safety — and tackling and defensive breakdowns remain among MU’s biggest concerns.
Missouri’s front seven is talented enough to force negative plays. But in order to slow down top-tier SEC offenses, the Tigers will need more from their defensive backs — not just in flashes, but in full, four-quarter stretches.
This fall, the secondary doesn’t just need to be improved. It needs to be dependable.
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