Missouri football gets marquee transfer commitment from Michigan corner
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A potential starter for the 2026 Missouri football defense has arrived.
Mizzou has landed a commitment from Michigan transfer cornerback Eljah Dotson, per a post to his Instagram account Tuesday night. Dotson was a true freshman for the Wolverines last season but made an impact in limited reps.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dotson played 94 total defensive snaps spread across nine games for Michigan last season. In that time, he has a pass breakup, an interception and six total tackles.
He allowed three completions on seven targets toward his coverage responsibility, according to the football analytics site.
Dotson, listed at 6 foot 1, 192 pounds, was a four-star cornerback in the Class of 2025, committing to Michigan as a top-100 player out of Belleville High in Detroit.
He’s now swapping Block M schools for his second college season, and that could fill a major need for Mizzou.
Missouri desperately needs cornerbacks in this transfer portal window. The Tigers’ top three players at the position — Dreyden Norwood, Toriano Pride Jr. and Stephen Hall, who accounted for more than 90% of the team’s snap share at corner in 2025 — are now out of eligibility.
Mizzou is also losing cornerback depth to the transfer portal, as true freshman Mark Manfred III has transferred to Kentucky and reserve Shamar McNeil has entered the portal.
That leaves the Tigers with Nicholas DeLoach Jr. and Cameron Keys as returners at the position. Both of whom are capable of competing for reps, but depth is extremely thin. Mizzou added two corners, Jaxson Gates and Ahmod Billins, in its Class of 2026.
In addition to Dotson, Missouri has also signed former Oregon starter Jahlil Florence out of the portal.
It seemed likely that the Tigers would target at least two corners with starting potential for 2026 out of the transfer portal, and the team has now hit that number.
Missouri may still look for more depth at the position, but the team at least now has enough competitive depth to fill out a rotation.
Dotson is the 18th total player to commit to Mizzou out of the transfer portal in this window.
The college football transfer portal opened Jan. 2 and will remain open for new entries through Friday, Jan. 16. That is only the final day for players to enter the portal database. Players may still commit to a new school after Jan. 16.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football gets transfer commitment from Michigan cornerback
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