2026 Mizzou Football Preview: Meet Your Safeties

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Previous Previews: QUARTERBACKS, RUNNING BACKS, TIGHT ENDS, WIDE RECEIVERS, OFFENSIVE LINE, DEFENSIVE TACKLES, DEFENSIVE ENDS.

Mizzou lost some of its major contributors in the safety room in Daylan Carnell, Jalen Catalon, and Marvin Burks Jr. That’s 1,542 defensive snaps lost from three players a season ago. Fortunately, the Tigers return some of their depth, plus a key contributor in that room in 2025. They also hit the portal hard with young talent to replenish the room.

Here’s who makes up Jacob Yoro’s room in 2026: 

• Brady Jones: 6-foot-3, 190 lbs., freshman, Fayetteville, AR.
• Carter Stewart: 6-foot-1, 185 lbs., Pearland, TX.
• CJ Bass III: 6-foot-2, 205 lbs., sophomore, St. Louis, MO.
• Graham Faust: 6-foot-3, 175 lbs., freshman, St. Louis, MO.
• Elijah Dotson: 6-foot-1, 190 lbs., sophomore, Detroit, MI.
• Jackson Hancock: 6-foot, 200 lbs, junior, Canton, GA.
• JaDon Blair: 6-foot-5, 213 lbs., sophomore, Winston-Salem, NC.
• Jayden McGregory: 6-foot-2, 198 lbs., freshman, West Des Moines, IA.
• Kensley Louidor-Faustin: 5-foot-11, 190 lbs., junior, Naples, FL.
• Santana Banner: 6-foot-3, 215 lbs., senior, Flint, MI.
• Trajen Greco: 6-foot, 196 lbs., junior, Buford, GA.
• Maddux Hermestroff: 6-foot, 182 lbs., Mundelein, IL.

The returners

Santana Banner – After transferring from the MAC, he stepped in as a key contributor to Mizzou’s defensive success in 2025. Banner collected 59 total tackles, the third-most on the team a season ago. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he brings a physical frame that fits well in the run game. In Mizzou’s first eight games in 2025, he collected a PFF tackling grade of 75-plus in all eight and was credited with 20 defensive stops, ranking seventh on the team. Not only does he return as one of Mizzou’s most productive defenders, but he also brings versatility with his game, lining up in the past within the box, slot, cornerback, and free safety. 

Trajen Greco – Climbing the depth chart in recent years, he’ll enters 2026 in a position to assume a starter role for the Tigers. Greco saw his snap count increase in 2025 from 37 to 139 where he collected seven tackles and a TFL. 66% of those snaps came at free safety, where he’ll see his playing time this season. He’s a former four-star recruit out of Georgia.

CJ Bass III – A former 4-star prospect from the East side of St. Louis, Bass will see an increased role in 2026 alongside Greco. He played just 27 snaps in 2025 against Central Arkansas and UMass. With his size at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he is a candidate to help fill what Daylan Carnell provided at the STAR. As we know, the STAR is a linebacker/safety hybrid, and Carnell played over 2,200 across five seasons. Will Bass play the most snaps at the position? That will likely go to a couple of players named later in this article, but he’s made strides:

From Matthew Gustafson’s camp notes on Aug. 15:

“There’s been really good competition. I think C.J Bass had a really good day too at the STAR position…So I’m pleased with where that position is going.”

Jackson Hancock played in 16 defensive snaps as a sophomore and 69 on special teams, while Maddux Hermestroff rounds out the returning depth.

Newcomers

Kensley Louidor-Fautsin – One of the frontrunners at the STAR. He saw his role increase at Auburn a season ago, where he had 20 combined tackles, three for a loss, an interception, a sack, and three pressures. He’s a different body type than Carnell was for Mizzou, three inches shorter and nearly 35 pounds lighter, but is physical enough to play close in the box.

Elijah Dotson – The Tigers will have a lot of options in the STAR in 2026. Dotson is another name to watch as a contributor at the position. Like Louidor-Faustin, he is on the lighter side at 190 pounds, but brings versatility. In his 94 snaps at Michigan, 41 came in the slot, with 48 more at wide corner. He’s a former 4-star recruit from Detroit, with four years of eligibility still left, making him a contributor now and in the future.

JaDon Blair – Arriving from Notre Dame, he has a lot of growth still ahead of him as he has just 19 snaps in his collegiate career as a true sophomore. All 19 snaps came in a 70-7 win over Syracuse last season. But there is a lot to like: at 6-foot-5 and 213 pounds, his frame makes him someone to project to eventually take over the STAR in future years. 

Jayden McGregory — Arrives as one of the top-rated high school recruits in Iowa: a 4-star prospect from West Des Moines and a star receiver with 765 receiving yards. It’s a crowded safety room, but it would be no surprise to see him get some action defensively. 

Carter Stewart — Was a multi-sport athlete in Texas, also competing in long and triple jump, but like McGregory, played both sides of the ball in Pearland. Brody Jones and Graham Faust are both three-star recruits arriving from Fayetteville and St. Louis Country Day.

Summing up the room in 2026

It’s not easy replacing three previous contributors, but the Tigers have plenty of options. Banner arrived from the Group of Six and thrived in the SEC, while Louidor-Fautsin has plenty of snaps playing in this conference. Many of the others will see increased roles and opportunities, like Greco.

But one thing to note is how versatile many of these players are. Add in young players like Dotson, Blair, and McGregory, and Corey Batoon and Yoro have plenty of options to work with.

Projected Depth Chart

STAR: Kensley Louidor-Faustin, Elijah Dotson, CJ Bass, JaDon Blair

ROVER: Santana Banner, Jayden McGregory, Jackson Hancock

FREE SAFETY: Trejen Greco, CJ Bass, Maddox Hermestroff, Carter Stewart, Brody Jones

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos