Missouri football adds Miami edge rusher Malik Bryant | Report
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Missouri football has added Miami edge rusher Malik Bryant out of the transfer portal, according to a report Friday morning from Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer at CBS Sports and 247Sports. That fills one of the last major remaining needs on the Tigers’ 2026 roster.
The defensive end spent three seasons with Miami after committing as a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023, and now is traveling to Columbia at a position Missouri needs some instant production.
On Thursday, star Missouri defensive end Damon Wilson II committed to play for Miami in 2026.
He is the second Miami defensive lineman to transfer to Columbia in this transfer portal window, following freshman defensive tackle Donta Simpson Jr.
Bryant was behind likely first- or second-round 2026 NFL Draft picks and defensive ends Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor on the defensive depth chart for the Hurricanes in 2025.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound edge rusher played in the Hurricanes’ first two games of the season, recording a couple of tackles over the course of games against Notre Dame and Bethune-Cookman.
He appeared to deal with some injuries, and was listed as out on availability reports during Miami’s College Football Playoff run, which ended with a title-game loss to Indiana.
Bryant, who was a four-star pledge out of Orlando, Florida, in the Class of 2023, saw his most playing time in 2024, playing 160 snaps in 12 games and recording 11 quarterback pressures and a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bryant is likely to play Mizzou’s boundary edge-rushing position, which is where returner Darris Smith and outgoing transfer Wilson typically lined up last season. It’s essentially a hybrid linebacker/edge rushing spot where Missouri expects a bulk of its pass-rush production to come from.
Mizzou is losing both of its starting defensive ends from the 2025 season, as Wilson was one of the most-surprising portal entrants of the offseason, while Zion Young is out of eligibility and likely to be a top-100 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Those two players combined for 110 quarterback pressures last season, which was the most of any team in the SEC.
Missouri has added edge rushers out of the portal, but the group is lacking proven production and top-level experience.
The Tigers added Florida State backup Jaden Jones-ranked, Louisville freshman CJ May and Houston reserve Cavan Tuley at defensive end, and top-ranked JUCO prospect Demarcus Johnson signed as part of MU’s Class of 2026.
Mizzou’s top returners are Smith and Langden Kitchen, while the Tigers also will return promising freshman Daeden Hopkins.
Bryant should slot straight into the 2026 rotation. Smith and Bryant shape up as the likely top-two at the boundary edge. Kitchen and Jones are seemingly the top options at field end.
The transfer portal closed for most new entries on Jan. 16, with some exceptions for teams whose seasons ended late because of playoff runs. That deadline also is only for new entries. As long as players submitted their paperwork by that date, they can still sign for a new team at essentially any time.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football adds Miami edge rusher from transfer portal | Report
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