Why Missouri football has no bigger offseason need than at cornerback
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Eli Drinkwitz let a secret slip earlier in December.
In his press conference discussing his 2026 high school signing class, the Missouri football coach was asked about transfer portal approach this offseason.
“Based off of what we have here, then we have a couple of positions that we’ve already targeted and said, ‘OK, well, we want to take a couple of corners,’” Drinkwitz said, before correcting himself. “A couple of players.”
He looked up to the rolling cameras at the top of the room and channeled his inner-Martin Scorsese, asking them to “cut.”
Breaking: Missouri’s going to look at cornerbacks in the portal this offseason.
Not that Mizzou needing corners is that much of a shock. The three players who took the bulk of the snaps at the position this year are out of eligibility after the Tigers’ bowl game.
Here’s what you need to know about Missouri football’s cornerbacks entering the offseason, including who is likely to leave, who can return, whether or not the Tigers will be active in the transfer portal at this position and more:
Who is graduating, heading to the NFL, transferring at cornerback?
Missouri played seven corners for a combined 1,538 snaps in the 2025 regular season.
Toriano Pride Jr., Stephen Hall and Dreyden Norwood combined for 1,420 of those snaps. All three of those players are about to be out of eligibility. Missouri is losing 91% of its production at the position.
So far, none of the Tigers’ backups from 2025 have announced they will transfer.
Who can return in 2026, who is in freshman class?
All class classifications are based on how players will be listed in 2026.
Eligible returners: Nick DeLoach, r-jr.; Cameron Keys, r-so.; Shamar McNeil, r-jr.; Mark Manfred III, r-fr.
Class of 2026 signees: Jaxson Gates, fr.; Ahmod Billins, fr.
DeLoach was part of the rotation in the 2024 season but saw his playing time decline to just 34 defensive snaps across four games this season.
Keys was frequently mentioned as an offseason standout by his coaches and teammates and perhaps has the best shot among the returners to claim a starting role in 2026.
Gates is a four-star and top-200 commit in Mizzou’s freshman class, and Billins is a three-star signing out of Alabama.
What does Mizzou need to add?
It would be stunning if Mizzou doesn’t add, like Drinkwitz let slip, at least two cornerbacks in January out of the portal.
The college football transfer portal opens Jan. 2 and will remain open for new entries through Jan. 16. There is no longer a spring transfer window, meaning all business is going to be done before teams report for spring camp.
You would like at least one (and realistically both) of those players to have high-level starting experience, because in-game reps will be in short supply in the room next year.
Cornerbacks 2025 season grade: B-
This was certainly a case of a unit that got better as the year went along.
There were some early coverage miscues that nearly cost the Tigers in games against Kansas and South Carolina. When Mizzou did eventually stumble, it was not because of the secondary.
Norwood and Pride were more often than not reliable. Neither player allowed more than a 50% completion rate on passes intended for their coverage assignment, per Pro Football Focus.
Pride was an excellent open-field tackler this year and finished with two interceptions, including a pick-six against Mississippi State. He could be in late-round NFL Draft or undrafted free agent conversations if he has a good showing through the draft process.
Prediction for next season. What will room look like?
Starters: Transfer x2
Rotation: Cameron Keys
Keys or DeLoach could play their way into a starting role this offseason. But, from where things stand in December, it seems highly likely that the two players who take the most snaps at corner next season are not on the roster yet.
That’s a little bit concerning. Missouri does not have much room for error in the portal at this position, so its evaluation better be on the money — and worth the high price point top-tier cornerbacks command.
Previous portal windows have not been overflowing with immensely talented, SEC-ready players at the position. So, a big couple of weeks are coming up.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football’s biggest offseason need is cornerback. Here’s why
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