Mizzou Football Transfer Losses Part 2: Depth Attrition

One week into the 15-day spring transfer window, Mizzou has lost two more players to the portal. The new loss means a total of five former Tigers will now move on to pastures new. Last week, I covered his first three names in Mizzou's portal and what those losses mean for his 2024 depth chart. Now, let's take a look at these two additional portal losses and whether they have significant implications for the Tigers going forward.

On the street again…

The Tigers' second wave of portal attrition began with receiver Danis Jackson, who returned to the portal after a year at Columbia.

Jackson started his career in Oxford, Mississippi and was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in 2019. He didn't play much during his four years at Ole Miss, totaling 19 catches for 314 yards. He transferred to Mizzou last year in hopes of finding the field with the Tigers, but once again fell victim to a deep and talented wide receiver room. In 2023, Jackson appeared in five games, but he did not record a catch.

With virtually all of the Tigers' pass catchers returning in 2024, plus exciting freshmen James Madison II and Courtney Crutchfield, the loss of Jackson will have no impact on the Tigers' production readiness. It shouldn't affect it either. Jackson was almost certain to see little to no playing time this season, barring a slew of injuries.

With only one year of eligibility remaining, it makes sense for Danis to look for a place with more (more) playing time, as he looks to make the most of his final college season. I can't blame you. His best bet is to move to a Group of 5 level program where his athleticism would allow him the playing time he hasn't yet gotten at an SEC program.

On the EDGE of the depth chart

The fifth Tiger to jump into the portal is EDGE rusher Serigne Tunkara, a redshirt freshman from Texas.

Tunkara redshirted last year as a freshman and enters 2024 with four years of eligibility. The former three-star recruit had other P5 offers in high school, but it appears to have taken a bit of a back seat in the 2023 recruiting class. As a player to look to for Drinkwitz's development, Tunkala watched EDGE coach Kevin Peoples, who recruited him, leave for LSU in the offseason. He also saw Mizzou take Darris Smith and Zion Young in the transfer portal, as well as freshman phenom Williams Nwaneri and four-star Elias Williams over him in prep recruiting.

The last time we actually got to see Tunkara in a black and gold uniform was at the Black & Gold Game in March, where he played as a black team member in new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon's new joker position. He saw a lot of playing time. Unfortunately for Tunkala, two other players were playing with the Joker in that game, Johnny Walker Jr. and Darris Smith, both of whom are set to rise to stardom in 2024. . Tunkara's best shot at getting much playing time won't come until at least 2025. , it's clear he wasn't going to wait that long to see the field, if not 2026.

The loss of Tunkala, coupled with the other losses I'll mention below, is the first of five transfer portal losses that could begin to erode roster depth at key positions. As things stand, the players who will get the most minutes on EDGE will be Johnny Walker Jr., Darris Smith, Zion Young and freshman Williams Nwaneri. These four should form a strong front line on the edge, but there is little room for action in the event of an injury (or two). Freshman Elias Williams and redshirt freshman Jakai Lang make up the rest of the edge room, but it's unclear how much these players will be able to contribute in 2024.

irreplaceable loss

Mizzou's additional loss this week is another former transfer in Austin Firestone, also at the EDGE position.

Former Northwestern transfer Firestone's announcement that he is retiring from football raises the possibility that Mizzou's coaching staff will consider adding a third EDGE player to its 2024 transfer recruiting class. Like Tunkara, Firestone was not expected to open this year. But unlike Tunkala, Firestone actually played last year, recording two tackles and a sack against Vanderbilt and looked like he could contribute at least a few snaps per game at the SEC level.

The combination of the losses of both Tunkala and Firestone means Mizzou's coaching staff should strongly consider bringing in another EDGE player through the portal this spring. April's picks may be much leaner in terms of Portal's starting-level talent, but it's important to maintain depth along the defensive line. Just like how Firestone added depth at last year's EDGE, players who know they won't start but can earn playing time in 2024 (and beyond) if they demonstrate their ability in practice. There should be some decent options to bring in.