They’ll spot a football for a counting game in Columbia in less than 10 days.Missouri football wrapped up its fall camp work this past weekend, and the Tigers are now moving on to gameweek preparations ahead of their season-opening matchup against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, Sept. 3, on Faurot Field.
The Tigers’ two-deep is more or less set at this point. The last remaining handful of position competitions have been ironed out, and we have a good idea of which players will play the most snaps in 2026.
We’re almost done with the offseason. At the time of this publishing, nine days remain until Mizzou’s players — some of whom have forced their way into the rotation with strong fall camps — return to action.
Here are seven Mizzou players whose stock has gone up in the past handful of weeks:
Dante McClellan, weakside linebacker
Mizzou has a lot of strong options at its two linebacker positions this year.
Most Mizzou fans know Nicholas Rodriguez. Robert Woodyard Jr. was a high-profile transfer addition from Auburn. Jeremiah Beasley is another player who has waited his turn and has parlayed a strong offseason into a prominent role in the 2026 rotation.
We’re guessing you’ll all also know McClellan, if you don’t already, in a handful of weeks.
“Dante is going to bring pass-rushing ability from the inside for us,” Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday.
That tracks with what the eye test told us from camp.
In some of the pass-rushing reps the media got to watch during open portions of Mizzou’s preseason practices, McClellan was one of the most impressive players in his room. He torched a couple of MU’s running backs in a blitz pickup drill.
The 6-foot-1, 227-pound sophomore has a very bright future, and don’t be surprised to see him disrupting some backfields pretty soon.
Tristan Wilson, offensive guard
In his fifth season on campus after years as a backup and primary reserve, it’s Wilson’s time to start along Mizzou’s offensive line.
The Lebanon, Missouri, native has won the competition at left guard, securing the starting role ahead of massive Mississippi State transfer Zack Owens.
Wilson was solid when he filled in at center last season. He has taken reps all over the MU line as a backup. He’s had a really strong offseason, by all accounts, and slotting in between Dominick Giudice at center and Cayden Green at left tackle bodes well for that side of the line.
“He's a grinder. He's a dog,” Giudice said Aug. 7. “He's super about his business. No BS kind of guy, and I love playing next to him.”
Darris Smith and Daeden Hopkins, boundary edge rushers
Two for the price of one here, because Eli Drinkwitz gave us two quotes for the price of one on this duo in his camp wrap-up press conference.
“I think Darris Smith and Hopkins have really established themselves,” the head coach said, “as being able to rush the passer.”
There’s nothing particularly remarkable about that quote. It’s pretty box-standard as far as preseason press conferences go.
What really stood out was this from Drinkwitz, just a couple of minutes later:
“I kind of already highlighted the defensive guys,” Drinkwitz said, “but Darris Smith and Hopkins have just really been really good at the edge position for us.”
The head coach didn’t need to double back and shout out those two players again. But he did, and we’re inclined to believe that’s a really good sign for Mizzou’s primary pass-rushing position over on the boundary edge.
Missouri needs production off the edge with Damon Wilson II and Zion Young gone. It looks like MU has found some.
Jason Dowell, defensive tackle
Dowell only played 31 snaps last season for Mizzou. His reps came in mop-up duty against Central Arkansas, Louisiana and UMass.
There’s a real chance he winds up in a starting role this year after Drinkwitz named him as one of the players who have had an “excellent camp.”
The Week 1 starters will probably be Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall. Back via the courts for a fifth season, Sterling Webb also will play a prominent role on Mizzou’s interior defensive line.
The fourth member of the rotation will be Dowell — a player we weren’t paying much attention to in March. The Cahokia, Illinois, product has forced his way into the conversation.
Jack Lange and Whit Hafer, offensive tackles
We’ll lead off here by saying we don’t expect either Lange or Hafer, two in-state prospects, to start this season. Green is Mizzou’s left tackle, and Luke Work has won the job at right tackle.
But there’s every reason to believe Lange and Hafer are the next men up on the depth chart as MU’s swing tackle. If, for any reason, Mizzou needs to go to a backup this year, we think Lange or Hafer may have moved ahead of Logan Reichert in the order.
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Lange has been glued to Green in camp, filling in for the All-American when Green was held out of a couple of mid-camp practices. We’re keeping an eye on the 6-8, 318-pound Eureka, Missouri, native for the starting LT role in 2027.
Hafer keeps getting shoutouts from the staff for his versatility since making the transition last season from tight end to the O-line. He’s up more than 50 pounds since first arriving on campus. Mizzou has repped the Joplin native all over the line, so he can be an emergency reserve at a lot of positions. That versatility will serve him well.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: The seven biggest risers from Missouri football’s 2026 fall camp