Former Mizzou Tigers across college football, a full-season look
With the regular season completed, this is a good chance to take a final look at how former Mizzou players performed this season after transferring away.
Kewan Lacy
The best performer was certainly Kewan Lacy.
The sophomore running back transferred to Ole Miss and shined throughout the year. He ended up ninth in the country and second in the SEC in rushing yards with 1,279, while his 20 rushing touchdowns was second in the country.
Lacy is one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, alongside Tiger running back Ahmad Hardy and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Lacy is the lone one of the trio in the College Football Playoff.
Mizzou got Hardy in the portal after Lacy departed, so the change wasn’t a downgrade for Mizzou. In fact, Hardy led the SEC in rushing yards with 1,560, so almost a 300-yard lead over Lacy with 17 fewer carries. Hardy was four rushing touchdowns behind Lacy at 16.
Williams Nwaneri
After one season in Columbia, Williams Nwaneri entered the transfer portal and went to Nebraska.
The redshirt freshman defensive end had a slow start to the season, but he picked it up midway through the year. He ended with 17 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Similar to Lacy, the Tigers made a quick move to replace Nwaneri once he left, hitting the portal to bring in Damon Wilson.
Wilson ended up as one of the best defensive ends in college football, totaling 20 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.
The redshirt sophomore is currently projected as a first rounder in next year’s NFL Draft. So the Tigers did lose some long-term production, but the 2025 production took a bit of a step up in the change.
Drew Pyne
After Mizzou added Beau Pribula in the winter portal and it became clear the quarterback spot would be chosen between Pribula and Sam Horn, Drew Pyne went back into the portal in the spring and went to Bowling Green.
Pyne likely would have turned into Mizzou’s two-game starter when Pribula went down with a dislocated ankle, but Pyne had an injury plagued season himself.
The graduate played just six games. He completed 94-of-151 (62.25 percent) of his passes for 882 yards and four touchdowns, but he threw five interceptions.
Bowling Green ended the season 4-8.
The Tigers did not make a direct replacement after Pyne left.
Courtney Crutchfield
After one season in Columbia, Courtney Crutchfield hit the transfer portal and went south to Arkansas.
He played in 11 games this season, but only six where he played on offense. His season high was 24 total offensive snaps in the season opener against Alabama A&M. His best after that was 16 snaps against Texas.
He did get on the field on offense for four snaps against Mizzou.
Crutchfield had one catch for 26 yards against LSU for his lone reception this season.
I wouldn’t say the Tigers made a direct replacement of Crutchfield after he left. Instead they turned to freshman Donovan Olugbode in the second half of the season and he ended with 25 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns.
Mekhi Miller
Another receiver who transferred out of the room, Mekhi Miller went south to join Tulsa.
Miller struggled with injuries throughout the final months of the season. He seemed to be a regular part of the Tulsa offense early on with nine catches for 58 yards through the team’s first three games. But an injury against Oklahoma State kept him out for the rest of the season.
I guess you could say Xavier Loyd was a portal replacement for Miller. Loyd ended with one catch for 15 yards.
Brayshawn Littlejohn
Linebacker Brayshawn Littlejohn followed former Mizzou linebackers coach DJ Smith to Appalachian State as Smith became the defensive coordinator.
The redshirt sophomore played an important role for App State this year. He appeared in 11 games and produced 30 tackles with 4.5 for loss and 2.0 sacks. He also batted two passes.
I don’t think Littlejohn would have had a spot in the primary rotation this year. But the lone portal addition the Tigers ended up with in 2025 was Josiah Trotter. Trotter ended with 84 tackles, 13.0 for loss and 2.0 sacks.
Littlejohn has already announced he will once again go into the portal.
Austyn Dendy
Austyn Dendy never found a role with the Tigers, so he went to Bowling Green.
The redshirt freshman played in five games and was a massive part of the offense. He produced 493 yards and five touchdowns on 108 carries for an average of more than 21 attempts and almost 100 yards per game.
Dendy didn’t play until late October, but he clearly showed talent, finishing the season with three games of more than 110 rushing yards.
If Dendy hits the portal again, I imagine he will be somewhat of a hot commodity.
Ja’Marion Wayne
Another young guy who just never found a role, Ja’Marion Wayne transferred to Coastal Carolina for his senior season.
The corner played in 11 games this season and ended with 5.8 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. He forced two fumbles and had one interception that he returned for 11 yards.
The lone portal addition the Tigers made in the cornerback room was Stephen Hall. Hall ended with 25 tackles, including 1.0 for loss. He had three batted passes.
Jaren Sensabaugh
Another corner who didn’t have a spot in the room, Jaren Sensabaugh hit the portal and went to NC State.
He didn’t get an opportunity on the Wolfpack’s defense either, making one special teams appearance this season. He played five total snaps in the season opener.
Talan Chander
After a year in Columbia, Talan Chandler went to Northwestern for his redshirt freshman season.
He appeared twice, playing six total snaps this season.
Jahkai Lang
After two seasons with Mizzou, defensive end Jahkai Lang went south to SMU for his redshirt sophomore season.
He played in all 12 games this season and produced 23 tackles with 1.0 for loss. He also had a fumble recovery.
You could probably equate Langden Kitchen to Lang’s likely role with Mizzou this year if he had stayed. Kitchen ended up with 9.0 total tackles including 0.5 for loss.
Jaylen Brown
After a freshman season where he showed some promise, Jaylen Brown hit the portal to go to South Carolina.
He did not play this season.
You could consider Nate Johnson as a replacement for Brown from the portal. Johnson ended with 6.0 total tackles, including 1.0 for loss.
Eddie Kelly
After spending his junior season with Mizzou, Eddie Kelly went to his fourth team in four years as he joined West Virginia.
He played a role as a defensive end, starting four games and playing in 12. He had 25 tackles with 1.5 for loss and half a sack.
I’ve already mentioned the three defensive ends the Tigers brought in through the portal. Insert any of their stats in for Kelly if you’re looking for a replacement.
DJ Wesolak
We’re back to guys who left before last year.
DJ Wesolak was with Mizzou in 2023 and did not play, then he hit the portal and spent 2024 at Oregon State. He went back into the portal last year and ended up at Missouri State.
He played a big role in the Bears’ first season at the FBS level, amassing 38 tackles with 6.5 for loss and 4.0 sacks. He also recovered two fumbles.
Wesolak has already announced his intention to enter the portal once again.
Gabarri Johnson
Gabarri Johnson was a quarterback who came to Mizzou as a freshman in 2023, but the Washington state native went back to the northwest after that season when he transferred to Oregon State.
Unlike Wesolak, he stayed there.
His start to the season wasn’t great in 2025. He was just 3-of-7 passing for 16 yards through the first six games. But he took a much bigger role in the second half of the season.
After going 6-of-12 for 45 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest, he was 7-of-9 for 79 yards and a touchdown with an interception against Lafayette.
He then went 45-of-71 for 363 yards across the final three games, led by a 29-of-42 performance for 286 yards against Sam Houston, though he had two interceptions that game.
Johnson ended up at 61-of-99 for 503 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed 34 times for 119 yards and a touchdown.