Mizzou gets commitment from transfer linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr.
With the departure of Josiah Trotter for the NFL, and two more rotational linebackers to eligibility, Mizzou went hunting for a starter in the portal.
And the Tigers found that replacement in Auburn transfer Robert Woodyard Jr. He is rated a four-star portal prospect and the No. 3 linebacker available. He is also the No. 73 overall player available.
The 6-foot-0, 245-pound rising redshirt senior jumped into a starting roll with Auburn this season. In his fourth year with the team, he started 11 games and produced 67 tackles with 7.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a batted pass.
His season-high performance in tackles came against Mizzou when the Black & Gold Tigers went into Jordan-Hair Stadium and came away with an overtime win.
After the Tigers lost Trotter, Triston Newson and Khalil Jacobs, they needed some bodies to add to the room.
And Woodyard is a good one. He should pair with returning rising junior Nicholas Rodriguez as the primary starters. Mizzou will also look for development from some younger options like Jeremiah Beasley, Brian Huff, Dante McClellan and Jason King.
The Tigers also have four-star freshman JJ Bush and three-star freshman Keenan Harris joining the team from the Class of 2026.
Woodyard joins a long list of Tiger linebackers to come through the portal. Each of the past four years, the Mizzou defense has been led by a linebacker from the portal. In 2022 and 2023, it was Ty’Ron Hopper, who started his career at Florida. In 2024 it was Corey Flagg who started his career at Miami. And last season it was Trotter who started at West Virginia.