COLUMBIA, Mo. — A new week of transfer portal activity dawned to Missouri adding a safety and two linebackers to its list of acquisitions but losing a promising running back.
Kewan Lacy, a tailback who was one of the Tigers’ most impactful true freshmen in 2024, is in the transfer portal after just one season.
It’s a surprising move given the potential that Mizzou has seen in Lacy, which prompted him to burn his redshirt by playing in six games.
Lacy ran the ball 23 times for 104 yards in those appearances and may have seen more opportunities if not for an injury suffered against Mississippi State.
The 2025 depth chart was shaping up in a way that would have given Lacy a clear shot at touches in next year’s backfield, with Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones as the only other returners.
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Instead, Lacy committed to Ole Miss before Monday was over, a quick transfer to another Southeastern Conference team.
He’s the latest — and arguably the most surprising — portal entry from Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class, which has now seen three members depart. Williams Nwaneri, the five-star edge rusher who anchored the recruiting class, transferred to Nebraska early last week. Fellow defensive end Jaylen Brown then transferred to South Carolina after Nwaneri’s exit.
Both Nwaneri and Brown, though, had muddier paths to playing time in 2025 with a handful of more experienced players ahead of them on the depth chart. Lacy, on the other hand, seemed positioned to be a part of the Tigers’ backfield committee next year — which makes his decision much more of a surprise.
The Tigers’ list of running backs for 2025 now includes Roberts, Jones and two incoming freshmen: Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood.
At the start of the offseason, running back seemed like a low priority for Mizzou when it came to adding players out of the portal. Losing Lacy could change that, unless coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff are willing to rely on immediate production from at least one of those freshmen.
Missouri pulled a player back from Nebraska on Monday after losing Nwaneri to the Cornhuskers, signing linebacker Mikai Gbayor.
Gbayor recorded 49 tackles, one sack, two fumble recoveries and three pass breakups this season. He started nearly every game for Nebraska.
Hailing from Irvington, New Jersey, Gbayor didn’t see the field during his first two seasons with the Huskers but has played in every game over the past two years. It appears he’ll have one year of eligibility to use with the Tigers.
Mizzou also picked up a commitment on Monday from West Virginia linebacker Josiah Trotter.
Trotter, who hails from Philadelphia, made his collegiate debut in 2024 after missing the 2023 season due to injury. That means he brings the experience of being an immediate power-conference starter with a few years of eligibility remaining.
Trotter made 93 tackles, knocked down two passes and recorded an interception this season for the Mountaineers.
Missouri is rebuilding its linebacker corps after Chuck Hicks, Corey Flagg Jr. and Triston Newson all ran out of eligibility following the 2024 season. Gbayor and Trotter are positioned to compete immediately for snaps and starts at linebacker next season.
Missouri also signed safety Santana Banner on Monday.
Banner played his first two seasons at Northern Illinois, where he started almost every game for the Huskies. He played 545 defensive snaps in 2024.
His stats show an ability to attack quarterbacks as a blitzer and hold up in coverage — Banner didn’t allow a passing touchdown this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Banner hails from Flint, Michigan, but played high school football in Georgia. He was not heavily recruited in high school, with Northern Illinois winding up his only Football Bowl Subdivision offer. He wound up as an in-demand defensive back in the transfer portal, though.
Mizzou is looking to replace Joseph Charleston and Tre’Vez Johnson in its safety room, two veterans of the defensive backfield who are out of eligibility.
