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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri is bullish on its bulldozers, which is to say the Tigers like their crop of defensive ends.

A position group that was shallow in recent seasons underwent some significant changes over the offseason, and spring practices showed that the edge rushers might be the deepest group on the roster.

“From a depth standpoint, we were a little light at defensive end a year ago, so we know we were going to get in the portal,� defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said. “Very happy with what those guys have brought in.�

“That defensive end room — you combine Dame, Nate, Langden, Javion, Eddie, Zion, D. Smith, Jahkai Lang … that is a really, really talented and deep room right now for us,� coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz’s D-end roll call goes eight deep across two positions, which is helpful given the rotation MU deploys along the defensive line. And if those names aren’t yet ringing a bell, that’s understandable — only three have played a snap in a Missouri uniform. There’s been some turnover.

Two defensive ends ran out of eligibility after last season: Johnny Walker Jr., a captain who led the team with 9.5 sacks, and Joe Moore III. Two more entered the transfer portal after redshirting as true freshmen: Jaylen Brown and five-star recruit Williams Nwaneri. Brown transferred to South Carolina and Nwaneri transferred to Nebraska.

At the time, their departures seemed concerning — which makes it all the more remarkable that defensive end looks like one of Mizzou’s stronger positions at the moment.

Zion Young, entering his second season with the Tigers, is the key returner. He produced 26 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and three sacks last season. After transferring in from Michigan State, Young became one of the most outspoken — and entertaining — personalities on the team.

He’s prepared to take the leadership mantle passed down from Darius Robinson to Walker and now to him.

“I took everything from Johnny,� Young said. “I took the way he walked in the building, all that. His on-the-field action, off-the-field action, the way he eats his food. I watched Johnny, you feel me?�

Also returning is Troy Buchanan product Jahkai Lang, who posted nine pressures and two sacks last season despite playing just 62 pass-rush snaps — an efficient clip that could put him in line for more reps in 2025.

Eddie Kelly Jr. also will be back for a second season, changing his jersey number from 97 to zero after recording 11 pressures and two sacks in 2024.

That’s the extent of returning edge rushers who’ve played in a game for MU.

Darris Smith, however, will debut for the Tigers after missing the 2024 season with a knee injury suffered during a preseason practice. The Georgia transfer who’d generated a lot of excitement during spring ball a year ago practiced this time around in a limited capacity and is on track to be playing this fall.

With Smith’s twitch and athleticism, “you see the things that you remember you saw� last year, Batoon said.

And in, via the winter transfer portal window and high school recruitment, came four more defensive ends — all of whom have impressed Young, to say the least.

Langden Kitchen transferred in from Division II Northwest Missouri State, where he notched 5.5 sacks in 11 games last season.

“A big, strong, Iron Man, Hulk type of guy,� Young called him.

In, too, came Nate Johnson from Appalachian State, where he recorded 10 pressures and four sacks on 123 pass-rush snaps.

“A big freak,� was Young’s assessment.

Then there’s true freshman Javion Hilson, a four-star rated recruit from Cocoa, Florida, who didn’t pick Missouri until signing day. Recruiting services like Hilson as an eventual NFL prospect.

And Young likes him as a “freakish athlete.�

The big fish of the D-end acquisitions was Georgia transfer Damon Wilson II, who was considered the best defensive end available in the portal. His athleticism — plus 26 pressures and three sacks in 216 pass-rush snaps, or a pressure every 8.3 snaps — made him immediately appealing.

“A freak,� Young called him, with a bit of self-awareness: “I know I use this word a lot.�

It’s an accurate descriptor when the build of edge rusher targeted by Drinkwitz, Batoon and defensive ends coach Brian Early more or less boils down to athletic freaks. They wanted length, flexibility, strength and twitchiness. It shows in the collective size of these eight.

Lang is the shortest, at 6-3, 250 pounds. Hilson is 6-4, 235 pounds, and could bulk up a bit now that he’s enrolled at MU. Wilson is 6-4, 235. Smith is 6-5, 240 pounds. Johnson is 6-5, 249. Young is 6-5, 260 and Kelly is 6-5, 280. Kitchen earns the Hulk moniker for coming in at 6-6, 270.

Mizzou might end up using only six or so in its eventual edge rotation, but that’s far from set in stone at this point. For now, Drinkwitz just keeps expressing his happiness with how one part of his roster is shaping up.

“He’s just more excited about the length we got,� Young said. “We got a lot of big players in the room: 6-5, 6-6 guys. We had a couple last year — we had about two or three last year. He wanted to multiply that times two. It’s been pretty good, bro.�

Allen in portal

Missouri freshman basketball forward Marcus Allen has entered the transfer portal, marking the first surprising departure of the Tigers’ offseason.

Allen was a core part of a five-man freshman class that was highly ranked upon its arrival to Mizzou. His defensive prowess, understanding of the game and size made him an immediately intriguing prospect, and he showed those traits during some valuable moments in the Tigers’ recently completed season.

Allen appeared in 26 games for them, amassing 239 minutes. He averaged 2.6 points per game.