Missouri holds nation's No. 2 class in transfer portal rankings

Fresh off a win over Iowa in the Music City Bowl and a second straight double-digit win season, the hype around Missouri football is at a fever pitch.

Eli Drinkwitz and his staff have parlayed that momentum into another very strong transfer portal haul to go along with a top-20 high school recruiting class again this cycle.

After the dust has largely settled on the winter portal window, the Tigers hold the No. 2 class in the country in On3’s Team Transfer Portal Index. Unlike other rankings, On3’s utilize the On3 (P)erformance score to measure a team’s production during the transfer process, compared relative against its roster and not a comparison against other schools. This proprietary algorithm determines if a school has improved its overall team talent, stayed the same, or declined in talent during the transfer window.

Missouri saw 15 players depart from its roster in the portal, including four of the top five signees from their vaunted 2024 class. But they’ve replaced — and in some cases upgraded — over each of those departures through the portal since it opened on December 9.

Their On3(P) score of 57 is second only to Texas Tech (74) and puts them ahead of Ole Miss (56), Miami (50), and LSU (47), who round out the top five.

Notable transfers in for the Tigers

Top additions: EDGE Damon Wilson (Georgia); WR Kevin Coleman (Mississippi State); DB Jalen Catalon (UNLV); LB Josiah Trotter (West Virginia); EDGE Nathan Johnson (Appalachian State); RB Ahmad Hardy (Louisiana-Monroe)

The Tigers will have to replace a huge amount of production offensively, with quarterback Brady Cook, running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll, and wideouts Luther Burden and Theo Wease all gone. Through their development of underclassmen and the additions of Coleman, Hardy and quarterback Beau Pribula, they have a chance to bring out one of the nation’s most intriguing offenses in 2025. Much of that will depend on how Pribula adjusts to a starting role after sitting behind Drew Allar at Penn State, as well as whether Hardy can replicate his production from ULM. The offensive line will be another significant question mark, but Drinkwitz and Co. made multiple additions to shore up depth there as well.

Uncertainty on offense is eased some by what should be one of the SEC’s most talented defenses. In addition to returning standout defensive lineman Chris McClellan, Missouri added Wilson, one of the top overall players in the portal. Johnson, who was a freshman All-American in 2023, brings another pass-rushing threat. Trotter and Nebraska transfer Mikai Gbayor give them a terrific linebacker duo. And after losing a couple of key secondary contributors, they’ve added Catalon, a seventh-year senior, as well as Washington State transfer Stephen Hall, Northern Illinois transfer Santana Banner and Virginia Tech safety Mose Phillips.

Of the Tigers’ 17 transfer additions, three rank among the top 35 in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings and eight are among the top 200.