The Missouri Tigers are sitting at 6-2 and ranked No. 25 in the Week 10 AP Poll. Their only two losses came at the hands of the Texas A&M Aggies and the Alabama Crimson Tide in road matchups. 

Through the other six games, it’s been a mixed bag of success, ranging from narrow, ranked victories to blowout wins.

Several key transfer portal additions from this past offseason have been among the Tigers’ top contributors on either side of the ball.

Based on their production so far, here are the notable transfers to keep an eye on throughout the remainder of the season.

Offense

Graduate running back, Nate Noel: 

85 carries, 503 rushing yards, 5.9 yards per carry, 2 touchdowns

Noel’s star power has been apparent since 2020 when he started in ten games as a freshman for the Appalachian State Mountaineers. He led the Mountaineers in rushing yards for three straight seasons, as well as the Sun Belt Conference in 2021.

Noel’s success has followed him to Missouri. He currently leads the Tigers in rushing yards with 503. His impressive speed and shifty play style have contributed to his two touchdowns, allowing him to become an integral part of Missouri’s offense, taking a team-high 28% of carries on the ground. 

Senior running back, Marcus Carroll: 

83 carries, 401 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry, 6 touchdowns

Carroll, much like Noel, brought with him a decorated resume from his time in the Sun Belt Conference. Carroll transferred in from Georgia State after earning All-Conference First Team honors last season. He was among the top running backs in the country, recording 1,584 yards in 2023. His bruising style of running is ideal for wearing out defenses, meshing well with Noel’s elusive style of play.

Recently, in the Tigers’ blowout win over the UMass Minutemen on Oct. 12, Noel was sidelined and Carroll was allowed to shine. He punished the defense, tallying 91 yards along with three touchdowns. Carroll now leads the team in rushing scores with this strong outing, totaling six touchdowns this season, and seems to be finding his role in the offense.

Senior offensive tackle, Marcus Bryant:

541 snaps played, 90.5% of the team’s downs played

A hulking physical presence at 6-foot-7-inches and 317 pounds, Bryant was tasked with anchoring quarterback Brady Cook’s blind side as his left tackle after transferring from SMU. Alongside fellow transfer Cayden Green at left guard, Bryant has made strides to keep Cook safe. While Bryant sometimes struggles with speed rushes from fast defensive ends, his size gives him an advantage over just about any opposing defender.

Sophomore offensive guard, Cayden Green: 

474 snaps played, 79.3% of the team’s downs played

Much like Bryant, one of Green’s best abilities has been availability. The guard rarely leaves the field and uses his 6-foot-5-inch frame to stifle defenses. After spending a year with the Oklahoma Sooners, Green returned to his home state of Missouri to play on the same offensive line as former high school teammate Armand Membou. Sandwiched between the upperclassmen, Bryant and experienced center Connor Tollison, Green has shown the potential that the Tigers hope to unlock more of in future years.  

Green and Bryant, along with other transfers such as Cam’Ron Johnson and junior college transfers like Jayven Richardson, are examples of Missouri’s continued interest in bolstering their offensive line depth through the transfer portal. 

Defense

Junior defensive end, Zion Young: 

29 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

Young was an effective defensive end for the Michigan State Spartans, but his production has improved greatly since making the move to Missouri. In only eight games as a Tiger, he has 29 tackles and two sacks. In 10 games as a Spartan in 2023, he recorded 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The Tigers want to continue developing Young, who is only a junior and has shown the ability to be a piece of Missouri’s future defensive line. 

Young was especially effective in the close victory over Vanderbilt, tallying seven tackles against the run-heavy Commodores. As defensive line staples like Johnny Walker Jr. and Joe Moore begin to close out their collegiate careers, Young is one of the players that defensive coordinator Corey Batoon will look to in coming years. 

Junior defensive tackle, Chris McClellan: 

30 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble

McClellan made an inner-SEC move by transferring from Florida after two seasons, where he showed his potential at the defensive tackle position. Much like Young, McClellan’s production has skyrocketed since his first game at Missouri. Eight games as a Tiger have yielded more tackles and sacks than each of his prior seasons as a Gator.

The sky is the limit for McClellan with the Tigers. The new defensive tackle has established himself as one of Missouri’s defensive leaders since his transfer, quickly working his way into being a central figure of the program’s culture. 

Graduate linebacker, Corey Flagg Jr.: 

43 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception

After spending four seasons with the Miami Hurricanes, Flagg made the move to Columbia and instantly made an impact. He finished their Week 1 matchup with Murray State tied in the lead with total tackles, grabbing five.

Flagg has showcased his high IQ and awareness, being second on the team in total tackles for the season with 43. He made a different impact on the passing game against UMass, preventing a touchdown by picking off Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh at the Tigers’  5-yard line. In the closing moments of the second quarter, Flagg returned the interception 80 yards down to the UMass 15-yard line, aiding in the Tigers adding three more points to the score.  

Junior cornerback, Toriano Pride Jr.: 

8 total tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass deflection, 1 touchdown

Pride’s decision to leave the Clemson Tigers for Missouri generated a lot of excitement from Tiger fans. The St. Louis, Mo. native proved that the support for him was not misguided when he came up with a pick-six in the first game of the season. 

This was Pride’s most electrifying play, as well as the defense’s only touchdown so far. In addition to his takeaway, Pride has racked up eight total tackles with six of them being solo stops. The cornerback plays with an air of confidence that has been felt throughout the season. 

This talented transfer class has bolstered the Missouri squad on both sides of the ball. As the Tigers enter the final stretch of their season, we can expect these players to be crucial to the team’s success.

Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Caroline Sweet and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com
Edited by Emily Skidmore | dheinrich@themaneater.com