After weeks of waiting, Missouri football has landed their new defensive coordinator. Corey Batoon, the former defensive coordinator at the University of South Alabama, is headed to Columbia to join head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company.

Drinkwitz and Batoon have coached together in the past, both assisting current UCF head coach Guz Malzahn at Arkansas State in 2011.

Batoon has made previous stops at Liberty, Hawaii and Florida Atlantic before coaching at South Alabama for the past three seasons. During his tenure at USA, he helped coach a 10-3 season in 2022, losing to Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl to finish a successful season. 

This past season, the Jaguars went 7-6. 

Batoon, and his Jaguar defense, was one of the best in the country despite the team’s overall record. They allowed the 10th fewest yards per game this past season, beating Missouri and Alabama.

The Jaguars also ranked No. 10 in opponents’ first downs allowed and No. 23 in red zone scores allowed, with only 24. They only gave up an average of 21 points per game this last season, on par with defensive units like Missouri and Arizona.

In his 2021 season at USA, Batoon was a finalist for the Broyles Award. The award is given every year to the best assistant coach in college football. 

Many Missouri football fans were shocked when former defensive coordinator Blake Baker left for the LSU opening, while also taking two defensive assistants with him in defensive analyst Jake Olsen and defensive line coach Kevin Peoples. Coach Drinkwitz and his other assistants did a good job keeping the talent on the defensive side of the ball from following the coaches who left. 

With the Tigers retaining recruits and current players as well as transfers and recruits after the departure of Baker, a large falloff defensively should not be expected. 

Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com

Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com