COLUMBIA, Mo. — Just like that, the portal is back open. Did you miss it?
College football’s spring transfer portal window opens Wednesday, marking the start of the less-active period of player movement around the sport. Players can enter the portal through April 25 but sign with new schools anytime before or after that point.
The spring portal tends to see much less activity than the winter window does, and Missouri largely expects a low-key 10 days.
A handful of MU players already have announced their intent to enter the portal when it opens, and a few more will likely depart in the coming days. Coach Eli Drinkwitz expects upwards of eight departures, he said last week. Most seem to be coming from players who were evidently bogged down on the depth chart coming out of spring practices.
And while the Tigers will see some additions, there probably won’t be much on that front either — a byproduct of a fairly settled roster and a leaner portal market this time of year. Drinkwitz said he doesn’t have any positions he would consider a need.
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“I feel very strongly — content maybe is not the right word — but very confident in our football team right now,†he said. “I think we have a very talented football team. I think we have a very cohesive football team. So unless there’s a huge surprise — which I haven’t seen so far — I don’t anticipate that we have to go get this position or that position.â€
Drinkwitz knocked on the wood of his meeting room lectern after saying “so far,†denoting the superstitious asterisk that this landscape can and does quickly change.
Here’s what to expect out of Missouri in the spring transfer portal:
Who’s leaving
Six players have already announced that they’ll enter the portal:
- Backup quarterback Drew Pyne already completed a move to Bowling Green after it became evident that he wasn’t at the level to be in the starting quarterback competition.
- Linebacker Mikai Gbayor reentered the portal after transferring to MU in December. A change in eligibility rules to allow linebacker Triston Newson to return and leaps taken by underclassmen greatly diminished Gbayor’s path to playing time.
- At what might be Mizzou’s deepest position, defensive end Jahkai Lang decided to enter the transfer portal, as did fellow edge rusher Eddie Kelly Jr.
- Defensive back Ja’Marion Wayne, who wound up trying multiple positions on both sides of the ball, announced he would depart.
- Offensive lineman Talan Chandler, an in-state recruit who redshirted his freshman season in 2024, also announced he would exit.
Drinkwitz’s estimate of up to eight players leaving would leave room for a couple more.
When he gave reporters a position-by-position rundown of his team coming out of spring ball, Drinkwitz left out running back Tavorus Jones, another player whose departure would make sense given the competition at his positions. He hasn’t announced a portal move, but him doing so could round out the Tigers’ entries.
Potential additions
After the expected departures, Missouri will largely go “portal-for-portal,†Drinkwitz said, meaning he’ll look to fill spots after they’re opened. And while he might not see significant holes, he’s still going to be looking for impactful signings.
“if somebody leaves and that provides us an opportunity either a) to add the best player available or maybe b) add a younger player who can come and develop or if we feel like we need to create some competition because players aren’t achieving at the level we want them to … then we may factor that into consideration,†Drinkwitz said. “Anybody that can help us win the SEC championship we would be open to taking out of the portal.â€
The specialist room is likely to see some additions, special teams coach Erik Link previously said. The Tigers may eye another punter to compete with Stanford transfer Connor Weselman, though they did sign junior college punter John Butcher last week.
While the starting quarterback competition is down to Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and returner Sam Horn, Mizzou could benefit from a depth addition there to replace Pyne. Third on the depth chart would likely be true freshman Matt Zollers, who — while talented — is inexperienced. MU might want a cheap buffer signal-caller in the event of an injury to Pribula or Horn.
Missouri did not add to its defensive tackle room during the winter window and could perhaps do so this time around if there’s value to be had. That also seemed to be the case last spring, however, and the Tigers ultimately stood pat at D-tackle then.
There’s plenty of upside within the MU receiving corps as a new generation of wideouts — plus Mississippi State transfer Kevin Coleman Jr. — takes the stage. If an experienced wide receiver is available and interested, though, could that present value to Missouri?
While Mizzou brought in transfers to bolster the offensive line and likes what it has in true freshman Henry Fenuku there, one more lineman — probably at left tackle — could boost the O-line competition and depth. MU did find its starting left tackle during the spring window last year.
And, ever present as its potential is, don’t rule out a curveball or two.
“I’m as confident in each position on our roster right now as I’ve ever been,†Drinkwitz said. “There’s not any position that I lay my head on my pillow and am nervous about.â€
