2024 Snap Counts Defense

A quick look at who played the most snaps this season on defense. Plus a look at who still has remaining eligibility with the transfer portal opening. We should be able to get a quick preview of where the Tigers might be looking as they round out their roster for 2025.

Per Pro Football Focus, the Missouri defense faced 726 snaps so far this season.

Once you get past the core players, the snaps trail off in a hurry. Just 24 defenders played more than 10% of the snaps with 11 playing more than half the available snaps. The regular starters: Zion Young, Johnny Walker Jr, Chris McClellan, Kristian Williams, Dreyden Norwood, Toriano Pride, Daylan Carnell, Triston Newson, Corey Flagg, Marvin Burks and Joseph Charleston all played more than half of the snaps.

The backups were Nicholas DeLoach, TreVez Johnson, Caleb Flagg, Sidney Williams, Chuck Hicks, Sterling Webb, Jahkai Lang, Marquis Gracial, Eddie Kelly, Jalen Marshall, Nicholas Rodriguez, and then Joe Moore and Khalil Jacobs before they both got hurt.

Of the non-starters, DeLoach played the most snaps as a backup cornerback. And Chuck Hicks was solidly in the rotation at Linebacker. Johnson and Sidney Williams played a good amount of snaps at Safety, and Caleb Flagg surprisingly came along late in the season.

With the season wrapped, save for the Bowl game, what rotational players is Missouri looking to replace on defense? Five players who played more than 50% of the snaps (all starters) have no more eligibility following this season:

• Johnny Walker Jr – 69.83% of total snaps at DE
• Kristian Williams – 62.67% of total snaps at DT
• Triston Newson – 61.43% of total snaps at LB
• Joseph Charleston – 60.06% of total snaps at FS
• Corey Flagg – 54.13% of total snaps at LB

Also listed with expiring elibility who saw snaps this season:

• Chuck Hicks – 37.05% of total snaps at LB
• Joe Moore – 10.19% of total snaps at DE (avg was higher before getting hurt)
• Marcus Clark – 5.92% of total snaps at CB
• Will Norris – 0.14% of total snaps at LB

This leaves 6 players with remaining eligibility who saw more thn 50% of the snaps so far this season:

• Marvin Burks, Sophomore – 71.07% of total snaps at SS
• Dreyden Norwood, Junior – 80.30% of total snaps at CB
• Toriano Pride, Junior – 69.97% of total snaps at CB
• Daylan Carnell, Junior – 69.83% of total snaps at Hybrid S / LB
• Zion Young, Junior – 60.74% of total snaps at DE
• Chris McClellan, Junior – 56.61% of total snaps at DT

That’s 6 returning starters, with four in the secondary and two on the defensive line. Missouri is replacing 5 starters next year (provided everyone comes back of course!) but only about 32.9% of the total snaps. You obviously want to create an environment where backups and younger players feel they have a chance to step into a starting role next season.

The good news is all of the players with one year remaining all played a good amount of snaps. So Eddie Kelly, Sterling Webb, and Khalil Jacobs should all compete next season for a larger role. There isn’t a huge sophomore class of contributors but Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall both saw themselves in the rotation late in the season. Then Nicholas Rodriguez, Jahkai Lang, and of course Williams Nwaneri should all get long looks as well.

So in the portal you’re likely looking for help on the defensive line, and in the linebacking group, plus quite possibly a safety depending on how the staff feels about Tre’Vez Johnson and Sidney Williams, with Charleston moving on.