COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥 Missouri football has one of the best left guards in the country, one of the best centers in the Southeastern Conference, a deep wide receiver corps, a high-upside young running back and a quarterback battle set to play out during fall camp.
How much of that matters if the Tigers don鈥檛 find a solid starter at left tackle?
The quarterback competition will get plenty of press here and elsewhere because, well, it鈥檚 a quarterback competition. Yet the race to anchor the left edge of Mizzou鈥檚 offensive line is also important to the program鈥檚 offensive retooling, and there are six contenders heading into the preseason.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 probably the biggest question mark on our team: the offensive line and how that comes together,鈥 coach Eli Drinkwitz said last week.
This is the second season in a row in which MU needs a new starter at left tackle. Javon Foster held down the spot through the 2023 season, then Southern Methodist transfer Marcus Bryant arrived and won the job last year.
Some of the suitors this time around have battled for the job previously. Others are transfers or rising up the depth chart after past campaigns spent as reserves.
鈥(We鈥檙e) going to have a really good competition at the left tackle position,鈥 Drinkwitz said. 鈥... There鈥檚 a lot of guys there. We鈥檝e just got to figure out who鈥檚 going to be the right one for us and let them grow into that position.鈥
His last point there, about the starter growing into the position, is important to note before getting into the contenders. Most of Missouri鈥檚 left tackle options have multiple years of eligibility remaining 鈥 there鈥檚 a chance the Tigers can find a starter not just for this season but 2026 (or even 2027), too.
There鈥檚 obvious appeal to that kind of situation, but the risk is having a less-experienced starter blocking on the quarterback鈥檚 blind side.
Jayven Richardson, listed as a redshirt junior, is one such multi-year option. The 6-foot-6, 313-pound lineman spent the most time with the starters during spring practice, but that might not mean all that much when fall camp starts next week.
Richardson transferred to MU from Hutchinson Community College last year and competed with Bryant for the left tackle job. Though he didn鈥檛 wind up starting, he played 57 snaps there over the course of the 2024 season.
His most experienced competitor is redshirt senior Jaylen Early, who transferred in from Florida State. At 6-foot-4, 321 pounds, Early has six starts under his belt from his time with the Seminoles.
Early is versatile and has played multiple spots along the offensive line. Last season, he played 117 snaps at right tackle, 117 at right guard and 15 at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
He was a decent run blocker but didn鈥檛 hold up especially well in pass protection for a dastardly 2-10 Florida State team. Early allowed 13 quarterback pressures in 180 pass-blocking situations, which isn鈥檛 great. Per PFF, 386 power conference linemen were on the field for at least 180 pass-blocking snaps last season, and Early鈥檚 92.8% protection rate comes in 359th.
It鈥檚 not like one stat is the be-all, end-all with the left tackle battle or that Early was the only FSU player who struggled at times last season. Rather, it鈥檚 metrics like that which show why he鈥檚 not an automatic starter despite transferring over from a big-name program.
The other key transfer in the left tackle mix is redshirt sophomore Johnny Williams IV, who joined the Tigers from West Virginia. With up to three years of eligibility remaining, he鈥檚 perhaps the best on-paper blend of experience and upside.
Williams, who stands 6-foot-7, 327 pounds, spent all 157 of his offensive snaps last season at left tackle. His two heaviest workloads came in midseason games against Kansas State and Arizona. In those matchups, he allowed no sacks and only two quarterback hurries 鈥 both in the K-State matchup. His PFF run blocking grade was stellar in the Arizona game.
Given their experience, that trio comprises the most likely starting left tackles this season for Missouri. The versatility of a lineman like Early makes him a prime candidate to fill in at other spots, too, as needed.
Still, during both spring practices and SEC media days last week, Drinkwitz has made clear that options from within the depth chart will have a chance to compete for the left tackle job.
The most well-known is redshirt sophomore Logan Reichert, who at 6-foot-6, 344 pounds has earned the nickname 鈥淏ig Show.鈥 The former four-star recruit out of the Kansas City area has yet to find a breakthrough into a starting role. He played 56 offensive snaps in 2024, with 43 at left guard and 13 at right guard.
Reichert missed some valuable bowl practices with a leg injury he was still recovering from during the spring, so it鈥檚 difficult to gauge exactly where he stands. Either of the guard spots would be more of a natural fit for Reichert, but Cayden Green is the undisputed starter at left guard and Michigan transfer Dominick Giudice has won the right guard job.
Brandon Solis, a redshirt sophomore who has yet to see the field through two seasons, is also in the mix. So is Whit Hafer, a redshirt freshman who played three snaps as a tight end last season before switching to the offensive line over the winter.
With Green, Giudice and center Connor Tollison locked into their roles heading into camp 鈥 plus Wake Forest transfer Keagen Trost at right tackle 鈥 the Tigers have some wiggle room to try out left tackle options during camp. But like with quarterback, it鈥檚 not the kind of position where Mizzou can afford to find only half a solution.
鈥淭hat interior for us feels pretty strong,鈥 Drinkwitz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just those edge positions that we got to continue to work.鈥
Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz speaks with the media on Thursday, July 17, 2025, during SEC media days in Atlanta. (Courtesy Southeastern Conference)
