Previous Previews: QUARTERBACKS, RUNNING BACKS, TIGHT ENDS, WIDE RECEIVERS, OFFENSIVE LINE, DEFENSIVE TACKLES, DEFENSIVE ENDS, SAFETIES.
Cornerbacks are the final defensive group to preview for Mizzou in 2026. After returning a lot of snaps a season ago, it’s the complete opposite heading into this fall.
Of the top three contributors in 2025, Toriano Pride Jr. (573 snaps) became a 7th-round pick, Stephen Hall (496 snaps) is currently on the Houston Texans roster, while Drey Norwood (514 snaps) was
briefly with the Los Angeles Rams.
In response to losing that production, the Tigers loaded up with talent in the transfer portal. Here’s who makes up Al Pogue and Wayne Younger’s room in 2026:
- Ahmod Billins: 6-foot-1, 165 lbs., freshman, Abbeville, AL.
- Cameron Keys: 5-foot-11, 181 lbs., junior, Panama City, FL.
- Chris Graves Jr.: 6-foot, 187 lbs., fifth-year, Fort Myers, FL.
- Jahlil Florence: 6-foot-1, 192 lbs., fifth-year, San Diego, CA.
- Jaxson Gates: 6-foot-, 185 lbs., freshman, Fontana, CA.
- Nasir Pogue: 6-foot-2, 202 lbs., fifth-year, Montgomery, AL.
- Nick DeLoach Jr.: 6-foot, 190 lbs., senior, Cahokia, IL.
- Sione Laulea: 6-foot-4, 200 lbs., fifth-year, Mountain View, CA.
- Trashundon Neal: 6-foot-2, 180 lbs., freshman, Liberty MO.
The Returners
Nick DeLoach Jr.: With what Mizzou had in 2025 at cornerback, he saw his snap count decrease from 372 in 2024 to just 36 on the defensive side of the ball. His 2024 season was up and down; while he gained plenty of experience, he struggled with tackling, with a 40.6 PFF tackling grade, and was poor in run defense. With Mizzou bringing in veteran contributors via the portal, it’s a bit of a surprise that DeLoach didn’t transfer, but he nevertheless adds to the team’s depth.
Cameron Keys – Returns as a former 4-star recruit from Florida. He logged 51 snaps in 2025 defensively, up from six in 2024. The bulk of those snaps came against Central Arkansas and UMass, but he also participated in 45 punt return snaps as well. Entering his junior year, he’ll once again be a part of the Tigers’ depth.
Nasir Pogue – The son of Al Pogue, he’s seen 12 snaps defensively throughout his collegiate career and rounds out the returning depth.
The Newcomers
Chris Graves Jr. – Brings a wealth of experience playing in the SEC, which no one else on the roster currently exhibits. In 2025, Graves saw his snap count jump from 187 to 683, along with 33 total tackles and two pass breakups. He was a part of Mississippi’s run to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, experiencing that alongside the other arrivals from Oxford – Austin Simons and Cayden Lee. According to PFF, his best game came in 2025 in the CFP against Miami-FL, with a 71.6 defensive grade to pair along with a 73.9 coverage grade. Pencil Graves is this team’s No. 1 cornerback, as reported by the beat a few times. He’ll be a leader in this room, and with the departure of this team’s main three a season ago, it brings comfort to acquire a guy who has played a lot of snaps in this league.
Jahlil Florence – Getting a fresh start, he’ll have his opportunities in the black and gold. It’s been a rocky past couple of years for Florence due to injury. He’s played 22 defensive snaps in the past two seasons. But the beat has noted he’s been a part of the primary rotation of cornerbacks per the beat, while Graves praised his physicality this fall camp. In a bigger sample size in 2023, he appeared in 392 defensive snaps, collecting a PFF defensive grade of 72.6, a tackling grade of 76, and a coverage grade of 72.9.
Sione Laulea – A 6-foot-4, 200-pounder, he is one of the biggest cornerbacks that Eli Drinkwitz has had at Mizzou. His length is very appealing and is going to do wonders against bigger and more physical wide receivers. He comes to Mizzou from Oregon with a smaller sample size of 116 snaps and a PFF defensive grade of 77 and a coverage grade of 76.7. Alongside Graves and Florence, he’ll contribute as the No. 3 cornerback.
Jaxson Gates – Coming from the West Coast, he brings excellent speed, participating in the 100, 200, and 400 meters in high school. He’s an incoming four-star recruit, and while the team does have older and more experienced options, he could crack the rotation for playing time.
Ahmod Billins – Arriving from the southeastern part of Alabama, Billins was a phenomenal player for Abbeville Christian Academy, leading the Generals to the AISA AA State Championship. While he arrives as a cornerback, a fun fact is that he compiled 3,000 all-purpose yards on the offensive side of the ball. He’s just 165 pounds, but he showed toughness and speed in his high school tape, and even had a highlight returning the ball for a shifty return. Trashaundon Neal – The only player in the room from the Show Me State. Neal was a part of Liberty North in the Kansas City area, where he recorded four pass breakups as a senior, while offensively nearly approaching the 1K receiving mark.
Summing up the room in 2026
There’s no sugarcoating it: replacing three starters isn’t ideal, and won’t happen overnight, but it’s not as gloom-and-doom as it seems. Mizzou brought in a different collection of experience and upside. Graves brings plenty of SEC experience, Florence has been capable when healthy, and Laulea brings size to the position. Plus, DeLoach has seen significant snaps for the Tigers in his career.
The question is whether this group can put it together and stay consistent over an SEC schedule, and that answer will unfold over time. Also, how quickly that happens will correlate to what happens up front. If Missouri’s pass rush makes life harder on quarterbacks, it will reverberate throughout the entire unit.
More unknowns remain heading into the year, but they have a lot of talent to work with.
Projected depth chart
Starters: Chris Graves Jr. and Jahlil Florence
No. 3 and No. 4: Sione Laulea and Nick DeLoach.
Depth: Jaxson Gates, Cameron Keys, Nasir Pogue, Ahmod Billins, Trashundon Neal.
