Mizzou football made significant changes to its offensive makeup entering 2026.
The Tigers have a new quarterback, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Because star running back Ahmad Hardy has been unable to play after sustaining an offseason gunshot wound, the makeup of MU's rushing attack has looked a lot different than anticipated.
Through seven games, the Tigers are seventh in the SEC and 40th nationally in total offense rankings with 429.6 yards of forward progress per game.
Mizzou (5-2, 2-2 SEC) has reached its off week, so we sat down to hand out position group grades at the break in the Tigers’ season. Eli Drinkwitz's team has five games remaining in the 2026 regular season.
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Here’s how we’d assess each offensive position group for MU so far in 2026:
Quarterback: A-
Austin Simmons has exceeded expectations through seven games. He’s been extremely accurate and elevated Mizzou’s passing offense with 253.3 passing yards per game, on pace to be a top-10 mark in school history.
He’s avoided turnovers with just two picks so far, which is the second-fewest in the SEC among QBs with at least 150 dropbacks.
Simmons’ next step — and this goes for the offense as a whole — is turning scoring opportunities into the maximum amount of points. Mizzou has only scored on 69.57% of its red zone trips this year, which ranks 126th out of 138 FBS teams. The Tigers have scored touchdowns on exactly half of their red zone trips.
Running backs: B
This is an incredibly tough spot to grade. If this was a Jamal Roberts grade, it’s a sure-fire A. He leads the country with 867 rushing yards and has been an explosive play machine for Missouri through seven games.
But the depth, ravaged by injuries, has been lacking.
Xai’Shaun Edwards hasn’t been a particularly effective No. 2. He’s giving the Tigers 18.9 yards and less than six carries per game behind Roberts.
Mizzou has the SEC’s 10th-best rushing offense (161.3 yards per game) while simultaneously playing the country’s leading rusher.
Missouri has missed Hardy, which is hardly a surprise. He is, after all, one of the best running backs in the sport. Roberts has been excellent as a No. 1. But the Tigers are missing a No. 2.
Wide receivers: A-
Cayden Lee has been a revelation in Mizzou’s passing offense. He currently ranks top 10 nationally and leads the SEC with 678 receiving yards.
Donovan Olugbode has been a little bit more quiet in the past couple of games but still leads the conference with six receiving touchdowns and is top five with 534 receiving yards.
Mizzou set out to improve its passing offense, and between those two receivers and Simmons, the Tigers have done it.
What Missouri needs down the stretch is a more reliable third option in the passing game. Naeshaun Montgomery and Caleb Goodie Sr. have both flashed but haven’t quite provided the explosive play potential we expected.
Tight ends: C-
We fell for it again. Through seven games, Mizzou doesn’t have a tight end with double-digit catches or more than 80 receiving yards. We thought they were going to be more involved as pass catchers, and that hasn’t happened. Again.
According to Hudl IQ’s analytics, Mizzou has used 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) 2.8% less than the average FBS team. The Tigers have used 10 personnel (no tight ends) 7.8% more than the average FBS team.
The unit has been useful in pass blocking, especially with Jordon Harris. But we’re done waiting for the tight ends to get involved downfield.
Offensive line: B+
Simmons has been one of the best-protected quarterbacks in the country. He’s been sacked seven times, which is better than every starting QB in the SEC other than Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss. He has faced less pressure per game overall than every SEC QB other than Georgia’s Gunner Stockton.
The pass-protection gets an easy A.
The reason Mizzou’s O-line doesn’t quite get perfect marks is because there’s room to improve as run blockers.
Roberts is averaging 1.2 yards per carry before contact, per PFF. That’s at least 0.5 yards less than all but one of the SEC’s top 10 leading rushers. He’s having to generate a lot of his production after being hit.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Grading every position on Missouri football offense at midseason