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The transfer portal has scattered them around various conferences and levels, with some having now transferred multiple times after departing Columbia for pastures that looked greener — but haven’t always turned out that way.

With the college football season kicking off this weekend, here’s what 32 former Mizzou players who transferred away will be up to in 2025.

The only two former MU players who are on the Tigers’ schedule this season are defensive end Jaylen Brown, who signed with South Carolina this offseason, and wideout Courtney Crutchfield, who went to Arkansas. But when the Gamecocks come to town for Missouri’s SEC opener on Sept. 20, it looks like Brown won’t be playing. He suffered an unspecified long-term injury during spring ball and has been out for all of South Carolina’s fall camp — plus, it seems, a while longer.

Crutchfield, meanwhile, is buried on the Razorbacks’ depth chart and has been working with the third-team offense during camp. After getting a look at him during spring ball, the Hogs turned to the portal again to recruit over him, which doesn’t bode well for playing time.

Speaking of other members of Mizzou’s heralded 2024 recruiting class who hit the portal in surprising moves last December: five-star prospect Williams Nwaneri is in the mix at Nebraska but hasn’t solidified a starting job ahead of the Cornhuskers’ season opener against Cincinnati, scheduled to be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

As became evident at MU, it seems the ‘Huskers are learning Nwaneri is more of a long-term project than a plug-and-play option.

“All the accolades that Will has received previous to coming to Nebraska are warranted, but his day-to-day here has, through our strength staff, through our player development staff, through our coaches has kind of made an impact on him,” defensive coordinator John Butler said recently. “And I think that if he keeps heading in the right direction, we’re going to be excited about what Will continues to be, not what he is now.”

Perhaps having more immediate impact will be running back Kewan Lacy, who’s getting buzz as a potential starter down at Mississippi. Ole Miss likes what he offers as a pass-catching back, so he’ll certainly receive opportunities.

Eddie Kelly Jr., who spent the 2024 season with the Tigers but got boxed out by the influx of depth at his position, is now in line to start as a defensive end at West Virginia for new-but-also-returning coach Rich Rodriguez.

The other D-end to hit the portal after spring ball, Troy Buchanan product Jahkai Lang, has landed at Southern Methodist, where he’s expected to be part of the rotation.

Joe Moore III, another defensive end, announced that he was transferring to Florida Atlantic but is not listed on the FAU roster. MU officials had told the Post-Dispatch that they believed he was out of eligibility when he transferred (which appeared to be the case to a non-expert, too), so that’s not a surprise.

Edge rusher Serigne Tounkara is returning to his role as a rotational piece at Cal, while fellow defensive end Ky Montgomery is looking for a junior college roster spot after playing in only three games last year for Ball State.

The most accomplished former Missouri defensive end still playing college football is, at the moment, Arden Walker at Colorado. There, coach Deion Sanders is publicly debating whether to dub Walker a “dawg” or a “leader,” which will lead to him wearing either a D or an L on his jersey this season. Regardless, he’s one of the Buffaloes’ most productive returning players.

To continue with, uh, well-known coaches: Mikai Gbayor ought to play a role for new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick after spending only spring ball with Mizzou before moving on due to his depth chart position.

In the quarterback category, Drew Pyne is succeeding another former Tiger, Connor Bazelak, as the starting QB at Bowling Green. He marked a fairly splashy add for the Falcons and is joined there by former MU running back Austyn Dendy.

Jake Garcia has transferred once again, this time to Michigan, where he’s in the mix to back up true freshman phenom Bryce Underwood.

Gabarri Johnson was an option quarterback and made one start at Oregon State in 2024, but the Beavers brought in Maalik Murphy ahead of him for this season.

Tyler Macon is still at Alcorn State, which plays at Mississippi State on Sept. 13.

Kentucky, with former Mizzou assistant Bush Hamdan as its offensive coordinator, has two former Tigers among its receiving corps: J.J. Hester and Ja’Mori Maclin. The former, arriving from Oklahoma, seems more likely to have a role.

Other players on power conference rosters include Jaren Sensabaugh and Val Erickson, who could start at nickelback and guard, respectively for North Carolina State. Orion Phillips will punt for Utah, center Talan Chandler will provide depth at Northwestern and Carmycah Glass will be a depth linebacker for Houston.

And in the Group of Five ranks: D.J. Wesolak and Grayson Crutchlow will help Missouri State make the jump up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level, with the former expected to start. Mekhi Miller could find himself leading the Golden Hurricane as Tulsa’s top wideout. Linebacker Brayshawn Littlejohn followed his position coach, D.J. Smith, to App State, where Smith is the first-year defensive coordinator. Defensive back Ja’Marion Wayne will compete for snaps at Coastal Carolina. Ma’Kyi Lee will be the starting left tackle for New Mexico State. Dameon Wilson is in line to start as a linebacker for East Carolina. Will Safris will punt for Utah State, and long snapper Jack Kautz will ply his trade in Ypsilanti with Eastern Michigan.