Five Mizzou Standouts Earn Spots on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-SEC Teams

Steele split five Tigers between his Preseason All-SEC First Team, Second Team and Fourth Team.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Triston Newson (14) and defensive back Daylan Carnell (13) celebrate a defensive stop on the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

As the Missouri football team continues to prepare for a season with the common goal of reaching the College Football Playoff, Phil Steele included five Tiger standouts among his Preseason All-SEC Teams.

Junior wide receiver Luther Burden III was selected to the First Team, junior offensive lineman Armand Membou and senior linebacker Triston Newson landed spots on the Second Team and junior defensive back Daylan Carnell and senior defensive lineman Johnny Walker Jr. made the Fourth Team cut.

There's not much to debate that Burden is perhaps the best returning pass-catcher in college football for next season. Last year, Burden finished second in the SEC in receptions with 86 and
ninth in all of college football in receiving yards with 1,212. The 2023 All-SEC First Team member has realistic expectations of being a consensus or even a unanimous All-American for this upcoming season.

Membou started in all 13 games as Mizzou's right tackle and played a pivotal role in building a front-five unit that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, honoring the most outstanding offensive line in the nation. Membou was part of a front-five that paved the way for five games of 200-plus rushing yards and reached triple digits in that category in all but one outing. The unit also helped create 500-plus yards of total offense in five contests as well.

Newson's rise to notoriety started when former Mizzou standout and current Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper suffered an injury late in the season. In Newson's first game filling in for Hopper, he recorded a career-high 15 tackles, including two for loss, and recovered two fumbles in the dominant 48-14 road victory over Arkansas. Newson was recognized as the SEC's Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts and finished last season with a total of 51 tackles, including seven for loss.

Carnell showed major improvements from 2022 throughout last season, as he finished fifth on the Tigers in tackles (51), tackles for loss (6) and sacks (3), while also returning an interception 38 yards to the house in Missouri's 36-7 victory over then-No. 13 Tennessee. His seven pass breakups only trailed former Mizzou standout and current Denver Broncos rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (13) for the team lead.

Walker's placement on the Fourth Team might turn some heads as he finished second on the Tigers in sacks (5), only trailing former Mizzou standout and current Arizona Cardinals first-rounder Darius Robinson for the team lead. Additionally, he was third on the team in tackles for loss (9.5) while also finishing with a team-high three forced fumbles. Perhaps most notably, Walker was named the 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Defensive MVP after disrupting Ohio State all evening in the 14-3 victory.