Mizzou Lands Transfer Commitment from Edge Nate Johnson

The edge rusher is the 10th addition the Missouri Tigers have made through the transfer portal.

Sep 14, 2024; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers linebacker Nate Johnson (90) looks on before the game during the warmups against the East Carolina Pirates at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers made their first addition at edge rusher of the season, with Applachian State's Nate Johnson transferring to Missouri, according to multiple reports.

Johnson comes over to Missouri with two years of eligibility. Young edge rushers quickly became a need for the Tigers after freshmen Williams Nwaneri and Jaylen Brown both entered the transfer portal.

Just as every other one of Missouri's transfer additions, Johnson was productive in his two years in the Sun Belt Conference. As a true freshman, he started in 10 games, recording 42 tackles. 7.5 sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus, 37 pressures on 234 snaps of pass rushing.

In his sophomore season, Johnson recorded 42 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He forced a fumble in each of his first two seasons.

Johnson becomes Missouri's 10th addition through the transfer portal this offseason, and the fifth defensively. Last year, Missouri added 17 players total through the transfer portal, with 11 coming in the winter window.

However, Missouri signed a true freshman class of 22 members in 2024. That number dropped to 17 in 2025. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz's staff has worked to find the right number of freshmen to sign in order to have flexibility through the transfer portal.

"We set out with the goal to sign anywhere between 15 and 20 players," Drinkwitz said of National Signing Day. "We really didn't want to sign too big of a class. We kind of found the right formula for us, so for us to settle in this number of 17 right now is really good, and we're very excited about where we're at."

The early transfer portal window officially closes on Dec. 28 before reopening in the spring.

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