Missouri football officially hires new defensive line coach
After hiring a new defensive coordinator, Missouri football now has its new defensive line coach the school announced Friday.
Brian Early, who held the same title at the University of Houston, will move into the job with the Tigers. He will replace Kevin Peoples, who left MU to assume the same role at LSU. There, he will join Blake Baker, who also left the Missouri staff this off-season to become the defensive coordinator under Brian Kelly.
"Brian's a coach that's been on our radar for a while now," said head coach Eli Drinkwitz in a news release. "We love his energy and passion for the game, and his commitment to being an elite student of the game to give his players every advantage. The numbers don't lie and whether it's been at Houston or Arkansas State, Brian's guys are technically sound, know how to rush the passer and have been highly productive in the sack and tackle for loss categories."
More: The players Mizzou football might call on to replace 10 draft-bound defensive players
More: Missouri football early 2024 rankings: Where are Tigers ranked in top 25 for next season?
Early has been at Houston since 2019. According to his bio on the University of Houston website, he has helped produce several NFL players, including Logan Hall and Payton Turner, who were selected in the first two rounds of the 2023 and 2021 NFL Drafts, respectively.
In 2023, Early helped develop a pair of All-Big 12 defensive linemen. Nelson Ceaser led the conference with 9.5 sacks, earning first-team honors, while Jamaree Caldwell, a second-team selection, collected 6.5 of his own.
Overseeing junior college recruiting duties at Houston, he played a key role in the Cougars getting Tank Dell, who was a third-round selection by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well as Gervarrius Owens, a 2023 seventh rounder, and Damarion Williams, a 2022 fourth rounder.
Prior to Houston, Early spent five seasons as Arkansas State’s defensive line coach. During that time, the Red Wolves ranked in the top 41 nationally in sacks and tackles for loss. This helped the Red Wolves win back-to-back conference titles in 2015 and 2016.
"What Coach Drinkwitz and the Missouri football program are building makes this opportunity so appealing," Early said. "All you have to do is turn on the tape from the Cotton Bowl and see the competitive fire of this team. Something To Prove isn't just a catch phrase at all, it's a lifestyle and the type of thinking I've embraced throughout my coaching career. I can't thank Coach Drinkwitz enough for allowing me this opportunity and I'm excited to cut it loose with our edge rushers!"
Early has also coached collegiately at Arkansas (defensive quality control coach, 2013); Central Arkansas (defensive line, linebackers and special teams coach, 2004-2008); Minnesota State-Mankato (linebackers and special teams coach, 2002-2003) and Arkansas-Monticello (linebackers, 1999-2000). He also has coached at the high school level in the state of Arkansas at Greenland High School (1994-1998), West Memphis High School (2001), and Fayetteville High School (2009-2012).
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football officially hires new defensive line coach
