Where are they now? New teams, playing prospects for recent Missouri football transfers

Wanna remember some guys?

College football is back. The Week 0 slate includes Florida State versus Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, and ACC-newcomer SMU versus Nevada on Saturday. If you really, truly want to test your mettle, Hawai’i and Delaware State grace TV screens at 11 p.m. CT.

Then, it’s five short days until No. 11-ranked Missouri football kicks off its 2024 season against Murray State on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Columbia.

With all of the nation’s teams approaching the new season, the Tribune looked around the country to see where former Mizzou players have transferred and whether they’re likely to see the field.

Here are some players whose names you may remember, and whether their moves have panned out:

Where have former Missouri football quarterbacks transferred?

Gabarri Johnson (At Missouri in 2023), Oregon State: The Class of 2023 four-star Mizzou recruit transferred closer to his home state of Washington over the offseason, and is currently in a quarterback competition for starting duties at the PAC-1(2) school. The race is still ongoing, per recent reporting from the Salem Statesmen Journal, but Johnson seemingly has flashed enough to stay in the three-player race.

Jake Garcia (2023), East Carolina: Garcia is on to the third stop of his college career. The former Miami then one-year Mizzou backup QB recently was named the Pirates’ starting quarterback, beating out Michigan State transfer Katin Houser for starting reps at the American Athletic Conference school.

Connor Bazelak (2020-21), Bowling Green: Yes, he’s still playing. The former co-SEC freshman of the year is set to start again for Bowling Green this season, which is Bazelak’s sixth in the sport. He is in his second year with the Falcons after one season at Indiana.

Tyler Macon (2021-22), Alcorn State: The quarterback who started for MU against Georgia in 2022 is now in his second season with Alcorn State and likely to start this season for the SWAC team. He made just one appearance last year.

More: What a step forward looks like for Missouri football QB Brady Cook amid newfound notoriety

Offensive players

Dominic Lovett (2021-22), WR, Georgia: Lovett is the Bulldogs’ top returning receiver in 2024 with some star power off to the league. After catching 54 passes for 613 yards and three touchdowns last season, he should have a prominent role on UGA’s offense and is on the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list.

Elijah Young (2020-22), RB, Western Kentucky: Young was a three-year backup for Missouri, appearing in 28 games and accounting for 333 rushing yards and a touchdown before transferring to WKU. He’s on the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list and will start in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this season. His first game this season: at Alabama.

Ja’Mori Maclin (2020-21), WR, Kentucky: The cousin of Mizzou legend Jeremy Maclin has transferred back to the SEC after two standout seasons at North Texas, and appears to be in line for a starting role on coach Mark Stoops’ squad. The Kirkwood native had a 1,004-yard, 11-touchdown campaign for the Mean Green last year. He caught one pass in two years with Missouri, with an injury taking him out of the 2021 season. Like Luther Burden III and Lovett, he is on the Biletnikoff watch list.

More: 3 unanswered questions we still have about Missouri football with season one week away

Defensive players

DJ Wesolak (2022-23), DE/OLB, Oregon State: Wesolak seemingly has cracked the two-deep at outside linebacker for the Beavers. He switched between the linebacker and defensive end rooms at Mizzou. He was a four-star prospect out of Boonville, Missouri, in the Class of 2022, but played just five times for MU in 2022 but did not feature last season.

Sergine Tounkara (2023), DE/OLB, California: Tounkara was a promising edge rusher for Mizzou as a recruit out of Texas, but had an uphill battle for reps with the Tigers’ depth at the position. He looks like he’s found a depth role as an outside linebacker with first-year ACC school California.

Arden Walker (2021-22), DE, Colorado: The former Missouri starter is looking like a backup edge rusher on coach Deion Sanders’ team this season, according to a projection from Buffaloes Wire. Walker underwent offseason hand surgery after featuring in all 12 of Colorado’s games last season.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Where are they now? New teams, playing prospects for recent Missouri football transfers