Mizzou football close to hiring new defensive line coach. Here’s the reported choice

After hiring a new defensive coordinator, Missouri football now appears to be moving to hire a new defensive line coach, per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.

Brian Early, who held the same title at Houston, is expected to move into the job with the Tigers. He will replace Kevin Peoples, who left MU to assume the same role at LSU. Peoples will join Blake Baker, who also left the Missouri staff this offseason to become the defensive coordinator under Brian Kelly.

Early’s deal has not yet been finalized, according to Zenitz’s report. ESPN also confirmed the move will soon take place.

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 2022 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.

Early has also coached in college 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).

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