Trajen Greco looks to make waves in Mizzou football’s revamped secondary

But this year’s unit comes with a large amount of uncertainty, particularly in its secondary talent. The Tigers lost nine cornerbacks and safeties from the 2025 roster who combined for roughly 3,000 snaps played.

As a result, Mizzou hit the transfer portal hard. The Tigers picked up five cornerbacks along with safety JaDon Blair in the spring.

Yet, the leading story out of fall camp has been the returning talent. Nick DeLoach Jr. has taken plenty of cornerback reps with the first team, and Santana Banner has led the way in the safety room. Another player who has continuously stood out in practice has been junior safety Trajen Greco.

Greco spent his first two seasons in a condensed role, but he saw the field in every game. A large part of his role came on special teams, adding another dynamic to his skillset.

“Everybody wants to play as a freshman, but sometimes that's not how your role ends up,” Greco said. “Being able to play my freshman year on special teams was a blessing…whenever this year comes, I'm ready to go.”

One of Greco’s biggest strengths on the field is his physicality. He stuck out during fall camp practices with his speed and explosiveness during several of the tackling drills.

“It's very important,” Greco said. “When you put on the tape of the safeties, you want a physical presence out there just so the other team can know what’s coming on the field on game days.”

Greco has worked very closely with Banner after the fellow safety transferred to Mizzou from Northern Illinois.

“Me and him are gonna end up on the same page, and our games are very complimentary of one another,” Greco said. “So it makes it super easy to just be out there with him.”

In return, Banner highlighted Greco’s intelligence and the way he sees the game beyond what’s in front of him.

“He took on more of a leadership role, especially in the secondary, and just his IQ,” Banner said. “That dude is constantly in the film room, just getting his mental game right, and that transfers a lot, especially as a safety.”

Greco and the rest of Mizzou’s safeties look to benefit from these extra film sessions. Batoon’s defense features a rotational shift of defenders, allowing defensive backs to shift along the field to try and disrupt any offensive rhythm. This sort of model is good when it comes to mixing up looks and staying unpredictable, but in turn it makes it harder to learn as a defender.

“It brings a lot of versatility," Greco said. "Some teams (are) not going to know where we’re lined up and what we’re in just because of how we’re rotating. (You) gotta know a lot, but just playing in the system makes it super easy because they all just rely on one another. If you know what you’re doing at one position, you’re going to be able to have an idea of what you’re doing at the next one as well.”

While the safety has been on the roster for the past two seasons, this year provides a key opportunity for Greco to emerge as one of the top players in this defensive unit. While he has seen limited playing time the past two seasons, it has allowed him to build confidence within the program to take that next step.

“It means a lot, just being able to have a higher role for myself,” Greco said. “I just can’t wait to embrace it this season.”

Mizzou’s retooled defense takes the field for the first time on Sept. 3 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Memorial Stadium.