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For the Missouri defense, that’s senior . He’s got possibly the best job description of any defensive player in college football. The Tigers rely on him to simply be a dude.

How well Carnell does that will go a long way in determining the level of success the Tigers defense will have this season. His play may be a barometer for the entire defense’s performance.

Plaster to a wide receiver and stay with him one-on-one all over the field? Yes. Play close to the line of scrimmage and help shut down the running game? You got it. Drop back in the middle of the field in pass coverage like a traditional safety? Yeah, that too.

Oh, and cause havoc and create turnovers as well.

Technically, the Tigers call his spot the “star� position. Carnell feels like that role fits him as a football player — and not because of its name.

“Because I’m a physical player, but I also love to play in space and cover,� Carnell said during football media day at the start of fall camp at Mizzou. “So I feel like the star position provides a perfect balance of that.�

During Alabama’s run of dominance, they had a force of nature who played the “star� position, as well as safety, named . That Alabama team won two national championships (2015, 2017) in his three seasons, and in his final year, Fitzpatrick won both the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik awards as the nation’s best defensive back and the nation’s defensive player of the year, respectively.

A five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro in the NFL, Fitzpatrick is about to enter his eighth professional season.

Clemson won the national championship in 2016 between those two Alabama titles, and its defense featured a hybrid linebacker/nickel back named Dorian O’Daniel, who went on to play linebacker on a Super Bowl-winning team with the Kansas City Chiefs.

That’s not to say Carnell has to fit into anyone else’s mold. It just goes to show the value a player like that can have on a defense.

Carnell’s versatility is at a premium in the current iteration of the game that features spread offenses with explosive slot receivers, tight ends that play like wide receivers, oversized wide receivers that could be tight ends and running backs that spend a lot of time split out and lined up like receivers.

“The thing that DC is: He’s sort of an anomaly in terms of size-speed ratios,� Missouri defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said. “He’s a big guy that we don’t have to take out against 12 personnel. Teams will bring in multiple tight ends, we don’t have to sub him out.

“Most times in a 4-2-5, you’re having to sub that nickel out and put in a linebacker. So his ability to play in the heavier groupings and yet on the very next play cover a slot receiver, that’s special. That’s unique.�

Last season, Carnell played in all 13 games (12 starts), led the team in passes broken up (seven), finished second on the team in forced fumbles (two), fourth in tackles (51) and fifth in tackles for loss (five).

His fumble recovery and 68-yard return for a touchdown against Mississippi State marked the longest by a Missouri player since 2014.

“Now, we probably play a little bit more man coverage,� Batoon said. “So that’s been something that’s been really suited for his skill set. I think that’s where you didn’t see much of a drop-off with him last year. This year, being it’s his last run, (he’s) just really trying to put his best foot forward and trying to be as comfortable as he can in that position.�

Carnell entered Missouri as a highly rated cornerback (four-star recruit) from Indianapolis. By his own estimation, he put on so much size in college that it prompted his move to the star position.

Carnell’s recruiting profile from his senior year of high school listed him at 6-foot-1 1/2, 195 pounds. He’s now listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds.

Of course, the move meant he had to get used to taking on blocks as well as maneuvering and reading keys in the hectic moving maze of collisions and pulling linemen near the line of scrimmage.

Candidly, he said he just started to find some comfortability with that part of the gig during his junior year.

“That was probably the biggest adjustment,� Carnell said. “I feel like last year, I finally — I wouldn’t say it was perfect — but I pretty much put it together with my play in the box. I feel like last year was my best year I’ve played close to the line compared to the other years.

“It took, what, three or four years to get used to it. It’s definitely a transition process from being all the way out nowhere near linemen to seeing linemen every other play.�

Carnell credited Batoon with putting him in positions on the practice field that forced him to acclimate.

Last season, Missouri’s defense ranked fifth nationally in third-down conversion percentage defense, 17th in total defense, 18th in passing yards allowed and 20th in scoring defense. They held seven teams to 21 points or fewer.

That unit returns seven starters from last season, including Carnell, and they’ve added several experienced transfers. Carnell didn’t bat an eye when he said “the sky is the limit� for this defense.

“For me, it’s really just helping lead the team to where we want to go,� Carnell said of his goals for 2025. “That’s playing for a championship, SEC championship, playoffs. I just want to do that because I know if I do that, my personal goals and accolades will fall in line because the best teams always have the best players normally.

“That’s really the main thing, helping the team win as many games as possible and reach our team goals.�