Beckner Jr. to stay at Mizzou for senior season

Mizzou defensive lineman Terry Beckner Jr. announced he will remain at Mizzou for his senior season.

Beckner Jr. was considering entering the 2018 NFL Draft but announced today he will play in the Tigers’ bowl game and for Mizzou next season.

“I’m excited to make this decision and move on to finishing this season out the right way,” said Beckner Jr. “We have a chance to do something really special and keep momentum going into next year, and I want to be part of that and help lead this team in the right direction. I love Mizzou, and I’ve grown so much this year working with Coach (Brick) Haley, but there’s so much more that I can learn from him. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be a Tiger and I want to do everything I can to help us do big things,” he said.

Beckner Jr. was the last five-star recruit Mizzou has signed and has become one of Mizzou’s top defensive players after rehabbing back-to-back season-ending knee surgeries. In 2017, Beckner Jr. has seven sacks, which is fifth among the SEC. He also registered 35 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback pressures, two pass break ups and one interception.

The East St. Louis native has been a large part of Mizzou’s six-game win streak to finish 7-5.

“We’re very excited to know that Terry will be with us for another year,” said Head Coach Barry Odom . “Everyone knows that he’s a high-impact player, but even more so, he’s an incredible leader for this program and is an outstanding representative of Mizzou. He certainly did have an opportunity to move on, but he and his family weighed all of the factors and we’re grateful for the faith they have in us as a coaching staff to help him become the best he can be. It’s also very important to Terry and his family that he earns his degree, and he’s on pace to do that. We’ve got something special going at Mizzou, and he’s a big part of it,” said Odom.

The Tigers and Beckner Jr. await their bowl announcement in the next week.