After an 11-3 season that included a Citrus Bowl win and an SEC championship game appearance, Missouri again must contend with the loss of its three top receivers, arguably its best running back, its best offensive lineman, both starting defensive ends and its best player in the secondary.

Still, the Tigers are terrific at developing talent and the cupboard isn’t empty. Here are five of the best returnees for the Tigers in 2015.

5. C Evan Boehm: All due respect to Maty Mauk. He and Boehm each had up-and-down seasons in 2014. But Boehm should be an NFL draft pick after this season, and he should overcome what amounts to a bit of a mental freakout last season that peaked against Indiana. A conscientious hard worker, expect Boehm to be one of the best centers in the SEC in the fall.

4. LB Michael Scherer: Replacing long-time thumper Andrew Wilson in the middle of the Tigers defense wasn’t a small challenge, particularly when Scherer earned the job almost by default due to some offseason missteps by Kentrell Brothers, at least in the eyes of the coaches. But Scherer became one of the biggest tackling machines in the SEC, finishing the year with 114 stops. If he can learn to shed blocks and be more physical, he could compete for an All-SEC spot before his time in Columbia, Mo. is done.

3. LB Kentrell Brothers: A two-year starter at weakside linebacker, Brothers picked up his game after the non-conference schedule, peaking in the SEC championship with a team and career-high 14 tackles against Alabama. Athletic and fast, Brothers appears poised to mature in his preparation and attitude and give the Tigers one of the SEC’s best linebacker tandems in 2015. He led the team with 122 tackles and five tackles for loss.

2. RB Russell Hansbrough: The most unheralded of the SEC’s seven 1,000-yard rushers in 2014, Hansbrough is by far the team’s best returning skill player. Ish Witter, Morgan Steward, Chase Abbington and others will compete to get carries behind Hansbrough, a clear No. 1 who adjusted to the SEC last season. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound back always has possessed good burst, but he got back to the downhill running that made him an attractive recruit out of high school, rushing for double-digit touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry. Mizzou would love to see him do it again this fall.

1. DT Harold Brantley: His stats weren’t the most impressive in 2014 — 54 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 5 sacks — but at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, he’s a tremendous athlete. He carried three times for 55 yards on fake punts. Again, this is a nearly 300-point interior defensive lineman. He’s a good pass rusher and is capable of lining up at defensive end. With the departure of Shane Ray and Markus Golden, he’ll be the superstar of the Mizzou defensive line, even if five-star DT Terry Beckner Jr. signs with the Tigers.

It’s great getting pressure off the edge, but in today’s age of quick-strike, up-tempo offense, pressure up the middle is even better. He’ll help develop the team’s green defensive ends by creating opportunities for them, and he’s a load to handle for interior offensive linemen. It will be fun to watch him come into his own and terrorize SEC offenses in 2015.