With Missouri transitioning from Dave Steckel to Barry Odom at defensive coordinator, we could see the Tigers deploy a 3-4 scheme, at least situationally.

Odom switched to a flexible 3-4 defense at Memphis with great results (the Tigers allowed just 19.5 points per game in 2014 and won 10 games). Mizzou also appears to have the personnel, especially along the defensive line, to excel in a 3-4 front.

The best college and NFL defenses are multiple in both scheme and personnel. Mizzou ran a 4-3 defense under Steckel, officially speaking, but also switched to a 4-2-5 nickel formation and ran plays with just three down linemen.

The No. 1 key to a 3-4 defense is a space-eating monster at nose tackle, someone who can occupy two blockers. Think Terrence “Mount” Cody at Alabama. The Tigers have one of those available on the roster in 6-foot-4, 335-pound Josh Augusta. He’s a solid defensive tackle and figures to be a starter in what likely will be a base 4-3 defense in 2015, but could be even better at nose tackle.

The roster is loaded with good potential 3-4 defensive ends. Recent five-star signee Terry Beckner Jr. is a protoype at 6-foot-4 and about 295 pounds. He’s not nearly as fast as Shane Ray or Markus Golden (or even Harold Brantley), but Beckner Jr. is a strong pass rusher with tremendous power.

Speaking of Brantley, he’s had to work hard to keep on enough weight to play defensive tackle in the team’s 4-3 scheme. He’d be a terror as a 3-4 defensive end and could potentially sink back to about 280 pounds, no problem. Brantley should be one heck of a defensive tackle this fall, but his athleticism and all-around game give Odom plenty of flexibility should he decide to mix in some 3-4 looks.

Rickey Hatley, too, is a defensive end/defensive tackle tweener within a 4-3 scheme and could find a natural fit as a 3-4 defensive end.

The Tigers also just brought in a recruiting class with five defensive linemen, all of whom are at least 6-foot-4 and three of whom weigh 260-plus pounds — as incoming college freshmen. Beckner Jr.’s arrival especially gives Odom and Mizzou something to think about.

Missouri has been recruiting for a 4-3 scheme for years, and the team is much better equipped for that defense at linebacker. The Tigers don’t have any issues on defense right now in that the unit had a heck of a season in 2014 and appears ready for another solid showing this fall. So don’t expect to see the team with three down linemen when the Southeast Missouri State offense first takes the field on Sept. 5.

But it’s worth considering as a second or third pitch for Missouri and Odom. The best coordinators craft their scheme around the talent at hand. Even though there’s a lot of recruiting or free agent negotiating with players who best fit a team, to truly maximize personnel means at least slight tweaks from year to year. That’s the only way to make sure you maximize the specific strengths of the players you have.

The Tigers definitely have the bodies along the defensive line to play some 3-4 on occasion, and perhaps with one more recruiting class, depending on whom Missouri targets, the team will be even more equipped to mix it in going forward. Steckel played around with three-man fronts occasionally, without much success, and almost dropped the science project entirely in 2014. Odom showed at Memphis he’s capable of flexibility depending on his personnel and found success with the 3-4, which presumably makes him affable to experimenting with it further.

There isn’t a reason for Mizzou to move away from a 4-3 base scheme in 2015, but it would be intriguing and perhaps even effective to see it on occasion.