Mizzou expected to hire elite recruiter with SEC experience to coaching staff, per report
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Mizzou is close to hiring one of the better recruiters in the SEC to its own football staff, according to reports.
Per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Levorn “Chop” Harbin “is expected to” join the Tigers as a defensive assistant coach. Harbin is currently with Tennessee, joining the Volunteers as part of Josh Heupel‘s initial staff in 2021.
Harbin initially served as a defensive analyst with the Vols before being promoted to senior defensive analyst, a role he held for three seasons. He was then promoted to outside linebackers coach ahead of the 2025 season.
As Zenitz notes, Harbin has been a skilled recruiter for the Vols. He was the primary recruiter for Zach Groves, Hezekiah Harris, and Joel Wyatt, a trio of four-star recruits in Tennessee’s 2026 class. According to Tennessee’s website, he helped develop James Pearce Jr., one of the best defensive linemen in the country before being taken by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Mizzou‘s coaching staff has seen some turnover in the 2025 offseason.
Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore was named head coach at Washington State, with Chip Lindsey being hired away from Michigan as his replacement. Garrett Riley, who served as Eli Drinkwitz‘s running backs coach at Appalachian State in 2021, joined Mizzou as an offensive assistant after being fired as OC at Clemson.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
