What to watch for in Mizzou football’s offseason: players leaving, staying, recruiting
Missouri football’s season ended Monday with a 38-33 Liberty Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, but coach Barry Odom’s schedule hasn’t lightened up. The Tigers have a number of issues to address before spring football starts in March, both on the recruiting trail and in the meeting room. Here are a few questions that need answers this offseason:
Does Albert Okwuegbunam declare for the draft? The redshirt sophomore tight end missed the last four games of the season because of a shoulder injury. The tight end is draft eligible and projections for him are all over the board. Texas A&M star tight end Jace Sternberger declared for the draft Tuesday, and he is one player ahead of Okwuegbunam on most draft boards. Okwuegbunam, 6-foot-5, could see his stock increase if he improves his blocking. But his speed (a 4.5-second 40-yard dash time) and frame could be enough to sell teams.
Does Derek Dooley tweak the offense? With the addition of former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant and the return of MU’s top four tailbacks, Dooley could redesign the offense to favor the run. The offensive coordinator has declined any questions about the 2019 season until 2018 is over, but given MU’s personnel it’s not a bad idea.
How does Odom fill his staff vacancies? Tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley left for Texas A&M and senior offensive analyst Garrick McGee has coached the position in an interim role. He could get that tag taken away. Odom could also move wideouts coach A.J. Ofodile to tight ends, a position where he was an MU All-American and NFL player, and hire a wideouts coach or move McGee there. Mizzou also lost senior defensive analyst Ted Monachino to Kansas State and Neal Renna, another defensive analyst, to Eastern Illinois. Monachino was highly respected on MU’s staff, which means Odom might look for another veteran presence or he could go another route. Odom’s contract extension increased his assistant coach salary pool, which helps here.
Who steps up in the locker room? Graduating seniors Drew Lock, Paul Adams, Terry Beckner Jr. and Terez Hall were all very influential leaders on both sides of the ball. All of them are gone now. Missouri still has rising senior linebacker Cale Garrett, who now becomes the main leader on defense, but he can’t do it alone. As the quarterback, Bryant is expected to lead once he gets on campus and Okwuegbunam would be another veteran presence if he decides to stay. Tailbacks Damarea Crockett and Larry Rountree are also big voices in the locker room.
How does the recruiting class fill out? Missouri still has a few more spots left for its 2019 class and all eyes will be on the lines as the Tigers try to add depth and some junior-college prospects into both rooms. All eyes will be on former Park Hill star Chester Graves, who recently took an official visit to Missouri, but is considered the nation’s top junior-college prospect. A defensive lineman, Graves can give MU the biggest immediate impact. The Tigers missed on a few junior-college offensive lineman in the early signing period and could pursue a few more over the next month as well. The coaching changes at West Virginia, Houston and Miami might present a few other options for MU, should those recruits ask out of their letters of intent.
This story was originally published January 2, 2019 at 11:21 AM.