‘This is where we want to be’: Kelly Bryant, MU teammates stay upbeat despite sanctions

Coach Barry Odom wants to protect his roster. Missouri’s players seem to have his back.

Due to the NCAA’s sanctions on Missouri for academic fraud violations, seniors on the Tigers’ roster are free to transfer without having to sit out a year. Odom said he’s “double recruiting,” making sure current players stay while also recruiting high school athletes.

The coach last week that he does not expect any departures, and offensive lineman Yasir Durant agreed.

“I talked about it with a few (other seniors),” Durant said. “We talked about it, just about different kinds of schools and stuff like that, but it was never ‘Oh, well I’m thinking about doing this.’ It was never like that. It was like, ‘Man, whatever.’ We basically came here together, and that’s how we’re going to end it.”

Some players talked openly about the NCAA sanctions at Missouri’s first spring practice Sunday. Others referred reporters to Odom.

Quarterback Kelly Bryant is perhaps the most coveted senior on Missouri’s roster. He joined the Tigers in January as a graduate transfer from Clemson, and Odom named him the starting quarterback.

Bryant said he didn’t consider leaving Missouri after the sanctions.

“It is what it is,” he said. “I’m just not worrying about that at the moment. That’s out of our control. We’re just going to focus on what we have at hand.”

“We know about it, but we aren’t too worried about the sanctions,” receiver Johnathon Johnson said. “We’ve got other people like the AD and the coaches who are going to work for us about trying to get it appealed.”

Missouri is in the process of appealing the NCAA sanctions, which include a one-year postseason ban for the school’s football, baseball and softball teams.

Johnson said he did not consider leaving the Tigers, even when he was approached by other schools. He said he’s been committed since he signed with Missouri.

Cornerback DeMarkus Acy is in the same boat.

“Right after I signed my letter of intent, I was done with the recruiting process,” Acy said. “If you didn’t get me in high school, you missed out on a player.”

“Ultimately this is where I wanted to be since I committed here,” Durant said. “I love the coaches, love the environment, love my teammates. There was never a second guess in my mind.”

Missouri’s roster features 20 players in their final year of eligibility, including Bryant and All-SEC offensive lineman Tre’Vour Simms. Seniors can transfer and become immediately eligible at any point before the fall semester begins.

Linebacker Cale Garrett, Missouri’s only returning captain from 2018, said that the team is sticking together speaks for itself.

“It just kind of shows that we’re united here,” he said. “This is who we want to be, this is where we want to be. We see the potential in this group. I think all of us do. We realize we can be something special. We can go 12-0 if we really want to.”