Early reports from Mizzou camp: Who’s impressed and who’s battling for starting spots
The Missouri Tigers are navigating a preseason football camp unlike any other in the middle of a global pandemic. Classes begin Monday for Mizzou students as another step in the process ahead of the 10-game, SEC-only 2020 schedule.
MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s Tigers have worked behind the scenes in the meantime, racking up five of their 25 allotted practices as part of camp. Media is not allowed to attend or watch any practices — besides videographers and photographers.
It’s still early, of course, meaning things can change quickly. The SEC mandated a five-day acclimatization period, slowly ramping up to a fully-padded fifth practice. The Tigers just got to that mark, installing Drinkwitz’s brand-new offense deliberately and slowly.
It’s meant evaluations are limited — especially for positional groups like the offensive line, where hits and full contact are parts of the job description.
Some names, though, have stood out in the grand scheme of practice. Starting spots are up for grabs all over the roster, with coaches stressing even established players needing to earn their jobs.
Here’s a breakdown of who has made their mark in camp — at least thus far.
Offense
All the attention is on who wins the starting quarterback job, but as Drinkwitz mentioned, don’t expect any formal announcement ahead of the season kickoff. It’s a three-quarterback race between Shawn Robinson, Taylor Powell and Connor Bazelak.
“I like that all the guys compete,” MU wide receiver Damon Hazelton said of the quarterbacks. “So far everybody’s been coming to work. Even from the little stint we had in the spring, then moving to the fall, everybody’s been pretty consistent in the way that they come and approach the game.”
Perhaps the player generating the most hype through training camp has been graduate transfer wide receiver Keke Chism. The 6-foot-4 transfer from Angelo State has turned heads, many of his teammates listing him as the player most likely to surprise this season. Chism’s addition pairs well with Hazelton, who transferred from Virginia Tech, for two dangerous weapons at receiver.
Teammates have also praised Jalen Knox, who enters his junior season. The talent has been evident for Knox in his time at Mizzou, but the consistency has been lacking. Knox said the staff has moved him from outside to inside, giving him an edge in flexibility. Drinkwitz said the wide receiver room has impressed early in general, whether that be Dominic Gicinto, Barrett Banister or even Chance Luper, the first true freshman to earn his jersey number.
“Having Keke and Damon here has helped me a lot,” Knox said. “Them bringing in their five years of experience, it’s brought me to a next level. It’s made me think of things to figure out. Had to get down and grind just like they used to work.”
Junior Daniel Parker Jr. is the most established guy at tight end, earning more snaps when Albert Okwuegbunam was hurt last season. However, other names have popped up at tight end. Logan Christopherson earned an offensive player of the day nod and has been one guy who’s potentially emerged from that position. MU tight ends coach Casey Wood said he’s been roused with the backups, as well, including the likes of Niko Hea, Brendan Scales and Messiah Swinson.
The offensive line is arguably Mizzou’s biggest question mark on offense. The Tigers lost three starters from a line last season that struggled against opposing defenses, especially during the five-game losing streak. All reports have been favorable on Michael Maietti, the Rutgers grad transfer who started 33 games the past three seasons. He figures to slide right in at the center position with his wealth of experience.
The next two have been Larry Borom and Case Cook, two linemen who played heavy roles last season. Boron said he’s played primarily at tackle this camp, which is where he’s comfortable, after sliding between guard and tackle throughout his career.
“Every day Coach (Marcus) Johnson does his best to put guys in the right spot and from there we just try to compete,” Maietti said. “Try to see who the best five are every day.”
Defense
The defense has the luxury of returning eight starters from 2019’s stout squad, but MU defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said they’re still making those guys compete. The Tigers saw success with Walters’ 4-2-5 base defense, which features more defensive backs compared to a traditional set.
The linebackers are crucial in that defense — and Mizzou has arguably the No. 1 linebacker in the country in Nick Bolton. The preseason All-American and All-SEC player had a breakout 2019 season, picking up the slack when Cale Garrett went down with a season-ending injury midway through the year.
Who starts alongside Bolton is a big question. MU linebackers coach DJ Smith said it’s been a rotation of four guys between those two spots so far: Bolton, Chad Bailey, Devin Nicholson and Aubrey Miller. The coaches have praised Bailey especially, Walters saying they’re finally seeing flashes of what they have expected out of Bailey coming out of high school.
Nicholson, who started games down the stretch as a true freshman last season, should get extended looks. Miller is also part of the mix as he makes his way back from an injury that kept him largely out of the 2019 season.
“It’s kind of the same motivation I had last year,” Bolton said. “My chip on the shoulder has been there since I got dropped by dream school out of high school. That’s the chip on my shoulder. It’s the only thing I really need to motivate me day in and day out.”
Cornerback is an intriguing position, especially because 2019 captain and starter DeMarkus Acy is gone. Walters said he’s been encouraged by the depth he sees in that position, with guys like Jarvis Ware and Adam Sparks floating toward the top of the depth chart.
A name to watch is Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who’s caught the eye of a number of coaches and teammates. The true freshman should have a chance to see the field in 2019, though it’s unclear how much he’ll be able to contribute early. Between the youth and depth, Walters went as far as to say he believes the cornerbacks this year could be better than last year — though he warned once again that it’s still early.
Spreading throughout the secondary, the third safety position, strong safety, is up for grabs. Mizzou has one of the best safety tandem duos in seniors Joshuah Bledsoe and Tyree Gillespie. But who takes that third safety job is where there’s intrigue, and so far, it’s been a battle between Martez Manuel and Stacy Brown.
Manuel played a lot of snaps as a true freshman in 2019. He’s displayed some leadership qualities despite his youth, many players adding they’ve been impressed with how he organized Mizzou’s peaceful march earlier this summer. Brown, high school teammates with Rakestraw, caught the first interception of camp and was part of special teams and the defensive rotation last season.
“Last year, I was playing the free-safety position, which is what Josh plays, and that’s more of a finesse position, a lot of coverage,” Manuel said. “But in this position, you have to play bigger. It’s pretty much a backer position. It entails a lot of getting off tight ends, getting the edge off tight ends, fighting off blocks from linemen.”
The defensive line hopes to get more pressure and sacks this season, but they bring seniors back — it’s just a matter of how much they contribute. Kobie Whiteside, Chris Turner and Tre Williams are the most experienced, while others have turned some heads.
Senior Sci Martin, who has played sparingly throughout his career, has started to come along, Drinkwitz said. MU defensive line coach Brick Haley said he’s excited of the development of a pair of true sophomores: Darius Robinson and Isaiah McGuire. Haley added they will likely let McGuire play both inside and outside the defensive line.
Early reports from camp have said the defensive line has been explosive thus far, collecting six sacks a day, which is what Williams estimated. Though some offensive linemen warn it’s in the “eyes of the beholder” since they’re at practice and not all the way at full speed.
“That’s part of what you’re supposed to do in that room,” Haley said. “You’re supposed to push each other to compete every day. And every day the depth chart can change. I think there are some young guys that are making pushes. I think there are older guys that think they have things wrapped up, but these younger guys are pushing them.”