How the Mizzou Tigers have embraced a defensive change, led by a new coordinator
A few weeks ago, Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw did a little scouting on his own time. In this particular offseason session, rather than studying his play or any of the Tigers’ opponents, he narrowed his focus elsewhere.
A new coach.
His own.
Mizzou hired former NFL coach Steve Wilks as its new defensive coordinator last month, and Rakestraw and his teammates wanted to get a jump on things. He learned a couple of things, too, like Wilks’ track record in developing defensive backs. His NFL tenure. His two trips to the Super Bowl.
And then came their first in-person meeting.
“He came to my house, and he was talking to me, and within five minutes, I learned something new,” Rakestraw said. “If you can learn something new in five minutes, it’s going to help you grow and be a better player.”
Mizzou took the field for its first spring practice Friday — still in February, mind you — offering Wilks his initial on-field interaction with new players. And they with him.
The changes will come over the next several weeks, but for now, the focus is on the basics as Wilks replaces Ryan Walters, who departed for the defensive coordinator opening at Illinois.
Individual player development. Foundation. Terminology. Building a relationship between coach and player. Those comprise the spring objectives of a defensive changeover.
“I’m really excited about some of the new things that we saw on defense,” Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Obviously they’ve got a long way to go. That’s why we wanted to get started with spring football — so those guys can implement their schemes and obviously make corrections.”
Well, some of the scheme.
Martez Manuel will absorb a larger role in the secondary after the departures of Tyree Gillespie and Josh Bledsoe. On Day One of spring, he approached some of his younger teammates. If you have questions about the playbook, he told them, come to me.
“I’ve learned what I’ve been introduced to,” Manuel said. “But I know Coach Wilks has a whole bunch more tricks up his sleeve. I’m interested to find out what those are.”
Wilks did not coach last season but spent 14 years in the NFL, serving as a defensive coordinator in Carolina and Cleveland, with a one-year head coaching opportunity in Arizona sandwiched between the two.
His defenses had a common theme — success against the pass. In 2018, the Cardinals were fourth in the NFL in passing defense. In 2019, his Browns defense finished seventh in the same category. They both could have used some help against the run.
Mizzou allowed 246 passing yards per game last season and 21 passing touchdowns.
Room for improvement. And room for another voice to aid it. Just this week, the Tigers hired Aaron Fletcher as his new defensive backs coach. A couple of days later, he was on the field for the opening of spring football, meeting players for the first time — the same players who are already engrossing themselves with a new defensive scheme.
“It will speak a lot about your character, speaking for myself, when you can rally embrace the challenge of learning a new scheme and never letting yourself get too comfortable,” Manuel said. “Because you never know what the next step will be for you or your program.”