With opener Thursday, Mizzou’s football depth chart offers clue to playing time
The Missouri Tigers football team’s first official depth chart of the season is out ahead of the team’s season opener against Murray State.
Though multiple players are listed as starting options at several positions, the depth chart does provide insight on how the Tigers will line up Thursday against Murray State in the season opener.
Linebacker logjam
Missouri’s initial depth chart has the Tigers featuring just two linebackers in their standard defensive alignment, but the path to playing time remains muddy, as the “OR” listing is in effect for both. Tigers team captain Chuck Hicks is listed as a potential starter with Miami transfer Corey Flagg at one linebacker roster slot. At the other, potential starters are Triston Newson and South Alabama transfer Khalil Jacobs.
The four players will share considerable time on the field, but the lack of clarity over exactly how much time is curious.
For Jacobs, a late transfer addition who was not with Missouri throughout any of spring camp, sharing a starting designation is likely good news, as it means he has already impressed in short time in black and gold.
It is perhaps not great news for seventh-year senior Hicks, who has had more than enough time to establish himself at the top of the depth chart and may not have been able to set himself far enough ahead in camp to warrant consistent playing time all season long.
Remaining questions at running back
As expected, the Tigers list both transfer running backs, Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll, as the possible first-stringer heading into Week 1. Noel, from Appalachian State, has taken reps with the first team predominantly since fall camp, but Carroll, who has seen time with the 1s and 2s, will likely also get his chance to make an impact in games.
Carroll tallied 274 total rushing attempts with Georgia State in 2023, fifth in the nation and just two fewer than fourth-place Missouri Tiger Cody Schrader. The senior from Union City, Georgia, said Sunday that sharing his workload with Noel will help him stay fresh all season long.
“It’s definitely a plus, not having to take all the load,” Carroll said Sunday. “Having a deep running back room, with a lot of experienced guys, it’s definitely refreshing.”
Safety situation
Perhaps the deepest position the Tigers have this season, outside of wide receiver, is safety.
The Tigers list three starting roster spots for safeties, likely indicating one will be a flexed, “star”-like position similar to what Jaylon Carlies and Martez Manuel have played in years past. They also have four starting candidates for those three positions in Marvin Burks, Daylan Carnell, Joseph Charleston and Tre’Vez Johnson.
Charleston, the elder statesman of the group, is on his sixth season of college football. Johnson is heading in to his fifth. Both will likely compete for the “star” role, while Burks and Carnell will likely factor in at a more traditional safety spot.
Burks and Carnell, both still undergraduates, are the youngsters of the group but certainly don’t lack experience; both saw the field in all 13 games last year. Carnell, specifically, started all 13 games in his junior campaign. They’ll be aided all season long by Houston Christian transfer Caleb Flagg, who, despite not being listed as a starter, continues to turn heads.
“You’ve got guys in that room like Marv (Burks), he’s going to have a real good year for us,” Carnell said of his position mate Sunday. “I love how he’s been practicing; he’s going to be a real dude for sure.
“And Caleb Swag (Flagg), tremendous motor; he comes in ready to work every day,” Carnell continued. “He’s a real ballhawk - he makes plays on the ball, he always finds the ball. He’s going to contribute to our team for sure.”
Settling the special teams
One definitive point of clarity that the Tigers’ initial depth chart provided was at the punter position, where graduate student Luke Bauer has cemented himself as the starting punter. Bauer earned the gig after an extensive camp competition with Australian punter Orion Phillips, a transfer from Murray State.
Bauer punted for the Tigers 22 times in 2023 after assuming the starting role in Week 4, but he is perhaps best remembered for his lone passing attempt of the season. A 39-yard fake-punt pass to wide receiver Marquis Johnson on Oct. 14 in Lexington turned into a game-changing touchdown against the 23rd-ranked Kentucky Wildcats and would remain one of the team’s signature moments all season long.
Injured Tigers
Two Missouri players are still dealing with injuries and are questionable for the season opener. Backup tight end Jordon Harris and depth cornerback Ja’Marion Wayne are both not at 100%, according to coach Eli Drinkwitz, and may not be available to the Tigers on Thursday.
Wayne, recruited as a wide receiver, made the transition to the defensive side of the ball beginning in December but does not yet look to factor into the Tigers’ main defensive unit. Harris, who has a more clear path to playing time, has been practicing with the Tigers, but he has been wearing a green non-contact uniform and is evidently not quite at game speed.
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This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 10:10 AM with the headline "With opener Thursday, Mizzou’s football depth chart offers clue to playing time."