Welcome to the offseason version of Four Down Territory.
It’s going to be a little different than it was in-season. I'll post one weekly during the season, which for me is from SEC Media Days through Missouri's final game.
During the offseason, I’ll post every other week.
I don't want to post a Missouri football-based column and not write about the team. Now, if something happens on a week it's not scheduled to come out, I'll change course and post a column.
1. What a difference a year makes.
When spring ball ended a year ago, so many questions went unanswered.
Would the move to defensive end from defensive tackle for Darius Robinson benefit him and the team?
This wasn’t a move that Robinson loved at first. I remember him telling me at press conferences or the elite camps about the draft process and how different the change from the inside to the outside was. He had just had his best season at defensive tackle in 2022. It wasn’t the dominant season he had at EDGE in 2023 but he would’ve been a mid-to-late-round pick in the 2023 draft.
It took him until well into the season to like the position (not saying he ever hated it) but I remember well into the season him saying at a press conference he missed being at defensive tackle.
For the team, it was a calculated gamble. It could’ve not worked but they knew what they were doing and Robinson had a better season than Isaiah McGuire had the previous season.
This move worked for everyone in the long run, but a year ago, it was a big question.
By the way, Mizzou still would get Nyles Gaddy from the portal after spring ball. There were questions about the EDGE group as a whole.
Questions about the defensive end room are something Missouri probably had entering camp. I think a lot of those are gone.
Johnny Walker, Zion Young and Darris Smith seem like locks to be the top three EDGEs. Then, we heard a bit about Joe Moore’s improvement and his familiarity with EDGE coach Brian Early (Early was recruiting him to transfer to Houston last offseason).
Missouri is high on all three EDGE signees coming in the summer, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if one or more are in the rotation.
Another question after spring camp last year was about center Connor Tollison and whether he could reclaim his starting spot.
It appeared the team was looking to get him some competition via the transfer portal. They did that, and Tollison came to fall camp as a much better player and won the position battle quickly against Cam'Ron Johnson. But again, Tollison seemed to be on thin ice.
At the same time, who would start at left guard was another question. Xavier Delgado was also on thin ice. His experience wasn’t going to give him a guaranteed starting position. Then, by the end of fall camp, he had also dramatically improved. But after spring ball the thought was maybe EJ Ndoma-Ogar will take his spot come Week 1.
The biggest question after spring ball last year was who would start at quarterback.
Brady Cook and Sam Horn missed all of spring ball and Jake Garcia had just transferred in six weeks before camp started. It was a two-man battle between the former two entering Week 1 but Cook won and had a great season.
There’s no such battle now.
Entering spring camp this year, it seemed like there would be a position battle for the QB2 spot but the commitment of former Notre Dame and Arizona State quarterback Drew Pyne ended those talks.
All of this to say, there aren’t as many lingering questions after spring ball this time around.
2. Positions to look at in the portal.
It's a short list of positions to look for in the portal for Missouri but right guard is probably at the top.
Logan Reichert, a soon-to-be redshirt freshman, took most of the first-team reps at right guard during spring ball. He stands at 6-foot-6 and 369 pounds and was a four-star prospect a couple of years ago.
Ideally, if he’s ready to play, the Tigers would love to let someone with his size start for them.
If Missouri gets a guard in the portal then maybe he’s not quite ready. At least, not ready enough to be the default RG1.
The Tigers could dip into the portal for a defensive tackle.
Kristian Williams looks like a starter. Chris McClellan has Southeastern Conference experience so maybe he occupies that other starting spot.
Sterling Webb could be in the rotation, but who will be DT4 is questionable.
Mizzou has Ky Montgomery, Marquis Gracial, Jalen Marshall and Sam Williams who have been waiting in the wings, but are they ready?
Mizzou needs to know who that DT4 player is because it’s the only position on the team where the top four players are all treated like starters.
There is a reason why players start. So, the difference between Williams starting and someone else is a thing. You want the best players to start and be on the field in key situations, but his backup has to be a plug-and-play player.
Every team is going to look in the portal. This time a year ago, the Tigers were in the portal looking for positions to be filled. They had real needs. This time around it would be more of a best-player available situation for the most part.
It’s going to be a little different than it was in-season. I'll post one weekly during the season, which for me is from SEC Media Days through Missouri's final game.
During the offseason, I’ll post every other week.
I don't want to post a Missouri football-based column and not write about the team. Now, if something happens on a week it's not scheduled to come out, I'll change course and post a column.
1. What a difference a year makes.
When spring ball ended a year ago, so many questions went unanswered.
Would the move to defensive end from defensive tackle for Darius Robinson benefit him and the team?
This wasn’t a move that Robinson loved at first. I remember him telling me at press conferences or the elite camps about the draft process and how different the change from the inside to the outside was. He had just had his best season at defensive tackle in 2022. It wasn’t the dominant season he had at EDGE in 2023 but he would’ve been a mid-to-late-round pick in the 2023 draft.
It took him until well into the season to like the position (not saying he ever hated it) but I remember well into the season him saying at a press conference he missed being at defensive tackle.
For the team, it was a calculated gamble. It could’ve not worked but they knew what they were doing and Robinson had a better season than Isaiah McGuire had the previous season.
This move worked for everyone in the long run, but a year ago, it was a big question.
By the way, Mizzou still would get Nyles Gaddy from the portal after spring ball. There were questions about the EDGE group as a whole.
Questions about the defensive end room are something Missouri probably had entering camp. I think a lot of those are gone.
Johnny Walker, Zion Young and Darris Smith seem like locks to be the top three EDGEs. Then, we heard a bit about Joe Moore’s improvement and his familiarity with EDGE coach Brian Early (Early was recruiting him to transfer to Houston last offseason).
Missouri is high on all three EDGE signees coming in the summer, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if one or more are in the rotation.
Another question after spring camp last year was about center Connor Tollison and whether he could reclaim his starting spot.
It appeared the team was looking to get him some competition via the transfer portal. They did that, and Tollison came to fall camp as a much better player and won the position battle quickly against Cam'Ron Johnson. But again, Tollison seemed to be on thin ice.
At the same time, who would start at left guard was another question. Xavier Delgado was also on thin ice. His experience wasn’t going to give him a guaranteed starting position. Then, by the end of fall camp, he had also dramatically improved. But after spring ball the thought was maybe EJ Ndoma-Ogar will take his spot come Week 1.
The biggest question after spring ball last year was who would start at quarterback.
Brady Cook and Sam Horn missed all of spring ball and Jake Garcia had just transferred in six weeks before camp started. It was a two-man battle between the former two entering Week 1 but Cook won and had a great season.
There’s no such battle now.
Entering spring camp this year, it seemed like there would be a position battle for the QB2 spot but the commitment of former Notre Dame and Arizona State quarterback Drew Pyne ended those talks.
All of this to say, there aren’t as many lingering questions after spring ball this time around.
2. Positions to look at in the portal.
It's a short list of positions to look for in the portal for Missouri but right guard is probably at the top.
Logan Reichert, a soon-to-be redshirt freshman, took most of the first-team reps at right guard during spring ball. He stands at 6-foot-6 and 369 pounds and was a four-star prospect a couple of years ago.
Ideally, if he’s ready to play, the Tigers would love to let someone with his size start for them.
If Missouri gets a guard in the portal then maybe he’s not quite ready. At least, not ready enough to be the default RG1.
The Tigers could dip into the portal for a defensive tackle.
Kristian Williams looks like a starter. Chris McClellan has Southeastern Conference experience so maybe he occupies that other starting spot.
Sterling Webb could be in the rotation, but who will be DT4 is questionable.
Mizzou has Ky Montgomery, Marquis Gracial, Jalen Marshall and Sam Williams who have been waiting in the wings, but are they ready?
Mizzou needs to know who that DT4 player is because it’s the only position on the team where the top four players are all treated like starters.
There is a reason why players start. So, the difference between Williams starting and someone else is a thing. You want the best players to start and be on the field in key situations, but his backup has to be a plug-and-play player.
Every team is going to look in the portal. This time a year ago, the Tigers were in the portal looking for positions to be filled. They had real needs. This time around it would be more of a best-player available situation for the most part.
