FOOTBALL RECRUITING
A quiet weekend in Columbia with no official visitors scheduled to be in town as the coaching staff still sort through all of their options.
As we've noted before, the Tigers primary needs heading towards the February signing period is offensive line, preferably a guard, and a couple of defensive ends.
We've also heard that the chances of OLB commit Arvell Feguson qualifying appear to be low right now and with Damarea Crockett entering the NFL draft, the Tigers could be looking to add a couple of more pieces by February.
- Bell is a target we've talked about for a long time and will take an official to Missouri next week. He'll visit a school this weekend in Auburn that he's openly said is his favorite, however, it appears that he intends to take all of his scheduled officials and announce his decision on February 6th. Florida State is also in the mix, Bell is planning to take an official there on January 25th.
Some other high school prospects that Missouri is at least doing their research on and could become possibilities.
- Linton has already taken official visits to Arizona State, Syracuse, and South Florida. Right now, it appears to be a two-team race between the Sun Devils and Orange. Missouri, Louisville, UCLA, and Rutgers are other schools in contact with the three-star prospect.
- Little is a bit of a mystery that hasn't talked to the media in quite sometime. The three-star prospect has a handful of SEC offers from Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, and Tennessee. However, we don't know if any of those are real options for him at this point.
- The German, yes German, defensive lineman has become a hot commodity of late and has already taken an official to Rutgers and has three scheduled for January to UCLA, Virginia, and Penn State. We're hearing location will not play a significant factor here
.
- The two-star prospect may not be able to qualify to get into Vanderbilt academically and that has translated into him looking at other options. Missouri is one school that has at least expressed interest in Mimms but it remains to be seen if that will translate into an offer and an official visit.
Obviously, the graduate transfer market is another option for the Tigers to explore. We know the coaching staff has been communicating with Virginia offensive lineman RJ Proctor and Marist defensive tackle Eddie Zinn-Turner.
- We also believe the Tigers will be looking to add a long snapper. That could very well be more of a preferred walk-on deal because those aren't guys that generally start on scholarship unless they can play another position. But there were some issues snapping the ball this year and we see the Tigers trying to add an option there.
The bulk of the work at this point is on the 2020 class. We're really not to the point of starting to narrow down specific names, visits, favorites, etc. But let's take a look at what positions we think the Tigers will target:
Here is the current scholarship chart
There will be some more transfers (more on that below). With the Tigers currently at 87 and expecting to add three more, we'd look for at least five transfers out.
Assuming that is the number, Mizzou has 18 players that would be seniors and come off the books next year. Five is a pretty safe number of transfers for any given year, so if we start there, we're going to project the 2020 class to have 23 signees.
QB: 1-2. The Tigers already have Brady Cook. We wouldn't be surprised to see them add another QB in this class (especially since we expect at least a couple of departures from the current crop).
RB: 2. You have to think about Larry Rountree III being able to leave early. Don't think it's a sure thing by any means, but it's at least possible. If Mizzou adds another one in this class, the number could drop to one, but we're not sure they will.
WR: 3-4. Missouri loses five receivers after this year. You don't have to replace them all, but you have to replace some of them.
TE: 1. Albert Okwuegbunam is probably going to be gone and there could be other transfers as well. The Tigers got one in this class in Niko Hea, but we see them adding another (and this is another place they could have a transfer before next season).
OL: 3-4. They lose three linemen this year. You at least want to replace those three.
DE: 1-2. The Tigers have somewhere between 0 and 3 defensive ends in this 2019 class (we don't know about Pearl/Ferguson and who the replacements might be and aren't sure where Darius Robinson will play yet). If you get two in addition to Robinson, you can afford to maybe only take one because you've got Jatorian Hansford and Trajan Jeffcoat waiting in the wings, plus two years of Chris Turner and Akial Byers. If you fall short on the number in February, this number increases for next year.
DT: 4. We think Isaiah McGuire plays inside. But still, you're set to lose every defensive tackle on the roster other than him over the next two years. This is the most pressing need for the 2020 class...and we wouldn't be surprised to see a transfer/juco player or two.
LB: 0-1. Missouri took four last year. It's not a pressing need. There will probably be somebody out there they really like, but we don't see more than one.
CB: 1-2. DeMarkus Acy leaves and the year after that Christian Holmes and Adam Sparks are gone. Restocking the cupboard with one or two will work.
S: 1. The Tigers took two or three last year, depending on where everyone ends up playing. They could go to two here, but don't have to.
K/P: 1. Missouri is going to need to replace Tucker McCann. They nearly took a kicker this year but ran out of room. We think they go scholarship for one next year. We don't see them adding a kicker AND a punter, but we'll see how it unfolds.
Those numbers give us between 19 and 24 signees next year. So we think it's a pretty good guideline, give or take a guy at a number of positions.
-We'll finish up the football section with some team news.
*The information on Damarea Crockett is that he's unlikely to be drafted. It only takes one team, so that can obviously change with good workouts and a good pro day, but it's obviously a big risk. As we said on the podcast, the truth of the matter is Crockett likely just didn't want to be the No. 2 back next year. He was most of this year and he would have been next year. He also couldn't really have done much (other than play 12-14 games) next year to boost his draft stock. So he's going. I don't think there are any hard feelings on either side and Missouri can absorb the loss there better than just about anywhere else.
*On Albert Okwuegbunam, we're told he got feedback that was all over the map. He could have been a high draft pick, but it was going to be a risk. And there's no certainty he's going to be healthy in time for pro day and such. So he removed the risk and came back. It's a smart move from a football perspective. With a healthy and productive year, he's got a chance to go pretty high. He might not have this year. People around the program were telling us they didn't think he was ready to go yet. He came to the same conclusion.
*I fully expect Andy Hill to be back on staff next year. In fact, I don't anticipate any more departures. That's not to say there's no way departures happen. New coaches are still being hired, coordinators and assistants are moving, which creates openings and you never know when the right spot would open up where a school is interested in someone on Missouri's staff. But as of today, we think the current coaches are all back. That leaves just the one opening from when Joe Jon Finley left. We don't think there's going to be any official announcement on that for a little while. In past years, Barry Odom has waited until after signing day to make that announcement. That could well happen again this year. A big part of the reason is the movement around the country we mentioned. You don't want to make an announcement and then something happens at another school, someone moves and you've got to make another announcement. We still think there's a good chance Garrick McGee is the coach added to the staff, but we don't expect anything to be finalized for a few weeks.
*We mentioned the transfers. Can say confidently right now that the only Mizzou players in the portal are Harry Ballard and Tyrone Collins. More will be added. We would think at least one or two will be quarterbacks. Tight end is also a spot as we mentioned. Other departures could probably come for guys who are in year three, four or five on campus who haven't seen the field in a meaningful way yet. We'll keep tabs on what goes on there. School starts a week from Monday. Any transfers that haven't happened by then probably wait until after spring football when the depth chart shakes out a little bit more.
A quiet weekend in Columbia with no official visitors scheduled to be in town as the coaching staff still sort through all of their options.
As we've noted before, the Tigers primary needs heading towards the February signing period is offensive line, preferably a guard, and a couple of defensive ends.
We've also heard that the chances of OLB commit Arvell Feguson qualifying appear to be low right now and with Damarea Crockett entering the NFL draft, the Tigers could be looking to add a couple of more pieces by February.
- Bell is a target we've talked about for a long time and will take an official to Missouri next week. He'll visit a school this weekend in Auburn that he's openly said is his favorite, however, it appears that he intends to take all of his scheduled officials and announce his decision on February 6th. Florida State is also in the mix, Bell is planning to take an official there on January 25th.
Some other high school prospects that Missouri is at least doing their research on and could become possibilities.
- Linton has already taken official visits to Arizona State, Syracuse, and South Florida. Right now, it appears to be a two-team race between the Sun Devils and Orange. Missouri, Louisville, UCLA, and Rutgers are other schools in contact with the three-star prospect.
- Little is a bit of a mystery that hasn't talked to the media in quite sometime. The three-star prospect has a handful of SEC offers from Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, and Tennessee. However, we don't know if any of those are real options for him at this point.
- The German, yes German, defensive lineman has become a hot commodity of late and has already taken an official to Rutgers and has three scheduled for January to UCLA, Virginia, and Penn State. We're hearing location will not play a significant factor here
.- The two-star prospect may not be able to qualify to get into Vanderbilt academically and that has translated into him looking at other options. Missouri is one school that has at least expressed interest in Mimms but it remains to be seen if that will translate into an offer and an official visit.
Obviously, the graduate transfer market is another option for the Tigers to explore. We know the coaching staff has been communicating with Virginia offensive lineman RJ Proctor and Marist defensive tackle Eddie Zinn-Turner.
- We also believe the Tigers will be looking to add a long snapper. That could very well be more of a preferred walk-on deal because those aren't guys that generally start on scholarship unless they can play another position. But there were some issues snapping the ball this year and we see the Tigers trying to add an option there.
The bulk of the work at this point is on the 2020 class. We're really not to the point of starting to narrow down specific names, visits, favorites, etc. But let's take a look at what positions we think the Tigers will target:
Here is the current scholarship chart
There will be some more transfers (more on that below). With the Tigers currently at 87 and expecting to add three more, we'd look for at least five transfers out.
Assuming that is the number, Mizzou has 18 players that would be seniors and come off the books next year. Five is a pretty safe number of transfers for any given year, so if we start there, we're going to project the 2020 class to have 23 signees.
QB: 1-2. The Tigers already have Brady Cook. We wouldn't be surprised to see them add another QB in this class (especially since we expect at least a couple of departures from the current crop).
RB: 2. You have to think about Larry Rountree III being able to leave early. Don't think it's a sure thing by any means, but it's at least possible. If Mizzou adds another one in this class, the number could drop to one, but we're not sure they will.
WR: 3-4. Missouri loses five receivers after this year. You don't have to replace them all, but you have to replace some of them.
TE: 1. Albert Okwuegbunam is probably going to be gone and there could be other transfers as well. The Tigers got one in this class in Niko Hea, but we see them adding another (and this is another place they could have a transfer before next season).
OL: 3-4. They lose three linemen this year. You at least want to replace those three.
DE: 1-2. The Tigers have somewhere between 0 and 3 defensive ends in this 2019 class (we don't know about Pearl/Ferguson and who the replacements might be and aren't sure where Darius Robinson will play yet). If you get two in addition to Robinson, you can afford to maybe only take one because you've got Jatorian Hansford and Trajan Jeffcoat waiting in the wings, plus two years of Chris Turner and Akial Byers. If you fall short on the number in February, this number increases for next year.
DT: 4. We think Isaiah McGuire plays inside. But still, you're set to lose every defensive tackle on the roster other than him over the next two years. This is the most pressing need for the 2020 class...and we wouldn't be surprised to see a transfer/juco player or two.
LB: 0-1. Missouri took four last year. It's not a pressing need. There will probably be somebody out there they really like, but we don't see more than one.
CB: 1-2. DeMarkus Acy leaves and the year after that Christian Holmes and Adam Sparks are gone. Restocking the cupboard with one or two will work.
S: 1. The Tigers took two or three last year, depending on where everyone ends up playing. They could go to two here, but don't have to.
K/P: 1. Missouri is going to need to replace Tucker McCann. They nearly took a kicker this year but ran out of room. We think they go scholarship for one next year. We don't see them adding a kicker AND a punter, but we'll see how it unfolds.
Those numbers give us between 19 and 24 signees next year. So we think it's a pretty good guideline, give or take a guy at a number of positions.
-We'll finish up the football section with some team news.
*The information on Damarea Crockett is that he's unlikely to be drafted. It only takes one team, so that can obviously change with good workouts and a good pro day, but it's obviously a big risk. As we said on the podcast, the truth of the matter is Crockett likely just didn't want to be the No. 2 back next year. He was most of this year and he would have been next year. He also couldn't really have done much (other than play 12-14 games) next year to boost his draft stock. So he's going. I don't think there are any hard feelings on either side and Missouri can absorb the loss there better than just about anywhere else.
*On Albert Okwuegbunam, we're told he got feedback that was all over the map. He could have been a high draft pick, but it was going to be a risk. And there's no certainty he's going to be healthy in time for pro day and such. So he removed the risk and came back. It's a smart move from a football perspective. With a healthy and productive year, he's got a chance to go pretty high. He might not have this year. People around the program were telling us they didn't think he was ready to go yet. He came to the same conclusion.
*I fully expect Andy Hill to be back on staff next year. In fact, I don't anticipate any more departures. That's not to say there's no way departures happen. New coaches are still being hired, coordinators and assistants are moving, which creates openings and you never know when the right spot would open up where a school is interested in someone on Missouri's staff. But as of today, we think the current coaches are all back. That leaves just the one opening from when Joe Jon Finley left. We don't think there's going to be any official announcement on that for a little while. In past years, Barry Odom has waited until after signing day to make that announcement. That could well happen again this year. A big part of the reason is the movement around the country we mentioned. You don't want to make an announcement and then something happens at another school, someone moves and you've got to make another announcement. We still think there's a good chance Garrick McGee is the coach added to the staff, but we don't expect anything to be finalized for a few weeks.
*We mentioned the transfers. Can say confidently right now that the only Mizzou players in the portal are Harry Ballard and Tyrone Collins. More will be added. We would think at least one or two will be quarterbacks. Tight end is also a spot as we mentioned. Other departures could probably come for guys who are in year three, four or five on campus who haven't seen the field in a meaningful way yet. We'll keep tabs on what goes on there. School starts a week from Monday. Any transfers that haven't happened by then probably wait until after spring football when the depth chart shakes out a little bit more.
