#MIZCAMP17 Spotlight - Kaleb Prewett's Versatility is a Fine Fit for Mizzou
8/17/2017 2:53:00 PM | Football
K-State transfer is a great fit for Mizzou's linebacker group
Kaleb Prewett has yet to play a single regular season snap for Mizzou Football, but his teammates and coaches already view the Blue Springs native as a leader on the defensive side coming into the 2017 season. Prewett began his college football career at Kansas State, where he started in eight games at safety in 2015 before his season was cut short due to a broken wrist. Although the standout safety wasn't able to play for the Wildcats down the homestretch of his sophomore season, he still managed to finish the year ranked sixth on the team with 49 tackles.
Prewett decided to transfer to Mizzou after his sophomore season, but was forced to sit out the entire 2016 campaign due to NCAA transfer restrictions. Instead of just sitting and waiting for his chance to see the field again, Prewett used his first season in Columbia to transform his body and master a new defensive scheme.
"It was a pretty valuable year, especially coming off a wrist injury," Prewett said. "It just gave me a chance to recover and get bigger, stronger and faster. It gave me time to learn the defense and learn how I was going to fit into a new scheme. I think it really helped me out a lot."
Learning a new defense and switching conferences in the same year is no easy task, but Prewett drew upon his past on-field experiences as a way to ease the transition. A true student of the game, Prewett studied similarities between offenses he faced in the Big 12 conference and the current Mizzou offensive system under offensive coordinator Josh Heupel to help better understand where he fits in the new defensive scheme.
"I think my past experience definitely helped the transition to the Mizzou defense, especially in coverage," Prewett said. "The Big 12 has a lot of spread offense, a lot of offenses that looked a lot like ours does at Mizzou now where it's very fast paced and up tempo. So I feel like playing against schemes like that really helped me out coverage-wise. I got to play against a lot of really good players and strong competition, so I feel like I can carry that over into the SEC and build on top of my past few years of experience."
Prewett found success early in his college career as a defensive back, but head coach Barry Odom and the Mizzou staff are most excited about his versatility and ability to move around in different defensive looks. The Missouri native is eager fill the stat sheet, no matter what looks the opposing teams throw at him.
"I'm trying to rack up stats in every single column," Prewett said. "I want sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions and tackles. I really just want to do everything I can to help our team get wins from week one through week 14. I've been getting snaps in SAM, nickel and dime, so I'm confident in all of our looks. I'm just going to make sure I'm ready to contribute on every single snap, no matter what defensive formation we are in."
Tiger fans got their first look at Prewett this year during the annual Black & Gold Spring Game at Faurot Field. Prewett showed flashes of brilliance, racking up a team-high six tackles, including one for a loss, to go along with a pass break up. The natural athleticism is clearly there for the junior safety, but Prewett feels he can best contribute right away this season as a veteran presence who lets his play do the talking.
"I'm more of a leader by example," Prewett said. "When guys look at me and see my calm composure out on the field and watch me going out every play and getting my job done, I feel like my teammates are able to feed off my energy which helps them relax a little bit. I think that's important because it wasn't something that we had a lot of last season. We had a bunch of young guys playing on defense who were maybe a bit overwhelmed, and I feel like I can be a veteran presence out on the field and create some comfortability for the other guys."
Prewett has now successfully rehabbed from a broken wrist, learned an entirely new defense and earned the respect of his teammates and coaches with his high football IQ and stellar play this offseason. All that's left to do now is to run out of the tunnel at Faurot Field on September 2nd for his first regular season action as a Missouri Tiger. For the prep star from Blue Springs, representing his home state in the black and gold made all the long days in rehab and late nights in the film room worth it.
"My family and friends will all be able to come out and watch me play this year," Prewett said, with a big smile on his face. "It's a big deal for me to be able to compete in front of the most important people in my life. Playing the sport I love in my home state is the opportunity of a lifetime."
Stay tuned to #MIZCamp17 by following Mizzou Football on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouFootball. Tickets are available for the season by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS locally), or visiting MUTigers.com/FBTix.
