March 13, 2007
OFFENSE :: OL | QB | TB | WR | TE :: Defense :: DL | LB | S | CB :: Kickers
The Missouri Tiger football program is moving its way up the rungs of the Big 12 Conference ladder and looking for even bigger things in 2007. And with the vast majority of one of the nation’s most explosive offensive attacks returning to the mix this year, coupled with a host of proven performers and promising newcomers on both defense and special teams, all of the elements seem to be in place.
Head Coach Gary Pinkel’s squad is coming off an eight-win season in 2006 (for only the 10th time in school history) and its third bowl game appearance in the last four seasons. The Tigers return 15 starters in all from a year ago (eight on offense, five on defense, two specialists), and after being ranked for a large portion of the season in 2006, expectations continue to rise for the program.
When pre-season magazines hit the newsstands in the summer, Mizzou will likely be the favorite to challenge defending Big 12 North Division champion Nebraska for the title in 2007 (a division title would be MU’s first conference championship since 1969). The current Tigers will also be gunning for their third consecutive bowl game appearance, something that hasn’t happened in Columbia since 1979-1981.
Expectations are high inside the Tiger program, as MU has enjoyed enough success over the last four years to show that the corner has been turned for a school that had only two winning seasons from 1984-2002. Pinkel’s squad has compiled a combined record of 28-21 over the last four campaigns, and has finished second in the Big 12 North standings each of the last three seasons.
The road will certainly be a challenging one, as the 2007 schedule is lined with many intriguing match-ups and tough foes. The Tigers will start the year with consecutive games away from home against BCS-Conference opponents. It starts with the renewal of the Mizzou-Illinois rivalry in St. Louis, as the Tigers and Illini (2-10 in 2006) will play in the Edward Jones Dome on Sept. 1st. An exciting Big 12-SEC battle will take place the next week as the Tigers travel to Ole Miss (4-8 a year ago) to play their first game ever in Oxford, Miss. (MU played games versus Ole Miss in Jackson, Miss. in both 1974 and 1979).
Mizzou will return home to face Western Michigan on Sept. 15th. The Broncos were 8-5 in 2006 and played in a bowl game, and are led by Head Coach Bill Cubit, who spent the 2000 season at MU as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. The non-conference portion of the schedule wraps up on Sept. 22nd with a home game against Division I-AA power Illinois State. The Redbirds went 9-4 in 2006 and reached the I-AA playoffs.
After a bye week to rest up, things get hot-and-heavy in a hurry, as the Tigers will face three of the better teams in the Big 12 in consecutive weeks. The fracas starts with defending Big 12 North champion Nebraska (9-5 in 2006), who visits Faurot Field on Oct. 6th. Mizzou will be looking for its third consecutive win over the Huskers in Columbia, something that MU hasn’t done in the series since 1957-1961. Then it’s off to Norman, Okla., to square off against defending Big 12 South champ Oklahoma Sooners (11-3 in 2006) on Oct. 13th. After that, MU will return to Columbia for its annual Homecoming celebration, as the Tigers play host to the aerial attack of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-5 a year ago) on Oct. 20th. The last time that Texas Tech was Mizzou’s Homecoming opponent, the game ended in a memorable 62-31 Tiger victory in 2003.
Mizzou will keep the travel bags packed away for one more week, as it will host Iowa State the next Saturday to close out the month of October. The Cyclones went just 4-8 in 2006, but one of those wins was a controversial 21-16 victory over Mizzou in Ames late in the year for which MU will be seeking revenge. The Cyclones are led by first-year Head Coach Gene Chizik. November then starts off with a road game at Colorado (2-10 last year), where MU will be looking for its first win in Boulder since 1997.
The 2007 home season comes to a close on Nov. 10th with a battle against Texas A&M (9-4 in 2006). The Tigers will be looking to avenge a heart-breaking 25-19 loss to the Aggies last year in College Station, Texas, that gave MU its first loss after getting out to a 6-0 start. Game number 11 next takes the Tigers to Manhattan, Kan., where they’ll take on Kansas State (7-6 in 2006). Mizzou will be looking for its first win in Manhattan since 1989.
The regular season then closes with the nation’s second-oldest rivalry, as Missouri and Kansas (6-6 in 2006) will square off for the 116th time. The series is amazingly all square at 53-53-9, and 2007 will mark the first of two straight years the Border Showdown game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
In all, six of MU’s 11 Division I-A opponents (Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Western Michigan) went to bowl games a year ago, and their combined record in 2006 was 52-28.
But before all of the dreams for fall greatness can be realized, Mizzou must go through the paces of spring practice – a set of 15 practices which begin March 13th and end with the annual Black and Gold Game on April 21st at Faurot Field (2 p.m.).
During that time, Pinkel and his coaching staff – which will be fully intact for the seventh straight season in 2007 – will be looking to hone the fundamentals of their players and look for signs of who can make an impact when fall camp opens in August.
“Like always during the spring, we’re going to look at all of our personnel at all of our positions,” Pinkel said. “The spring is a very important time where you begin to establish your depth, it’s when you find out which players are ready to play and you find those players that are getting close to being in position to play when fall hits,” he said.
“The overarching goal for the spring would be to get as many players ready to play in each position as we can,” he said. “It’s also the best time to take a look at some potential position changes, where you can see who might provide an impact somewhere else. As coaches, we also use this time to work to improve the offensive, defensive and special teams schemes, we work on that constantly in the off-season, and the spring is where you can see just what will work the best on the field,” he said.
Pinkel said the the culture of his program is right where he feels it needs to be heading into his seventh year at Mizzou.
“The enthusiasm and leadership, and attitude has been as good as it’s ever been,” he said. “I feel that we have some great leadership on this team. You have a bunch of unselfish guys that want to do the right things and get their teammates to follow their lead. I think that now that we’ve had some consistency of winning, the guys get a taste of that, and now they just want more,” said Pinkel.
“Now we’re at the point where all you can do is just work harder than you’ve ever worked before,” he said. “There’s lots of little things that we can do as coaches and players in terms of fundamentals and mental toughness and physical strength, but in order to take that next step, what it really boils down to is just elevating the level of effort,” he said.
With that assessment, here is a breakdown of each position group for Mizzou as it heads into spring ball…
THE OFFENSE (top)
If the old axiom that offense sells tickets rings true this fall, then Mizzou should have very few empty seats at Memorial Stadium in 2007. That’s because Tiger fans will be treated to what appears likely to be one of the nation’s most explosive and exciting offensive attacks. Mizzou returns eight starters from a unit that ranked eighth in the nation in total offense a year ago (425.6 yards per game). In all, returning to the fold in 2007 for MU is 98% of its yards from scrimmage (5,414-of-5,533).
This will mark the third year of Mizzou’s version of the spread offense. This attack has produced two of the most prolific offensive seasons in school history, amassing 10,690 yards of offense and averaging 30.4 points per game combined in 2005 and 2006.
“I think we were a very good offensive team a year ago,” said Pinkel. “I think the numbers bear that out, anytime you finish in the top-10 in total offense, you’re doing some pretty good things. The biggest thing we need to improve on is consistency, but anytime you have a first-year starter like we did last year, it isn’t shocking to have some of that come into play,” he said.
“Now that we have a guy in Chase Daniel who has been in the heat of battle before – along with a majority of our starters coming back – we’re looking at a lot of different things, and the challenge will be to be better in 2007 than we were in 2006,” Pinkel said. “We’ve done a lot of analysis in the off-season and have been looking at little things we can do to help the structure of the offense, but in my mind, improving on our fundamentals is how we can get better. We’ll need to shore up some things on our offensive line after losing a couple of starters, but everywhere else we have a lot of playmakers that we just need to continue to improve in our offensive scheme and continue to compete against each other to make themselves better,” he said.
OFFENSIVE LINE (top)
 |
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (2 w/22 starts in ‘06) |
(6 w/43 starts in ‘06) |
| Joel Clinger***(RT-13) |
Colin Brown* |
| Mike Cook***(RG-9) |
Kurtis Gregory* |
| David Lazaroff* |
Tyler Luellen***(LT-13) |
| Louis Pintola* |
Ryan Madison*(LG-10) |
|
Adam Spieker***(C-13) |
|
Monte Wyrick**(RG-4/LG-3) |
|
Officially, Mizzou returns three starters on the offensive line from a unit which helped pave the way for the nation’s eighth-ranked offense. That trio includes seniors Adam Spieker (center) and Tyler Luellen (left tackle), who will both be in their fourth year as starters, along with junior Ryan Madison (left guard). A fourth veteran lineman with plenty of starting experience also returns to the fold, in senior right guard Monte Wyrick, who made seven starts a year ago, including four at right guard and three at left guard before Madison established himself at the latter position.
Gone from the line are the starters from the right side, in guard Mike Cook and tackle Joel Clinger. Clinger developed into a solid performer over the years, as he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league coaches a year ago. With Wyrick already having starting experience at right guard, replacing Clinger at the tackle position will be the key to keeping the offense humming.
The likely candidate to replace Clinger will be sophomore Kurtis Gregory, who played in all 13 games a year ago as a redshirt freshman, and became a bigger part of the offense as the season played out. Gregory will miss out on spring drills as he had elective surgery in the off-season to clean up injuries to his shoulder and knee, but he’ll be healthy and ready to go come fall camp in August.
With Gregory out for the spring, all eyes will turn to sophomore Dain Wise, who enters spring camp at number one on the depth chart at right tackle. Wise played in five games a year ago at that position, getting good experience as a redshirt freshman.
Spieker and Luellen should challenge for all-league honors in 2007 as the veterans on the line, and Spieker will likely begin his senior season on the short list of pre-season candidates for the Rimington Award, which goes annually to the nation’s top center.
Other potential contributors on the left side of the line include junior Colin Brown at tackle and senior Chris Tipton at guard, while sophomore James Stigall and redshirt freshman Jesse Hernandez will battle for backup action behind Spieker at center.
A pair of redshirt freshmen will be the favorites to challenge for playing time on the right side of the line. Tim Barnes, a highly-touted member of Mizzou’s 2006 recruiting class, was able to spend last season as a redshirt, and comes into the spring listed second on the depth chart at right guard, and is expected to push Wyrick for snaps. At tackle, Mike Prince is also coming off of a redshirt season, and the spring season will be a good indicator of just how ready he will be in the fall to earn some playing time.
QUARTERBACK (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (1 w/0 starts in ‘06) |
(1 w/13 starts in ‘06) |
| Brandon Coleman* |
Chase Daniel** (13) |
|
At this time a year ago, Chase Daniel was faced with the unenviable task of replacing legendary Tiger quarterback Brad Smith. As difficult as that was thought to be, Daniel might have an even tougher task in 2007 – out-doing himself. That’s because as a first-year starter in 2006, all the Southlake, Texas, native did was break numerous game and season passing and total offense records in leading MU to an eight-win season.
Daniel belied his youth a year ago, as he stepped in and immediately assumed full command of the Tiger offense, throwing an MU-record five touchdown passes in his first collegiate start, and ending the year with school records in passing touchdowns (28), passing yards (3,527) and total offense (3,906), among others.
The question in 2007 is what can Daniel do to make himself and the Tiger offense even better than a year ago, when it ranked eighth nationally in total yardage? However he does it, Tiger fans are undoubtedly excited about the future of Mizzou’s spread attack with Daniel at the helm.
While Daniel will be the focal point of the Tiger quarterbacks, an interesting battle for primary backup duties is likely to take place over the spring. Gone is program veteran Brandon Coleman, and waiting in the wings to earn playing time are junior Chase Patton and redshirt freshmen Dominic Grooms and J.P. Tillman.
Patton will be a junior in 2007, and the Columbia, Mo., native begins the spring session as the early favorite to claim the backup job. He saw action in one game a year ago, and is the only Tiger signal caller other than Daniel to have game experience.
Behind Patton on the depth chart entering spring camp are Grooms and Tillman, a pair of gifted redshirt freshmen who showed a year ago in practice that they have abilities that will help them challenge for playing time. Grooms begins spring ball listed third on the depth chart, and is a dual run-pass threat, along the lines of Brad Smith, while Tillman has the size and arm strength to make a move up the depth from his number four position.
TAILBACK (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (None) |
(5 w/13 starts in ‘06) |
|
Connell Davis* |
|
Earl Goldsmith** (1) |
|
Jimmy Jackson** |
|
Tony Temple** (12) |
|
Marcus Woods*** |
|
Mizzou is stocked at the tailback position, as it returns all five letterwinners from the position a year ago, and has a nice mix of proven veterans to get the job done.
Leading the way is senior Tony Temple, who had a break-out season in 2006, as he developed into MU’s feature back by rushing for 1,063 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with a 194-yard, two-touchdown outing in the Sun Bowl against Oregon State, and he enters the 2007 campaign as the leading returning rusher in the Big 12 Conference.
Jockeying for playing time along with Temple is a stable of backs who all bring something to the table. Heading into spring camp, junior Jimmy Jackson is listed second on the depth chart, and he’s followed closely by senior Marcus Woods at number three, with junior Earl Goldsmith at number four and sophomore Connell Davis at number five.
Jackson rushed for 123 yards and one score in 2006, while Woods, who has 13 career starts (10 in 2005, three in 2004), has been in the battles before and is a proven performer who needs just 53 more rushing yards to reach 1,000 for his Tiger career.
Goldsmith enters spring camp listed fourth on the depth chart after missing the last three games of the 2006 season with a broken hand. Prior to that, the junior-to-be rushed for 109 yards and caught five passes out of the backfield (for an 11.8-yard average) and made his first career start at Nebraska. He also suffered a sprained ankle during winter conditioning drills that will likely limit him somewhat during spring ball.
Rounding out the spring competition at tailback is Davis, who has a lot of untapped potential. He played in 12 games a year ago in reserve duty, and has shown flashes in practice over the last two years as having the ability to be an impact player at the position. At 6-foot-3 inches and 215 pounds, he’s got the best combination of size and speed on the depth chart at the position, and he’ll work during the spring to move up the depth chart.
All five tailbacks have factored into the punt and kick return games last season and before, and all will likely try their hand in some fashion again during the spring.
WIDE RECEIVER (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (2 w/7 starts in ‘06) |
(2 w/27 starts in ‘06) |
| Brad Ekwerekwu**** (H-7) |
Danario Alexander* |
| Andrew Hoskins* |
Will Franklin*** (X-11) |
|
Jared Perry* (X-2) |
|
Jason Ray** |
|
Tommy Saunders** (Z-13) |
|
Mizzou will return one of the best and deepest group of wide receivers in the Big 12, and possibly the nation, in 2007, as it returns two starters from a year ago, along with a third who was one of the league’s best freshmen in 2006, and a fourth who showed he could be an impact player late in the year.
In 2006, Mizzou’s wideouts combined to catch 166 passes for 2,339 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Tigers return virtually all of that production for 2007, including 81 percent of its receptions (134-of-166), 83 percent of its yardage (1,909-of-2,339) and 87 percent of its touchdowns (13-of-15) from a year ago.
Senior Will Franklin emerged as one of the Big 12 Conference’s most productive receivers in 2006, as he caught 48 passes for a team-best 829 yards and six touchdowns in just a little over 10 games. The St. Louis, Mo., native would have had even bigger numbers, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the first series of game number 11 at Iowa State, and missed the rest of the year. Despite the injury, Franklin still won honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors, and he’s healed and fully ready to go in the spring, where he enters camp listed at number one on the depth chart at the X-receiver position.
Junior Tommy Saunders moved into the starting lineup in 2006 at the Z-receiver spot, and he delivered with 25 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns, as he became arguably the most sure-handed of the Tiger wideouts. He enters spring ball atop the depth chart at the Z-receiver position once again.
With the sole loss of Brad Ekwerekwu (32 catches, 430 yards and two touchdowns in 2006) to graduation, sophomores Jared Perry and Danario Alexander will slide over to the H-receiver slot, where they’ll look to build on their very exciting freshman years of a year ago.
Both Perry and Alexander earned playing time as true freshmen in 2006. Perry emerged right away as someone who could be counted on to make plays, and he ended the year leading all Big 12 freshmen with 37 catches for 429 yards and three scores while earning honorable-mention freshman All-American honors. Alexander caught 15 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown, with the vast majority of his production coming late in the year, as he had an 84-yard outing at Nebraska and later caught a 74-yard touchdown pass in MU’s bowl game. The duo enters spring ball listed 1-2 at the H-receiver spot.
Seniors Jason Ray (6 catches, 50 yards in 2006) and Greg Bracey (3 catches, 79 yards, one touchdown) help add to the depth, as Ray has perhaps the best hands on the team while Bracey is the fastest Tiger and has the ability to stretch the field vertically. Ray begins spring camp listed number two at the Z-receiver spot, while Bracey is the backup to Franklin at the X-receiver position.
With all of those proven performers, perhaps the receiver who will most watched in the spring will be redshirt freshman Jeremy Maclin. As one of the most highly-touted signees from MU’s 2006 class, Maclin was expected to challenge for playing last year, and by all accounts, he was living up to the hype. But a knee injury suffered just before fall camp opened knocked him out for the season. After surgery and a rigorous rehabilitation period, Maclin is ready to go this spring, where he begins camp listed third on the depth at the Z-receiver spot.
TIGHT END (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (1 w/0 starts in ‘06) |
(3 w/19 starts in ‘06) |
| DeQuincy Howard*** |
Chase Coffman** (6) |
|
Jon Gissinger* |
|
Martin Rucker*** (13) |
|
It’s hard to imagine any team in the country having a better pair of tight ends than senior Martin Rucker and junior Chase Coffman, and Tiger fans get to enjoy the dynamic duo one more year in 2007. Just how dynamic was the Rucker-Coffman combination? Together, they teamed in 2006 to catch 111 passes for 1,149 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Both ends will begin the year on the pre-season watch list for the Mackey Award, which goes annually to the nation’s top tight end – and for good reason. Coffman led MU with 58 catches and nine touchdowns in 2006, also going for 638 yards (all totals marking MU season records for the position). He was a first-team All-Big 12 pick by league media after leading all Big 12 tight ends in production, and ranking among the top 10 in the nation. An excellent all-around athlete, Coffman even got into the passing act a year ago, as he threw a 29-yard touchdown pass on a trick play in MU’s bowl game against Oregon State.
Rucker was right behind Coffman in overall production, as he also earned first team All-Big 12 honors (by league coaches) for a season that saw him catch 53 passes for 511 yards and five touchdowns. Rucker looked into the possibility of bypassing his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft this spring, but after consulting with league officials, he chose to stay at Mizzou for his senior season. That was great news, indeed, for Tiger fans that have seen Rucker make play after play in the most prolific tight end career in school history that includes 119 catches, 1,341 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Rucker has started all 36 games of his collegiate career, and enters the spring listed at number one on the depth chart. While Coffman is technically number two on the depth, he started six games a year ago, and has seven career starts in all.
Not to be forgotten is sophomore Jon Gissinger, who earned a letter in 2006 with his valuable play on various special teams units. While he hasn’t seen the field much yet on offense, he has shown the past two years as part of the program that he can be a playmaker at the tight end position. He also is a talented long snapper who could possibly work his way into the mix there in 2007.
THE DEFENSE (top)
Defensively, Mizzou made strides in 2006 as it improved in most statistical categories from a year ago, and the play of the defense was definitely a factor in Mizzou getting out to a 6-0 start last season. The Tigers ranked 4th in the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense (19.54 ppg) and allowed more than 21 points just four times on the season. In all, Mizzou ranked 3rd in the conference (39th nationally) in total defense, allowing 320.23 yards per game – almost a 50 yard-per-game improvement from 2005.
What’s more, a sign of that improvement was seen by the fact that Mizzou led the nation in total defense four games into the season (175.25 ypg). But injuries that hit in the middle part of the year kept the unit from keeping up its fast start.
In 2007, Mizzou has a bit of a rebuilding job to do with its defense, as the Tigers lose six starters from 2006, including two of the most accomplished pass rushing defensive ends in school history (Brian Smith and Xzavie Jackson), two of its three starting linebackers (Dedrick Harrington and Marcus Bacon) and both starting safeties (David Overstreet and Brandon Massey).
The good news is that while only five starters return technically, there are three other very talented players who have starting experience for MU, with a bunch of other newcomers waiting in the wings. Included in the newcomer group are six brand-new January enrollees (four from junior college and two from high school) that will participate in spring ball in order to get a head start on the acclimation process.
“Overall last year, I feel that we were a good defensive football team, but there’s no question we have to get better against the run,” said Pinkel. “We have to become a better run defense. We have to continue to develop our speed rush, you saw last year how our defense changed when we lost Smitty (defensive end Brian Smith) to that injury in the middle of the year,” he said.
“Defense is a little different situation overall than offense, in that we lost a lot of starters, but we feel good that we have a lot of guys coming back with some experience who can play,” Pinkel said. “We also have some good prospects in for the spring who will help the competition, and having them early like we do is huge plus for the defense. Sorting out the depth on the defensive line will be one of the keys in the spring, we need to find our best eight guys there who can play,” he said.
DEFENSIVE LINE (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (5 w/28 starts in ‘06) |
(7 w/24 starts in ‘06) |
| Josh Barbo** |
Jaron Baston* |
| Xzavie Jackson**** (DE-12) |
Steven Blair** |
| DeMarcus Scott** (DT-3/DE-1) |
Tommy Chavis* |
| Brian Smith**** (DE-8) |
Tarell Corby* |
| Jamar Smith** (DT-3/NT-1) |
Ziggy Hood** (DT-6/NT-1) |
|
Stryker Sulak** (DE-5) |
|
Lorenzo Williams*** (NT-11/DT-1) |
|
Mizzou returns half of its starters in the trenches for 2007, with the interior coming back to offset the loss of end starters Brian Smith and Xzavie Jackson, who finished their Tiger careers ranked number one and number seven alltime in quarterback sacks.
While their loss will be tough to reconcile, senior nosetackle Lorenzo Williams and junior tackle Ziggy Hood will look to lead the way while others find their niche. Williams was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 pick in 2006 after registering career highs in most categories including tackles (53), tackles for loss (10.5), sacks (6.0), and hurries (7). He also blocked two kicks on special teams, and recovered three fumbles while forcing two more.
Hood was on his way a year ago to having a monster sophomore season, only to see his progress get stalled a bit due to a foot injury that forced him to miss three games and play the remainder of the year not quite 100 percent. Despite that, Hood still managed 36 tackles, 4.0 sacks and two forced fumbles while starting seven times overall on the interior.
Junior Stryker Sulak will look to take over one of the vacated starting jobs at defensive end, and he’s got plenty of experience to do just that. Sulak has 11 career starts under his belt, including five in 2006 as he ranked ninth on the team with 51 tackles and tied for the team lead with three recovered fumbles.
Joining Sulak atop the depth chart heading into the spring on the other end of the line is junior Tommy Chavis, who played in all 13 games a year ago in his first year in the program. Chavis became a bigger factor on the line last year as the season went on, playing on both the inside and end at times. He made a huge stop on a 4th-and-goal situation early in the game against Kansas State that helped turn the momentum to MU’s side.
Sophomores Jaron Baston and Tarell Corby return as letterwinners on the line looking to step up their roles in 2007. Both natives of Kansas City, Mo., the duo earned their first letters a year ago, with Baston playing in all 13 games at nosetackle, while Corby played in 12 games primarily on special teams and also at defensive end. They enter spring camp listed number two on the depth chart at the aforementioned positions.
As many as five newcomers are on the depth chart on the defensive line heading into spring camp who coaches expect to challenge for significant playing time in 2007, including three who redshirted a year ago, and two junior college standouts who transferred to Mizzou in January.
At one defensive end position, redshirt freshmen John Stull and Bart Coslet have high expectations from the Tiger coaching staff to help contribute in various ways this season. They are listed second and third, respectively, behind Sulak, at one end position currently. Joining them on the highly-anticipated list is tackle Charles Gaines, who redshirted a year ago after transferring to MU from Lincoln University and wreaked havoc on a daily basis against the offensive in practice a year ago. Gaines enters the spring listed second on the depth at tackle behind Ziggy Hood, and he is officially a senior in eligibility, but he could eventually receive another year pending a successful appeal to the NCAA following the 2007 season.
Last but not least, a highly-touted pair of junior college early enrollees will participate in spring drills, hoping to earn playing time in the fall with a strong performance. Junior tackle Andy Maples was ranked by one service as the nation’s number three junior college defensive lineman when he signed with MU. He’ll enter spring camp listed third on the depth chart behind Hood and Gaines, but he’s expected to challenge for playing time right away.
The other January enrollee from who Tiger coaches are hoping to see immediate contributions is junior defensive end Jaysen Corbett. Ranked as the nation’s number 12 junior college end prospect by one outlet, Corbett will begin spring drills listed fourth on the depth chart at one end position, but he’ll have every opportunity to make a climb up the chart.
LINEBACKER (top)
| |
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (2 w/26 starts in ‘06) |
(4 w/11 starts in ‘06) |
| Marcus Bacon**** (WLB-13) |
Van Alexander** |
| Dedrick Harrington**** (MLB-13) |
Brock Christopher** (SLB-11) |
|
Steve Redmond* |
|
Sean Weatherspoon* |
|
Much like the defensive line in front of them, the linebacker position will be going through a rebuilding phase in 2007. Gone are multi-year starters Dedrick Harrington and Marcus Bacon, the latter of who won first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2006 for his stellar play. Replacing that duo will be a key element of what takes place during spring camp.
Returning for his junior season is 2006 starter Brock Christopher. The Kearney, Mo., native had a break-out year in his sophomore campaign, as he started 11 times at the strongside linebacker spot, and was fourth on the team with 87 tackles. He added 6.5 tackles for loss, broke up three passes and forced two fumbles as well. Christopher will move over to his more natural middle linebacker spot in the spring, where he’ll look to anchor the Tiger defense. Behind Christopher on the depth chart to start the spring are walk-ons Jeff Gettys and Marlon Galbreath.
Filling in around Christopher will be a group of players with solid experience as well as some exciting newcomers, and getting them ready for the rigors of the Big 12 Conference will be the task at hand for the Tiger coaching staff.
Heading into spring camp, sophomore Sean Weatherspoon is listed atop the depth chart at the weakside linebacker position. Weatherspoon impressed enough in 2006 to play in all 13 games as a true freshman, mostly as a reserve and on special teams, where he blocked a punt in the season opener. Lined up behind Weatherspoon on the depth are junior John Ruth and redshirt freshman Marquis Booker. Ruth came to MU as a running back originally, and moved to linebacker prior to last season before suffering a knee injury that knocked him out for 2006. Booker is also returning from an injury (broken knee cap) that wiped out his 2006 season. Both are healthy and ready to go for spring drills.
At the strongside linebacker position, veteran Van Alexander is rearing to go after having injury issues of his own that limited his 2006 production. The junior was slated as the starter at the strongside spot heading into last year, but he had a severe groin/hip problem that took most of the season for him to get over. The Columbia, Mo., native saw action in seven games, but is ready now to show why he is listed atop the depth heading into spring ball.
Fellow junior Steve Redmond is second on the depth behind Alexander heading into spring drills. The Kansas City, Mo., native played in all 13 games a year ago, mostly in reserve action, and coaches feel he’s ready to step into a bigger role in 2007. Joe Schumacher is third on the depth at strongside, and the Columbia, Mo., native is another Tiger who is coming off of a knee injury in 2006.
Two wild-cards in the linebacking mix are true freshmen Michael Keck and Luke Lambert, both very highly-recruited prep stars who graduated from high school last December and enrolled in January at Mizzou. They are the first freshmen to enroll early under Pinkel, and with all of the excitement surrounding them, don’t be surprised to see them move quickly up the depth chart to challenge for playing time in 2007.
Keck was a Parade All-American out of Harrisonville, Mo., and was widely considered the top prospect in the state of Missouri and one of the top-12 linebacker prospects in the nation by various recruiting outlets. He’ll begin spring ball listed fourth on the depth at strongside linebacker.
Lambert was a consensus top-10 talent in Missouri and was regarded by most as a top-50 national linebacker recruit out of Brookfield, Mo. He’ll begin spring camp listed fourth on the depth chart at middle linebacker.
SAFETIES (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (3 w/13 starts in ‘06) |
(2 w/5 starts in ‘06) |
| Brandon Massey*** (SS-10) |
Pig Brown* (NICK-1) |
| Darren Meade* |
William Moore** (SS-3/NICK-1) |
| David Overstreet**** (FS-13) |
|
|
Mizzou also faces some rebuilding at safety, as veteran standouts David Overstreet and Brandon Massey are gone to graduation after combining for 23 starts a year ago. The Tiger defense does have two proven performers with some starting experience ready to step into the fold, however, in junior William Moore and senior Cornelius “Pig” Brown.
Moore begins spring ball listed number one on the depth chart at the free safety position. He started four times last year at strong safety, and made plenty of plays over the year, as he ranked ninth on the team with 51 tackles. He also ranked second on the squad with eight passes broken up, and he returned an interception for a key touchdown at Texas Tech early in the season that helped spur the Tigers to a huge road victory.
Brown came to Mizzou last year out of Reedly (Calif.) Community College and provided a big impact in his first year with the program, as he made 40 tackles in 12 games, including one start at Texas Tech. Before suffering an ankle injury midway through the year that hobbled him a little bit, Brown also showed an ability to be potent in the punt return game, as he returned a long one for a score against Ole Miss in game number two, only to have it called back due to a penalty. Brown begins spring drills listed number one on the depth at the strong safety position.
Sophomore Del Howard is listed second on the depth behind Moore at free safety heading into the spring. Howard, who lined up at cornerback a year ago, played in 12 games in 2006 as a true freshman, and showed that he was a playmaker, as he was second on the team with two interceptions despite his reserve status. He also looked to be one of the hardest hitters on the squad, after making several big hits over the season. Behind Howard on the depth are program veterans Travis Cardoza and Kevin Duncan.
Backing up Brown at strong safety are Mack Breed, Kevin Rutland and Alex Joannes. Breed is a junior with a lot of physical ability who has battled various injury problems that he hopes are resolved in 2007. Rutland begins spring ball listed third on the depth, and the redshirt freshman is one of the fastest Tigers on the team. Joannes is a program veteran who hopes to add depth to the position.
Another mid-year junior college transfer is waiting in the wings, in Justin Garrett. Garrett came to Mizzou from Pasadena (Calif.) City College, and was ranked by one outlet as the number six junior college safety in the country. He’ll hope to add his considerable skills to the lineup immediately, and he’ll begin spring camp listed fifth on the depth chart at the strong safety position.
CORNERBACKS (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (1 w/5 starts in ‘06) |
(4 w/21 starts in ‘06) |
| Domonique Johnson** (5) |
Del Howard* |
|
Hardy Ricks* (8) |
|
Paul Simpson* |
|
Darnell Terrell** (13) |
|
The Tigers return starters at both cornerback positions for 2007, and have a good combination of experienced players and highly-touted newcomers to add to the competition in the spring.
One on side is senior standout Darnell Terrell, who begins the season as MU’s feature corner. The St. Louis, Mo., native had a breakout season in 2006, as he led the team with nine pass break ups and ranked sixth overall on the team with 58 tackles on the way to earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors.
On the other side of the field is sophomore Hardy Ricks, another St. Louis native who started eight times in 2006 at cornerback opposite Terrell. Ricks was thrown into the fire, so to speak, a year ago, due to injury situations, and he performed admirably when called upon, and with another year of seasoning, he’s expected to help solidify the position.
Filling out the depth chart behind Terrell heading into the spring are Castine Bridges and La’Roderick Thomas. Bridges is a junior college transfer who was able to take a redshirt a year ago, and will have two years to play two at Mizzou. Thomas is a redshirt freshman who showed considerable skills playing on the scout team throughout 2006, and who hopes to make an impact in his first year on the field for the Tiger defense.
On the other side of the field behind Ricks, the spring depth chart shows Paul Simpson and Trenile Washington. Simpson is a senior who played in all 13 games a year ago in his first year with the program after transferring from junior college. Washington is a junior who was looking like he would factor significantly into the rotation heading into the 2006 season, before a broken ankle derailed those plans. He’s recovered and ready to go for spring camp in 2007.
Another mid-year junior college transfer hopes to move up the depth chart quickly, in junior Tremaine Vaughns. Vaughns originally signed with Mizzou as part of the 2006 class, but was delayed in getting to campus until this January. Now that he’s here, Tiger coaches have him on the depth chart at one cornerback position, and also hope to use his considerable skills in the kick and punt return games, as well.
KICKERS (top)
|
Lettermen Lost |
Lettermen Returning |
| (1 w/0 starts in ‘06) |
(2 w/26 starts in ‘06) |
| Trace Teas* |
Adam Crossett*** (P-13) |
|
Jeff Wolfert* (PK-13) |
|
The kicking game for Mizzou was improved and very dependable a year ago, and the Tigers will benefit from having both their placekicker and punters back for another year in 2007.
Junior Jeff Wolfert will be back to handle placekicking duties after turning into one of the great underdog success stories in all of college football a year ago. Wolfert came out of virtually nowhere to win the starting job in fall camp, and the former walk-on who came to MU on a diving scholarship eventually became a Groza Award semi-finalist and ended the 2006 season with MU records of 18 field goals (on 20 attempts) and 99 points.
Senior Adam Crossett focused on punting and kickoff duties a year ago, after handling all three aspects of the kicking game in 2005 and parts of 2004. After averaging 42.7 yards per punt in 2005, his numbers were down slightly a year ago (39.4), but a lot of that had to do with the success of MU’s offense, as many of his punts were designed to be sky kicks. Crossett has the leg to get the job done, as he ranks fourth alltime at MU with his career punting average of 40.9 yards in his four seasons. He will also likely serve as the Tigers’ backup placekicker come fall.
