Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz acknowledged that Saturday night’s open practice wasn’t as exciting as fans might have hoped — it was an end-of-fall-camp walk-through — but he gave them a look at what the Tigers’ depth chart could look like to open the season.
It’s a depth chart that Drinkwitz said is all but finalized.
“We had a staff meeting today, and we feel like we know exactly where we’re at,” Drinkwitz said after practice. “I feel like we know our 22 deep on both sides.”
It was just one night, and it was a night when offensive linemen EJ Ndoma-Ogar and Luke Griffin, running back Elijah Young and quarterback Tyler Macon were out with unspecified illnesses (they’ll be in class Monday, per Drinkwitz). But here’s what fans and media saw Saturday night on Faurot Field:
Running back: Cody Schrader.
Wide receiver: Luther Burden III, Chance Luper, Dominic Lovett.
Tight end: Tyler Stephens.
Offensive line (right to left): Zeke Powell, Connor Wood, Connor Tollison, Xavier Delgado, Javon Foster.
Wide receiver: Tauskie Dove, Mookie Cooper, Barrett Banister (note: the receivers rotated liberally).
Tight end: Kibet Chepyator.
It’s worth reiterating that the six listed receivers rotated in and out a ton; “first offense” denotes the three guys who entered the field for the first play of the walk-through. All six listed should see plenty of action against Louisiana Tech. Cooper has carved out a role as an outside receiver, as opposed to the slot work he did for much of last year.
“Going into spring, we felt like we wanted to see him on the outside, just because of his speed and his short-area quickness versus press man,” Drinkwitz said. “We felt like he would be a matchup problem.”
Missouri looks like it will be both strong and deep at receiver, as opposed to tight end. Only two players, Stephens and Chepyator, saw the field at tight end Saturday night, but Drinkwitz expressed confidence in Stephens after practice.
“Tyler’s a guy that’s really come on, really the last seven days of camp,” Drinkwitz said. “He started a little bit slow, and I think you could attribute that to the ankle sprain he had in the spring. He missed most of spring, but he’s starting to catch his stride.”
On the offensive line, redshirt freshman Tollison has claimed the starting center job. Drinkwitz said Tollison, one of his in-state recruits from the Class of 2021, is very capable but needs to put on more weight in order to reliably handle the position in the SEC.
“He’s actually lost a little weight,” Drinkwitz said. “We’re a little concerned about it; he’s not growing in the right way there. It’s hard to play center in this league, and it’s gonna be really hard as a redshirt freshman.”
Defensive end: Isaiah McGuire, Trajan Jeffcoat.
Linebacker: Chad Bailey, Ty’Ron Hopper.
Cornerback: Kris Abrams-Draine, Ennis Rakestraw.
Safety: Jaylon Carlies, Joseph Charleston, Martez Manuel.
Defensive end: Arden Walker, DJ Coleman, Johnny Walker Jr., Tyrone Hopper.
Linebacker: Devin Nicholson, Dameon Wilson.
Cornerback: DJ Jackson, Dreyden Norwood, LJ Hewitt.
Safety: Jalani Williams, Daylan Carnell, Tyler Hibbler.
For some schematic clarity, Manuel is handling the “star” position in Blake Baker’s defense. He’ll line up in the slot against more receiver-heavy offensive sets and near or inside the box against tighter formations. Abrams-Draine, mostly a slot corner for foSteve Wilks last season, is entrenched on the outside in Baker’s scheme.
“I’m still learning, but I’m starting to get the hang of it as of right now,” Abrams-Draine said. “On the outside, it’s like you’re really on an island, but in the slot, you got a little more help.”
Up front, Drinkwitz shouted out the defensive tackle room, specifically transfer additions Williams, Jernigan and Landry.
“They really put in the work with Coach (Ryan) Russell in the weight room, with Coach (Al) Davis, and those guys have done a nice job in the trenches,” Drinkwitz said. “Again, that was a real position of concern for us, and now I think it’s a position of depth and strength.”
Kick returner (both punts and kicks): Abrams-Draine.
Kickoff specialist and holder: Sean Koetting.
Punter: Koetting or Jack Stonehouse.
Long snapper (field goals): Daniel Hawthorne.
Long snapper (punts): Jake Hoffman.
Missouri’s punter job is still up for grabs. Koetting and Stonehouse are battling to replace the graduated Grant McKinniss. Drinkwitz said whoever has the best week next week will open the season as the starter.
Notably, Abrams-Draine was the only Tiger who caught kicks or punts Saturday night, which seems to indicate both jobs are his.
“We all know how electric he is with the ball in his hands, whether you go back and watch his high school tape or the kickoff return last year versus Tennessee,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s got deceptive speed, good vision, so yeah, we’re confident in him.”
An under-the-radar name in Missouri’s loaded receiver room, the East St. Louis product perfectly complements his position group peers. If Saturday’s scrimmage is any indication, Lovett will spend a lot of time in the slot and working the middle of the field. He made several catches on crossing patterns and was someone Cook looked to numerous times.
“We all bring something different to the table,” Lovett said. “We’re a tight, cohesive group. I can’t do what I do without them, and they can’t do what they do without me.”
With Burden, Cooper, Banister and Dove alongside him, wide receiver promises to be one of the Tigers’ strongest units and fans should expect Lovett to play a crucial role.
The head coach said the offense has done well converting explosive plays but wants to see improvement executing in third down situations.
Defensively, Drinkwitz noted that there hasn’t been a single turnover through two scrimmages.
“That’s an area of concern for me,” Drinkwitz said. “(Turnovers) are the No. 1 indicator of success. Statistically, wins and losses come down to who wins the turnover margins. We have to force them.”
According to Drinkwitz, Glass arrived at Missouri with a pre-existing injury that he was trying to “push through” but ended up opting for surgery that will keep him out until the spring season begins.
Hicks suffered an “upper body torso injury” during the Tigers’ second scrimmage which will sideline him for his senior academic year. He will qualify for a medical that allows him to extend his eligibility, but Drinkwitz called this update “the most disappointing.”
“I thought we handled air tonight pretty well,” he said.
It wasn’t starters against starters. The offense took a few snaps followed by the defense going up against the program’s defensive GA under center. Regardless of what the night was or wasn’t, it still served as an opportunity to observe both units, assess execution and pick up on little details that will help come the home opener.
“It’s a dress rehearsal,” Drinkwitz said. “We had a long day building up to a 7 p.m. kick, trying to re-create what it’s going to be like for us in 12 days. It’s important to put ourselves in that situation, and I thought we handled it well on both sides of the ball.”
It’s a depth chart that Drinkwitz said is all but finalized.
“We had a staff meeting today, and we feel like we know exactly where we’re at,” Drinkwitz said after practice. “I feel like we know our 22 deep on both sides.”
It was just one night, and it was a night when offensive linemen EJ Ndoma-Ogar and Luke Griffin, running back Elijah Young and quarterback Tyler Macon were out with unspecified illnesses (they’ll be in class Monday, per Drinkwitz). But here’s what fans and media saw Saturday night on Faurot Field:
First offense
Quarterback: Brady Cook.Running back: Cody Schrader.
Wide receiver: Luther Burden III, Chance Luper, Dominic Lovett.
Tight end: Tyler Stephens.
Offensive line (right to left): Zeke Powell, Connor Wood, Connor Tollison, Xavier Delgado, Javon Foster.
Subs on offense
Running back: Nate Peat, BJ Harris.Wide receiver: Tauskie Dove, Mookie Cooper, Barrett Banister (note: the receivers rotated liberally).
Tight end: Kibet Chepyator.
It’s worth reiterating that the six listed receivers rotated in and out a ton; “first offense” denotes the three guys who entered the field for the first play of the walk-through. All six listed should see plenty of action against Louisiana Tech. Cooper has carved out a role as an outside receiver, as opposed to the slot work he did for much of last year.
“Going into spring, we felt like we wanted to see him on the outside, just because of his speed and his short-area quickness versus press man,” Drinkwitz said. “We felt like he would be a matchup problem.”
Missouri looks like it will be both strong and deep at receiver, as opposed to tight end. Only two players, Stephens and Chepyator, saw the field at tight end Saturday night, but Drinkwitz expressed confidence in Stephens after practice.
“Tyler’s a guy that’s really come on, really the last seven days of camp,” Drinkwitz said. “He started a little bit slow, and I think you could attribute that to the ankle sprain he had in the spring. He missed most of spring, but he’s starting to catch his stride.”
On the offensive line, redshirt freshman Tollison has claimed the starting center job. Drinkwitz said Tollison, one of his in-state recruits from the Class of 2021, is very capable but needs to put on more weight in order to reliably handle the position in the SEC.
“He’s actually lost a little weight,” Drinkwitz said. “We’re a little concerned about it; he’s not growing in the right way there. It’s hard to play center in this league, and it’s gonna be really hard as a redshirt freshman.”
First defense
Defensive tackle: Darius Robinson, Jayden Jernigan.Defensive end: Isaiah McGuire, Trajan Jeffcoat.
Linebacker: Chad Bailey, Ty’Ron Hopper.
Cornerback: Kris Abrams-Draine, Ennis Rakestraw.
Safety: Jaylon Carlies, Joseph Charleston, Martez Manuel.
Subs on defense
Defensive tackle: Josh Landry, Realus Jones, Kristian Williams.Defensive end: Arden Walker, DJ Coleman, Johnny Walker Jr., Tyrone Hopper.
Linebacker: Devin Nicholson, Dameon Wilson.
Cornerback: DJ Jackson, Dreyden Norwood, LJ Hewitt.
Safety: Jalani Williams, Daylan Carnell, Tyler Hibbler.
For some schematic clarity, Manuel is handling the “star” position in Blake Baker’s defense. He’ll line up in the slot against more receiver-heavy offensive sets and near or inside the box against tighter formations. Abrams-Draine, mostly a slot corner for foSteve Wilks last season, is entrenched on the outside in Baker’s scheme.
“I’m still learning, but I’m starting to get the hang of it as of right now,” Abrams-Draine said. “On the outside, it’s like you’re really on an island, but in the slot, you got a little more help.”
Up front, Drinkwitz shouted out the defensive tackle room, specifically transfer additions Williams, Jernigan and Landry.
“They really put in the work with Coach (Ryan) Russell in the weight room, with Coach (Al) Davis, and those guys have done a nice job in the trenches,” Drinkwitz said. “Again, that was a real position of concern for us, and now I think it’s a position of depth and strength.”
Specialists
Kicker: Harrison Mevis.Kick returner (both punts and kicks): Abrams-Draine.
Kickoff specialist and holder: Sean Koetting.
Punter: Koetting or Jack Stonehouse.
Long snapper (field goals): Daniel Hawthorne.
Long snapper (punts): Jake Hoffman.
Missouri’s punter job is still up for grabs. Koetting and Stonehouse are battling to replace the graduated Grant McKinniss. Drinkwitz said whoever has the best week next week will open the season as the starter.
Notably, Abrams-Draine was the only Tiger who caught kicks or punts Saturday night, which seems to indicate both jobs are his.
“We all know how electric he is with the ball in his hands, whether you go back and watch his high school tape or the kickoff return last year versus Tennessee,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s got deceptive speed, good vision, so yeah, we’re confident in him.”
Look out for Lovett
Freshman receiver Burden will receive most of the attention when the Tigers’ season begins against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 1, but fans should also keep an eye on Lovett, a sophomore receiver.An under-the-radar name in Missouri’s loaded receiver room, the East St. Louis product perfectly complements his position group peers. If Saturday’s scrimmage is any indication, Lovett will spend a lot of time in the slot and working the middle of the field. He made several catches on crossing patterns and was someone Cook looked to numerous times.
“We all bring something different to the table,” Lovett said. “We’re a tight, cohesive group. I can’t do what I do without them, and they can’t do what they do without me.”
With Burden, Cooper, Banister and Dove alongside him, wide receiver promises to be one of the Tigers’ strongest units and fans should expect Lovett to play a crucial role.
Drinkwitz analyzes where the Tigers stand
Following Saturday’s scrimmage, Drinkwitz named plenty of positive things to take away, but also offered a few pieces of criticism with the regular season kicking off in under two weeks.The head coach said the offense has done well converting explosive plays but wants to see improvement executing in third down situations.
Defensively, Drinkwitz noted that there hasn’t been a single turnover through two scrimmages.
“That’s an area of concern for me,” Drinkwitz said. “(Turnovers) are the No. 1 indicator of success. Statistically, wins and losses come down to who wins the turnover margins. We have to force them.”
Injury updates
The Tigers are already down two linebackers after senior Chuck Hicks and freshman Carmycah Glass both recently underwent season-ending surgeries.According to Drinkwitz, Glass arrived at Missouri with a pre-existing injury that he was trying to “push through” but ended up opting for surgery that will keep him out until the spring season begins.
Hicks suffered an “upper body torso injury” during the Tigers’ second scrimmage which will sideline him for his senior academic year. He will qualify for a medical that allows him to extend his eligibility, but Drinkwitz called this update “the most disappointing.”
Building excitement for the start of the season
Drinkwitz began Saturday’s post-scrimmage press conference by putting the night into perspective.“I thought we handled air tonight pretty well,” he said.
It wasn’t starters against starters. The offense took a few snaps followed by the defense going up against the program’s defensive GA under center. Regardless of what the night was or wasn’t, it still served as an opportunity to observe both units, assess execution and pick up on little details that will help come the home opener.
“It’s a dress rehearsal,” Drinkwitz said. “We had a long day building up to a 7 p.m. kick, trying to re-create what it’s going to be like for us in 12 days. It’s important to put ourselves in that situation, and I thought we handled it well on both sides of the ball.”
