The Missouri Tigers are entering the 2019 season with a big NCAA cloud hanging over their heads. They’re awaiting an appeal, but the first few weeks of the season could pass before a verdict is announced.

Fans will be eager to see this team in action, postseason ban or not, because of the new quarterback and all the talent returning. The offense, in particular, has some major star power returning. After finishing 3rd in the SEC by averaging 36.6 points per game in 2018, the Tigers could finish in that same range this fall.

The defense has some question marks. There’s talent, but the Tigers will need to improve if they’re going to beat last year’s 8-5 record. Coach Barry Odom and his coordinators — OC Derek Dooley and DC Ryan Walters — are back for another year, and it should be an interesting one, to say the least.

With that said, let’s take a look at the Tigers’ depth chart as the 2019 season quickly approaches:

Backfield

QB: Kelly Bryant
RB: Larry Rountree III
RB: Tyler Badie

Obviously, the biggest non-NCAA story around the Tigers this offseason was landing Clemson graduate transfer QB Kelly Bryant, who was quickly named the starter. Bryant will take over for Drew Lock, who had a historic Mizzou career. Bryant will bring different strengths to the offense, but he has the talent to keep things chugging along in Dooley’s second year as the play-caller.

Then, there’s Larry Rountree III, one of the most underrated running backs in the SEC. He ran for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018 while splitting carries with Damarea Crockett and Tyler Badie. Crockett is in the NFL, but Badie returns to back up Rountree and provides a great pass-catching option out of the backfield.

It’ll be exciting to see what Bryant can do. He’s surrounded by a lot of talent, so we’ll see how much his game grows during his 1 season in Columbia.

Receiving corps

WR: Johnathon Johnson
WR: Jonathan Nance
WR: Jalen Knox
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam

The Tigers lost Emanuel Hall, but this is still a talented and deep unit. Albert O has dealt with some injuries during fall camp, but he’s seemingly back and healthy again, which is a great sign for the offense.

Jalen Knox is a guy the Tigers will try to get into the Hall role, along with fellow rising sophomore Kam Scott. Both have big-play potential and should get more touches this fall. Nance comes over from Arkansas to provide another target for Bryant, and Johnson is one of the more underrated players in the SEC. He’s fewer than 1,000 yards from becoming Mizzou’s all-time leading receiver.

Johnson and Okwuegbunam should both get plenty of touches from Bryant, but we’ll need to see the offense in action to get a better read on the pecking order in the receiving corps.

Offensive line

LT: Yasir Durant
LG: Larry Borom
C: Trystan Colon-Castillo
RG: Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
RT: Hyrin White

The offensive line has been a strength for the past few years, and it’ll continue this fall. Larry Borom is competing with Case Cook at left guard, and Hyrin White seemingly has the right tackle spot locked down. How well those guys replace Paul Adams and Kevin Pendleton will be a big key for the season.

Still, returning 3 starters with as much experience as Durant, Colon-Castillo and Wallace-Simms is huge. Rountree and Bryant will benefit from working with this talented and deep unit.

Defensive line

DE: Trajan Jeffcoat
DT: Jordan Elliott
DT: Kobie Whiteside
DE: Chris Turner

This is the unit that needs to step up the most. The Tigers lose star DT Terry Beckner Jr., but Elliott looks ready to take over that role and become the next star Mizzou defensive lineman. Tre Williams is back from suspension, too, so we’ll see what role he lands.

He could start, as Turner, Whiteside and Jeffcoat combined for only 4 sacks in 2018. Elliott leads all returning Tigers with 3 sacks. He should be in for a bigger season, and it’ll be interesting to see who emerges alongside him.

Linebackers

LB: Nick Bolton
LB: Cale Garrett

The Tigers run a hybrid 4-2-5 scheme, with S Ronnell Perkins (more on him later) basically serving as the 3rd linebacker. Garrett is the leader of this unit and is the SEC’s second-leading returning tackler. He recorded 112 tackles last year, behind only Arkansas’s De’Jon Harris.

Bolton, meanwhile, is more of a wild card. The rising sophomore recorded 22 tackles last year but will need to do a lot more this fall. He’ll be tasked with replacing Terez Hall, who finished with 71 tackles and 5 sacks in 2018.

Behind those 2, we should see more from Jamal Brooks and Aubrey Miller Jr. The juniors recorded only 8 tackles between them last year.

Secondary

CB: DeMarkus Acy
FS: Joshuah Bledsoe
SS: Tyree Gillespie
S: Ronnell Perkins
CB: Christian Holmes

The Tigers struggled in the secondary last season, giving up an SEC-worst 262 yards per game through the air. However, it wasn’t entirely their fault, as the front 7 struggled to get a pass rush at times.

The cornerback group will benefit from having another year of experience, as Holmes, Acy and Adam Sparks all return. The safety group will miss Cam Hilton, but Khalil Oliver, Joshuah Bledsoe and Tyree Gillespie (along with top-rated incoming freshman Jalani Williams) should be able to have a strong showing as they figure out their roles.

The secondary snagged 10 interceptions in 2018, but Hilton had 3 and Terez Hall had 1, so they’ll need some new players to step up and create some takeaways to help the defense get off the field quicker.

Special teams

K: Tucker McCann
P: Tucker McCann
Kick returner: Tyler Badie
Punt returner: Johnathon Johnson

Corey Fatony is gone, so the Tigers apparently are turning to McCann as kicker and punter. McCann has never handled punting before, but he’s listed on the depth chart as the starter at both positions.

After a rough freshman year, McCann has turned into one of the more reliable kickers in the SEC. Last year, he made 24-of-33 field-goal attempts, with his 72.7% success rate ranking 5th in the conference among kickers with at least 20 attempts.

On the return side, the Tigers didn’t get much on kickoffs or punts. Johnson averaged only 1.5 yards on his 12 punt returns, while Badie only brought 11 kickoffs out of the end zone. Richaud Floyd is the wild card here. If he’s healthy, he could work his way back into the return mix. In 2017, he had 2 punt-return touchdowns and averaged an impressive 19.8 yards per return.

Final thoughts

Overall, the Tigers will be exciting to watch. The offense should be able to continue to score with the best teams in the SEC. If the defense can be even marginally better, it should be a great season in Columbia.

Many eyes will be on Bryant, but he’s surrounded by talent, especially on offense. The defense doesn’t have much depth in the front 7, but the players who are there have experience.

Can Odom’s squad hit the 10-win mark in 2019? Will it matter, or will the NCAA ban remain? How will Bryant fare? These are just some of the huge questions that will face the Tigers this fall. Hopefully, the NCAA decision comes sooner rather than later.