Barry Odom has quietly built Missouri’s football program back into a respectable opponent in the SEC East but there are plenty of people in Columbia expecting this year’s team to take another step forward considering the experience returning on both sides of the ball and a favorable schedule that potentially sets up a fantastic start to the season for the Tigers.

Heading into Saturday’s spring game, Odom shared his thoughts on the progress his team has made with camp nearing its conclusion.

“The competition has been awesome,” Odom said. “Then you look at some of the new receivers but also you know the things and all the number of parts, moving parts, that we’ve got coming back, the challenge is to get those guys with that experience to play better than they did last year. I feel like we’re in that position right now.”

When asked to share his thoughts on players that have stood out the most, Odom named a player on each side of the ball that has really impressed him during camp. Interestingly, on offense, one of the team’s most productive players from last season has stood out to Odom.

“One guy that we are leaning on heavily is Larry Rountree. He was a 1,200 hundred yard rusher in our conference last year, had a really good year, but I think he had a better spring than he did at any point last year,” the Missouri coach answered.

On the defensive side of the ball, the efforts of one linebacker stood out to Odom.

“Nick Bolton has stepped in where Terez Hall played last year, had a great spring,” he added. “He’s really going to be a guy that is going to have to play a lot of snaps for us and he’s put himself in a position to kind of take over that lead spot.”

You can watch the full video interview below, courtesy of Mizzou Athletics: