In a make-or-break season for Eliah Drinkwitz at Missouri, the margin for error is very slim. With so many swing games on the schedule and growing pressure to produce a breakthrough season surrounding the head coach, the Tigers will need some key players to step up this season.

While Mizzou does return the bulk of its production from last year, there are a handful of players on both sides of the ball who will likely be the difference between a good and great season for the Tigers.

Here are 5 of those players:

1. Luther Burden III, sophomore wide receiver

2022 stats: 45 catches, 375 receiving yards; 18 carries, 88 rushing yards; 151 return yards, 9 total touchdowns

Top to bottom, Missouri is still a step or 2 away from having a roster that compares to the big boys of the SEC. But the Tigers do have 1 player who could start on any other team in the country.

Former 5-star recruit Luther Burden III remains the biggest recruiting win of recent memory for Missouri (and maybe the biggest ever), and he lived up to the hype last season. Burden was dangerous whenever he got the ball in his hands, making defenders look foolish in the open field whether it was on a screen pass, jet sweep or kick return. He did struggle to be effective in the vertical passing game, but Burden’s natural athleticism, speed and elusiveness makes him a game-changer with the ball in his hands in any facet.

New offensive coordinator Kirby Moore will try to get the ball in Burden’s hands even more this season, and that should only lead to great things for the Tigers.

2. Armand Membou, sophomore offensive lineman

Everything starts in the trenches in the SEC, and that has not been good news for Mizzou in recent seasons.

The offensive line has been an issue for years in Columbia, but the problems hit their peak in 2022. Brady Cook was constantly under pressure, and the Tigers only averaged 154.7 rushing yards per game. At times, the offense was stifled purely because it was being dominated up front.

Consistent push came at a premium last season, but Mizzou did receive a pleasant surprise from the group. Armand Membou, a former 4-star recruit out of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, emerged as a reliable option at both tackle and guard. Membou appeared in 11 games and started the final 5 of the season, earning the praise of both the coaching staff and his peers.

Now, Membou enters the 2023 season as 1 of the leaders of the offensive line with a bright future ahead of him. With his versatility and the room for growth he still has, Membou could be an all-conference-caliber performer who solidifies the Tigers offensive line alongside Javon Foster.

With so many unknowns outside of Membou and Foster, Missouri will lean on that duo to bring the rest of the group along with them and make the line a strength rather than a weakness.

3. Dameon Wilson, redshirt sophomore linebacker

2022 stats: 16 tackles, 1 fumble recovery

Originally, Dameon Wilson was supposed to be a rotational backup option to star linebackers Chad Bailey and Ty’Ron Hopper this season. But after Drinkwitz announced that Bailey would miss at least 21 days due to a procedure, Wilson now moves up in the depth chart.

While the starting job alongside Hopper is not guaranteed for Wilson, he seems to be the likely choice after starting and playing in the entirety of the Georgia game last season. After redshirting in 2021 and appearing in 12 total games a year ago, Wilson has plenty of experience within the Missouri program and Blake Baker’s defense.

Bailey will likely miss at least the 1st couple of games of the season, and if he’s not able to come back at 100% afterwards, Wilson will be counted on to step up.

4. Darius Robinson, senior defensive end

2022 stats: 35 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks

A longtime starter at defensive tackle for Mizzou, Darius Robinson slid to defensive end this offseason out of necessity. After the Tigers lost starting ends Isaiah McGuire and DJ Coleman to the NFL and Arden Walker Jr. to the transfer portal, a large void was left on the edge.

“D-Line Zou” has made a habit out of producing top-tier pass rushers, but someone new will have to step up this season. Robinson already exhibited some great burst and pass-rush moves while playing tackle, and after cutting some weight this offseason he should be ready to be a major contributor at end. The Tigers will need it, because outside of Johnny Walker Jr. no end on the roster has much experience as a member of the Missouri program.

Robinson is also 1 of the more vocal leaders on the team, and he will be tasked with being the face of this defensive end room in 2023. With the pass rush being regarded as the only true weakness of the Tigers defense at this juncture, a lot of responsibility is on Robinson’s shoulders this season.

5. Brady Cook, redshirt junior quarterback

2022 stats: 64.8 completion percentage, 2,739 passing yards; 139 carries, 585 rushing yards; 20 total touchdowns, 7 interceptions

This was the most obvious choice on this list. After an up-and-down season that saw him tear his labrum in Week 2 yet improve as the season went on, Brady Cook returns for another season at his dream school. Drinkwitz has already said that both Cook and redshirt freshman Sam Horn will play in the 1st game of the season and the staff will reevaluate from there.

Still, Cook was named a team captain recently and started every game last season. The St. Louis native is the presumed starter at this point, but he will need to take some steps forward in terms of decision-making and the ability to push the ball downfield in 2023. If he does not, then Drinkwitz will be quick to pull him in favor of some more talented options.

The ceiling for this Missouri team will directly coincide with the level of quarterback play this team receives. Cook has great dual-threat ability and knows this program like the back of his hand, but that will only take him so far.