Missouri’s summer semester begins June 8, just 18 days from now.
Typically that’s when incoming freshmen football players join the program, if they did not participate in spring practice as an early enrollee.
That means we’re mere weeks from the arrival of standout signees like defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr., quarterback Drew Lock and running back Chase Abbington.
How many members of the class of 2015 should we expect to see on the field in a Mizzou uniform this fall? And what sort of contributions will they make?
As David Morrison articulated recently in the Columbia Tribune, there are a few obvious choices.
DT Terry Beckner Jr: A rare five-star player for the Tigers, the team signed him with the intent that he will at least become part of the rotation at defensive tackle as a true freshman. Harold Brantley, Rickey Hatley and Josh Augusta currently comprise a three-man rotation at the position, and Beckner Jr. should make it four.
P Corey Fatony: This is almost a guarantee. Mizzou didn’t sign Fatony to watch from the sideline while senior placekicker Andrew Baggett performs triple duty. The true freshman will be the Tigers’ punter in 2015 with a chance to lock down the job for years to come.
DE Marcell Frazier: With the news Wednesday that the Tigers have dismissed projected starter Marcus Loud from the team, not only will Frazier play, but he could compete for a starting job. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Frazier already has used a redshirt season at College of Siskiyous (Weed, Calif.).
RB Chase Abbington: Another JUCO transfer who has used a redshirt season already, Abbington does no good wasting a scholarship on the bench. Given that Marcus Murphy is gone, Morgan Steward continues to rehab a mystifying hip injury and Trevon Walters tore an ACL, the team has a need for depth in the backfield. Expect Abbington to compete with Ish Witter (and maybe Steward) for time behind Russell Hansbrough.
Outside of those four definites, there’s another group of players who will at least compete for playing time. Here’s a look at those incoming players.
OT Malik Cuellar: An early enrollee from City College of San Francisco, Cuellar worked his way from third-team left tackle at the start of spring practice to a backup spot, even getting some reps with the first-team offense late in the 15 allowed practices. Right now Cuellar is on the outside looking in, if Mizzou rates its best five linemen. But he’s versatile and could continue to compete for a spot at guard or right tackle, even though the team appears set to start Connor McGovern at left tackle.
OT Tyler Howell: Rated slightly higher than Cuellar (as the fifth-best JUCO offensive tackle in ’15), Howell has not yet arrived in Columbia, Mo. So he’ll be playing catch-up during fall camp. The 6-foot-8, 302-pound Howell should also compete at right tackle, where he’ll have a decent shot at winning the job. Either Howell or Cuellar could enter the season as the swing tackle, likely to get time even if there aren’t any injuries the entire season.
WR Emanuel Hall: The 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver represents the highest-rated player that Mizzou signed at its biggest position of need (excluding “athlete” Johnathon Johnson). He’ll have a chance to join the rotation on the outside with players like J’Mon Moore, Wesley Leftwich, Keyon Dilosa and DeSean Blair if he earns the trust of the coaches this fall.
Beyond that, there are several incoming players who may make the coaches think long and hard before planning to redshirt them. It’s far from guaranteed that these guys will play for Mizzou this year, but neither is it a certainty they will be ticketed for a redshirt season immediately.
ATH Jonathan Johnson: At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, Johnson may never have prototypical SEC size. However, he is a slot receiver, and walk-on Eric Laurent manned that post throughout much of spring ball while Nate Brown nursed an injury. So Johnson, with 4.52 speed at a high school combine, could angle for a spot in the rotation there, or as a returner.
WR Richaud Floyd: Nearly a physical copy of Johnson at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Floyd is in an identical spot potentially competing for a role as a backup slot receiver and returner. Another element to the equation for both players is whether converted cornerback Raymond Wingo can secure
WR Justin Smith: The skinny, raw 6-foot-7 wideout seems like a classic example of a player who warrants a redshirt. And that’s probably where he’s headed. But Mizzou is so thin at the position that it’s not beyond possibility that Smith beats out Hall in the pecking order and sees the field at some point in 2015, especially if the unit suffers an injury or two.
ATH Marquise Doherty: He’ll probably make his way to safety at some point, but the coaches apparently have agreed to let him try to find a spot on offense first (at running back). Listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, he could stand to add more muscle to his frame, according to a high school coach. But he chose Mizzou over Oregon and has good speed. It’s not impossible that he could find a way onto the field in some capacity.
OLB Terez Hall: This hard-hitting three-star talent chose Missouri ahead of Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Unless the team wants to burn his redshirt just to inject him as a bit player on special teams, I don’t know why he’d see the field in 2015. But his highlight tape is really fun to watch. Maybe the Tigers should spend the year teaching him not to celebrate after big hits so he won’t get penalized when he becomes part of the defense in coming years.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
