Missouri Tigers Football Offseason Preview

The Missouri Tigers made a bowl game last year. They didn’t win it, but for a team competing in a division with Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee, and which faced a cutthroat SEC schedule, that result really wasn’t bad at all. However, it’s not where Missouri wants to be. The program has bigger aspirations it will try to fulfill this coming season.

Key Personnel Lost

The Tigers lose cornerback Akayleb Evans, a fourth-round NFL draft pick, and running back Tyler Baddie, also an NFL draft pick. They were both cornerstone players on the roster, meeting central needs on offense and defense. The coaching staff has to make sure it can compensate for the deficits created by

those two departures. Missouri has rarely had a lot of margin for error. The Tigers struck gold in 2013 and 2014 when they won the SEC East. They had teams which could compete and win at a high level; when one unit wasn’t at the top of its game, other position groups were able to step in and make up the difference. Missouri had a team in 2007 which gained a top-five national ranking and came within one win of appearing in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. Missouri has occasionally had special rosters which had a Plan B or Plan C when Plan A didn’t work, but this year’s Missouri team and most recent Missouri teams don’t have that ability to transcend weaknesses. The Tigers need to get every last ounce of production from the new faces which will step in to replace these missing parts.

Important Incoming Freshmen

Luther Burden is a five-star receiver who was ranked No. 3 in the 2022 class. He is only the third five-star recruit in Missouri history. He is one of the most hyped and celebrated prospects the program has ever known. Fans can’t wait to see him play, but he has to deal with the buzz and focus on playing his best, rising to the occasion instead of succumbing to the overwhelming pressure he faces. If Burden is the real deal, Missouri’s ceiling on offense will rise considerably.

Key Position Battles

With Georgia and Florida in the SEC East, Missouri regularly goes against elite defensive lines. For the Tigers to take the next step as a program, and for their offense to perform reasonably well against the top defenses they face in this division, they have to have offensive linemen who are capable of doing the job right. That is the biggest position group concern for this team. The other big need is at receiver, so that the Tigers can attack opposing defenses down the field and get the quick-strike plays which reduce the number of plays on each possession. Missouri is not going to beat Georgia by driving 80 yards on 12 plays in seven minutes. It will need home-run strikes, which heightens the focus on the receivers the Tigers have. This is why Burden being great is such an acute need for Mizzou.

Biggest Offseason Goal(s)

Developing toughness and increased physicality on the offensive line is a cornerstone goal for a program which needs its offense to take off and reach the next level.