Missouri football: 5 key positions battles to watch in spring practice
In 2024, Missouri football needs to replace 14 key contributors from its Cotton Bowl-winning roster who either declared for the NFL Draft or ran out of eligibility. Those names include All-SEC performers, national award finalists and future first-round picks.
Stars like quarterback Brady Cook and All-American receiver Luther Burden return for the Tigers, but a number of position battles in spring practice will determine who Cook and Burden’s supporting cast will be.
Among these position battles, five stand out above the others.
Running back big need for Missouri football
Perhaps the most significant loss of the 14 departures was Cody Schrader. Last season, the former walk-on ran for an SEC-best 1,627 yards, finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting and was an NCAA consensus All-American.
The two most likely replacements for Schrader are a pair of transfers — Marcus Carroll and Nate Noel. Carroll, a Georgia State transfer, is the hottest name after his stellar 2023, which saw him be a Doak Walker Award semifinalist and finish sixth in the nation in yards from scrimmage with 1,584. He was the No. 8 running back in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.
Noel transferred from Appalachian State. A 2021 first team All-Sun Belt selection, Noel has rushed for 3,074 yards in his career, but injuries hampered his ability to sustain success the past two seasons.
In-house talents Tavorus Jones and Jamal Roberts will also get to make their case, but the additions of Carroll and Noel indicate that Jones and Roberts are on the outside looking in.
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Linebacker
Neither of Missouri’s starting linebackers going into the 2023 season will return this fall.
Ty’Ron Hopper was a Butkus Award finalist in 2023, and despite missing the team’s final three games, he finished as Missouri’s third-leading tackler. Chad Bailey was supposed to be Hopper’s partner at linebacker, but injuries forced his senior season to last just five games. Bailey’s replacement, Chuck Hicks, will be one of the favorites to jump into a starting role. Hicks appeared in all 13 games in 2023, starting nine of them, and finished fourth in tackles.
Who will join Hicks as a starting linebacker depends on new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s vision for his defense. Former Missouri DC Blake Baker ran 4-2-5 defense with only two linebackers. At South Alabama last season, Batoon ran 3-3-5 with three linebackers at times. If he chooses to implement the 3-3-5, you could see Triston Newson, who filled in for Hopper when he went down, and Miami transfer Corey Flagg Jr. on the field together. But if Batoon decides to play 4-2-5, Newson and Flagg may compete with each other for a starting spot.
Freshman linebacker Brian Huff enrolled early and will be at spring practice. The four-star linebacker is a dark horse to push his more experienced counterparts.
Defensive end
The heart and soul of Missouri’s 2023 defense, and arguably its team, was Darius Robinson. The first-team All-SEC talent, and likely first-round pick, is off to greener pastures. So is backup Nyles Gaddy, leaving a gap on the Missouri line.
Johnny Walker Jr. played opposite Robinson and returns in 2024, but Robinson’s spot is there for the taking.
Joe Moore and Austin Firestone, who played rotation roles on the 2023 team, and transfers Zion Young and Darris Smith are the names expected to compete for the spot vacated by Robinson.
Moore, Firestone, Smith and Young will also face competition from five-star freshman Williams Nwaneri, but spring practice gives them a head start on the phenom who doesn’t arrive in Columbia until the summer.
Cornerback
Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw’s departures leave both starting spots at cornerback open.
Dreyden Norwood was Missouri’s slot corner last season, regularly filling in for Rakestraw, who battled lingering injuries last season. He’ll compete with fellow backup corner Marcus Clarke and freshman Shamar McNeil, who redshirted last season but played against Arkansas and Ohio State.
Clemson transfer Toriano Pride is another key name in this battle. He’s a St. Louis kid and was the No. 6 cornerback in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. He should be one of the favorites to win a starting spot.
Freshman Cameron Keys enrolled early and could make his case for some playing time with a strong spring.
Backup quarterback
Early-enrollee freshman Aidan Glover will essentially be competing with himself for the role of backup QB. After the transfers of Jake Garcia and Gabarri Johnson and Sam Horn’s injury, Glover is the only scholarship QB not named Brady Cook on Missouri’s 2024 roster.
His task is to prove to Eli Drinkwitz and Kirby Moore he can run Missouri’s offense in the event Cook goes down. If he doesn’t, Missouri will probably turn to the transfer portal for reinforcements.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Missouri football spring practice: 5 positions battles to watch
