Missouri football: where Phil Steele, Athlon and Lindy's think Tigers will finish 2023
Missouri football season isn’t far off. It’s officially preview magazine season across the college football world, and the sports prognosticators are putting in their predictions for how the 2023 campaign will go for the Tigers.
Here’s how three major preview magazines are projecting Missouri will fare in Eli Drinkwitz’s fourth season as head coach.
Athlon Sports
Athlon projected the Tigers will finish sixth in the SEC East, No. 50 overall in FBS. It set their prediction at 6-6 for the season, 2-6 in the SEC.
The magazine reached out to opposing assistant coaches in the SEC to get intel on the Tigers, and they noted a perceived lack of talent surrounding Luther Burden on offense. Those coaches said MU needs to identify more playmakers and questioned whether the Tigers have an SEC-level starting quarterback on the roster.
Athlon did project the Tigers to make a bowl game. It predicted they will play Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl to end the season.
Javon Foster and Ty’Ron Hopper were both on the Athlon all-SEC first team at their respective positions. Darius Robinson, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Harrison Mevis were given second-team honors while Burden and Jaylon Carlies made the third team.
Lindy’s
Following Athlon’s lead, Lindy’s predicted the Tigers will finish ahead of only Vanderbilt in the SEC East. The magazine pointed at Missouri’s offensive struggles last season as a point of worry for MU fans.
Lindy’s did point out that Brady Cook did not have a bad season statistically in 2022, his first year as the starting quarterback. It said the Tigers have a chance to win eight games should he and Burden find chemistry and get past the offensive issues.
Only one Tiger made Lindy’s first all-SEC team, that being Hopper. More Missouri players found a home on the second team, including Foster, Burden, Mevis and Kris Abrams-Draine.
Rakestraw was listed as a third-team all-SEC selection
Phil Steele
Just like the other two, Steele chose the Tigers to end up sixth in the SEC East. Steele did say he would expect Missouri to be bowl eligible for another season.
Steele noted that “most indicators” are pointing to improvement for MU in 2023. He pointed to the number of returning starters, including most of last season’s solid defense as causes for optimism.
Of the three magazines, Steele was the highest on Abrams-Draine. He put the cornerback on his first-team all-SEC squad, the only Missouri player to achieve that honor.
The second team included Foster, Robinson, Carlies and Mevis. The third team featured Burden and Hopper.
Steele also does a fourth all-SEC team, unlike the other magazines. That list included Rakestraw.
Missouri football opens its season Aug. 31 against South Dakota at Faurot Field.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football: Phil Steele, Athlon and Lindy's 2023 projections
