2018 Camp preview: Wide receiver
With SEC Media Days in the books, it’s finally time to start looking ahead to the 2018 football season. Missouri will begin its preseason camp on Aug. 3. Each day until then, PowerMizzou will evaluate the roster one position group at a time, breaking down the depth chart and offering an outlook for the season. Today, we preview the wide receivers.
The starters: Following the graduation of J’Mon Moore, this is the only position on the offensive side of the ball where Missouri will undoubtedly have a new face in the starting lineup. On the Tigers’ first depth chart of the preseason, senior Nate Brown is listed in the spot vacated by Moore. Brown, who showed signs of promise by catching 27 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore in 2015, has battled injuries each of the past two seasons. During the spring, however, coaches raved about Brown’s leadership and work ethic.
The other starters alongside Brown on the first depth chart of the preseason were senior Emanuel Hall and junior Johnathon Johnson. Hall, a deep-ball specialist who recorded 817 yards and eight touchdowns a season ago, seems firmly entrenched as one starter. Johnson, who also started for the majority of last season, is likely to continue starting in the slot, though he could have some competition from Richaud Floyd and true freshman Dominic Gicinto. Graduate transfer Alex Ofodile, who joined the team this summer after playing two seasons at Oregon, could also work his way into a starting role, though he’ll have some catching up to do as far as learning the playbook.
The backups: Missouri brought in a huge crop of newcomers at the wide receiver position (five freshmen a junior college transfer and Ofodile), and camp should help determine which are capable of playing a role right away. Ofodile brings the most experience of the group, and with his father, A.J. Ofodile, coaching the position, it seems realistic that he could learn the offense more quickly than most newcomers. He’ll almost certainly play a role this season, and could compete for a starting spot. Gicinto and junior college transfer Harry Ballard III both enrolled early and took part in spring practices, but considering Gicinto found his name on the two-deep depth chart last week and Ballard did not, it appears he has a better chance of seeing the field this season. Then there are the true freshmen. At SEC Media Days, quarterback Drew Lock specifically mentioned Khmari Thompson, Jalen Knox and Kam Scott as players he’s been impressed with early on, so right now we’ll say they have the best chance to see early playing time. Other players to at least keep an eye on: freshman Chritauskie Dove, who was a late addition to Missouri’s incoming class, and Barrett Bannister, a redshirt freshman about whom A.J. Ofodile spoke highly during the spring.
Camp outlook: The receiving corps will be interesting to monitor during camp solely because there are so many unknowns in the group. Due to the Tigers' lack of depth at the position, at least two or three newcomers will have to play meaningful snaps this season, and camp should help determine who those players will be. Other questions that need to be answered: Has Hall diversified his route-running ability enough this offseason to fill some of the void left behind by Moore? How quickly can Ofodile learn the offense? We should get at least a glimpse into all of those issues during the coming weeks.
Projected Week One depth chart:
1. Emanuel Hall/ Alex Ofodile/ Johnathon Johnson (slot)
2. Kam Scott/ Nate Brown/ Richaud Floyd
3. Dominic Gicinto/ Jalen Knox/ Khmari Thompson