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2018 Tiger Mailbag: 3rd Edition

Every week, PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond answers questions from Tiger fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a message board post. Keep your eye out each week to submit your question for the mailbag or send them to powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's inquiries.

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jrl3m8 asks: Cam Taylor visited Auburn and left without an offer. Any chance he ends up back with the good guys?

GD: Yes. Taylor told us he is working on setting up a visit with the Tigers on the weekend of February 2nd, the last visit weekend before Signing Day. If Auburn comes through with an offer, it seems pretty obvious he's going to go there. But if not, the Tigers seem to have as good a shot as anyone, and maybe better.

amhorrell asks: People saying this class is a failure without Michael ThompsonIt’s obviously not ideal and would LOOK bad, but there’s so much depth I don’t think it kills us do you?

GD: One guy almost never defines a class. If the Tigers don't get Thompson, many will call it a failure because they got 1/10 of the in state guys. But even if they do, many will call it a failure because they got 2/10. Thompson is a guy they identified very early and have been in good shape with throughout the process. Obviously not getting him wouldn't be a good thing. They could survive it, just like they could survive missing out on almost any single individual. But it would certainly be one of the class's biggest victory if they could get him.

JAGSports asks: Will Derek Dooley give Mizzou a recruiting bump or remain the same. I’ve seen some say he will be great in SEC land and others say he will be no help at all there?

Derek Dooley
Derek Dooley (Gabe DeArmond)

GD: I don't really see guys flocking to suddenly sign up with Mizzou because they named the Dallas Cowboys receivers coach the OC. That probably comes off as snarky and I don't mean it to. I mean, how many guys are you hiring as an offensive coordinator that completely revitalize your recruiting? He'll probably get some guys in Texas and SEC country, but I don't think there's going to be some major bump from the hire.

Zoufan27 asks:  Could MU have lost out on a few BB recruits because they knew of MPJ’s injury and impending impact on the team?MPJ had stated that this was an old injury so it stands to be understood that some recruits would not consider the Tigers.

GD: I think that's a huge stretch. Jontay reclassified to play with Michael. If he didn't know, I have a hard time believing guys who don't live with him knew.

thewitt1 asks: Throw away comment on 810 about Mizzou top choice for OC was Freeze, any truth to this and did SEC offices really "ban" him from from getting a coaching job.

GD: Yeah, there's some truth to it. There was definitely interest from Missouri's side. No doubt in my mind. My original information was that the SEC was discouraging the hire. But from what I'm now told, it never got that far. I don't know what the SEC would have said if Missouri tried to hire Hugh Freeze, but it never got to that point.

mexicojoe asks: Will there be another Powermizzou Night at Simmons Field?

GD: That's the plan. Hopefully we can set it up around the spring game again.

mufootball1 asks: With Odom unable to round out the class with targeted recruits, do you still expect a class of 26?Wouldn’t it make more sense to hold the scholarships than reach for a recruit that was clearly not as highly rated by the staff?Does the stumbling to the finish line with the 2018 class increase the odds of Dawson Downing going on scholarship?

GD: You make a lot of assumptions here and I'm not sure any of them are right. Could you end up being right? Yeah. But I think it's a little soon to say they're "stumbling to the finish." First of all, they signed 18 or 19 of the 27 they'll probably take in December. They have about six spots left. I'd expect the goal is for those to go to Michael Thompson, Devin Brumfield, Lindsey Scott Jr., Eddie Smith, a safety (Cam Taylor or Derek Turner) and a couple of "best availables" along with hanging on to Jatorian Hansford. If they finish with that, are they stumbling to the finish? How many do they have to miss to avoid it being a stumble?

But, yes, I expect them to still sign 26-28.

Cornerback Eddie Smith is on the short list of Mizzou hopefuls next month
Cornerback Eddie Smith is on the short list of Mizzou hopefuls next month

CamKCMIZ asks: Lots of talk about the 2019 class. Assuming Tilmon and Jontay return next year, is there anyone in the 18' class, JUCO, or grad transfer ranks that could presumably fill the voids of Robertson, Barnett, and/or our PG struggles to make 2018 at least comparable to this season? Or is 2018 going to be a "bridge" year where we should just be happy to be competitive with young talent?

GD: I think they'll definitely go juco and/or grad transfer for a guard. Torrence Watson is coming in and while 16 a game may be unrealistic, he's going to be a contributor. And I'm told the staff really likes KJ Santos and thinks he can be a scorer on the wing. I would expect 2018-19 to be a slight step back. As it stands now I probably wouldn't predict a tournament bid after next season. But a lot can change between now and next March...and a slight step back doesn't man falling off a cliff.

MIZ25! asks: Would you take a healthy MPJ all of this season or trae young?

GD: The easy answer is Trae Young because we've seen what he's done (and because this team could use a point guard). And maybe that's the right answer. But I'll say Porter. Everybody in America thought this kid was the best player his age in the country. I'll go with that. That many people aren't wrong very often.

Graphic Edge Guy asks: 1) Do you think Mizzou closes out this recruiting class strong or fizzles down the stretch? 2) Are you hearing anything about the speculation that the NEO Head Coach who recently resigned possibly joing Mizzou's staff in some type of role?3) Has Austyn Carta-Samuels officially moved into the Director of Recruiting role?4) Any inkling or speculation as to what duties AJ Ofodile might assume as the new 10th member to the full time Coaching staff?

GD: 1) I think they'll do fine. They probably won't get every one of the kids I listed above, but I think they'll get at least half of them and do just fine.

2) I do not believe that's going to happen

3) Not sure if it's been officially announced, but that was the plan

4) I think it depends on what shakes out with the staff. Is the movement done? If so, you might see a special teams role there. If not, he might slide into a position that is vacated.

billbabler asks: Sunny just said on 810 that is unfair to have Geist handling the last possession or critical game possessions as he will have a hard time succeeding, with todays defensive coaching patterns. Pick and pop very seldom works anymore. You need your primary ball handler to make a play and that is to much to ask of Geist, in reality a two guard that is not an assist guy or a guy that can create his own shot.Do you agree with Sunny and do you think Coach will step back and take a look at primary ball handlers late in the game with perhaps another option?He also said a lot of Missouri's game are probably going to go down to the wire just due to the parity in the league and unless they come up with a different formula it is going to be really tough moving forward.

GD: Jon Sundvold has forgotten more basketball than I ever knew, so who am I to disagree with him? Fortunately I agree with him. I said Kassius Robertson should have had the ball against Florida and I said he should have had it against Arkansas. You've got to find a way to get him the ball late. I think Geist has done a lot of good things this year and been better than most expected him to be. But his strength is not the final play.

Kassius Robertson
Kassius Robertson (Jordan Kodner)

FedUpTiger asks: Is it just me, or was the football team unusually healthy this year? I know Crockett was out for most of the season, but RB was probably the position with most depth and beyond him, I don’t remember a lot of key players missing games. Of course, that shouldn't take anything away from the impressive turnaround by the team, as nobody cared about injuries the years we missed a lot of players. But if we use the 2017 performance as a prediction for this year, then it might be worth remembering that it’s unlikely we get that lucky two years in a row.

GD: It's a fair point and Missouri was relatively fortunate with injuries. Crockett was a big one and the A.J. Logan suspension hurt quite a bit. Remember they lost Christian Holmes for the year too and he was supposed to be a starter. But, yes, overall I'd say Mizzou ended up on the fortunate side of the injury bug.

mexicojoe asks: Heupel liked to call/run plays at warp speed.Odom/Dooley will dial that back some which should lead to fewer plays per game for the O. How much of Witter’s and Moore’s successful stats were a by product of running so many plays per game?

GD: The numbers were clearly a bit inflated by the scheme. But I'm not sure how to decide how much they were inflated for Moore and Witter versus anybody else honestly. I don't expect Missouri's offense to match the sheer numbers from a year ago...but I expect them to be more efficient.

I_Hate_the_Cornhuskers:  What is the craziest ending to a college and NFL game that you have seen live?Are SEC fans annoying? Have you noticed a change to the Mizzou fan since joining the SEC?

GD: The first question is easy: 1997 vs Nebraska. I mean, the dude kicked the ball up in the air and his teammate caught it to send the game to OT. I was on the sideline behind the North end zone probably 30 feet from the play. Second is probably Tamarick Vanover returning a punt 87 yards to beat the Chargers in OT on Monday Night Football.

I feel like your second question is setting me up and I feel like you know it. But I'll answer honestly because why not? Yeah, SEC fans are pretty annoying. The league is really good at a lot of things. They just insist on telling you so often that it's grating. It's not hard to understand why fans of other conferences hate the SEC.

As far as Mizzou fans, yeah, there's been a change. Six years ago, Mizzou fans HATED the arrogance of SEC fans. Now they ARE SEC fans and they are what they hated. Not all of them, but some of them. And that's okay. I get it. The one thing I don't like is the contention that the Big 12 sucks at everything. That's a pretty good league in football and basketball. It sucks in terms of how it's run, but the actual teams in the league and the competition is pretty good...just like it was when Missouri was in it.

jdw985 asks: 1. If Mizzou doesn't get Lindsey Scott this year, who are some of the QBs we've been showing interest in for 2019?2. What happened to Smash Agbasimere? Did the move to DE just not work out for him?3. Any prediction on where (what round) Jmon Moore and Marcell Frazier will get drafted?

GD: 1) I'm not completely well versed in 2019 by position yet, but one guy to keep an eye on is Graham Mertz, about whom I've heard really good things.

2) He just had other guys in front of him who were better. I think he played on special teams some. I'll be interested to see if he can break into the rotation this year. DE isn't exactly loaded...especially for spring ball.

3) Moore in the 3rd, Frazier in the 6th

mexicojoe asks: In honor of Keith Jackson, Who is your favorite broadcaster?

GD: I'm a huge Bob Costas fan, I love Kevin Harlan, who I grew up listening to do Chiefs games. Gus Johnson could make me watch turtles race and think it was exciting. Al Michaels is a legend, Vin Scully is whatever is above a legend. Dick Enberg was the soundtrack for so many games I remember watching as a kid. And I used to listen to Cardinals games with my roommates in college just to listen to Jack Buck and Mike Shannon. That's my long short list.

bsce64 asks: Why is there so much coverage of Vanderbilt on the twitter column on the PM home page?

GD: Because Sean Williams also writes for our Vanderbilt site.

the mighty yehti asks:  Mizzou against some heavy hitters for Eddie Smith. Who do they go after if he commits elsewhere?

GD: They still have a slight shot at Vincent Gray (although I wouldn't bet on them getting him). The thing about the guys they've signed so far is that Chris Mills and Jarvis Ware are both capable of playing corner or safety, so if Smith were to go elsewhere they could probably take both Cam Taylor and Derek Turner and keep both those guys at corner.

gocubsgo17 asks:  If you had to rank the 2019 Basketball Class by priority, what would it look like? Between McKinney, Watts, Liddell, Mosley, Hargroves, Hall, etc.

GD: 1) E.J. Liddell

2) Everyone else

I'm not even trying to be snarky. If they get Liddell, they could take any 2-3 of the others and be pretty happy with the class. You'd love to have Isiaih Mosley because he's a local kid, but like I said, just about any of the others could fill out the class and you'd be happy with it.

E.J. Liddell
E.J. Liddell (Orange and Blue News)

Gabberowski asks:  Do the new end zone stadium expansion plans have a videoboard? I’ve seen mixed reports. 

GD: I truly don't know. I'm not sure the cosmetic plans are 100% finalized at this point to be honest.

mattspence asks:  Going forward where do you think Cuonzo’s recruiting classes will rank on average over the next 5 years? Top 5 , 10, 15 , 20, or 25?What do you think will be the high water mark for the basketball team over the next 5 years? Tournament, sweet 16, elite 8, final 4, or National Champions.

GD: On the first, I'll say top 20. I think that's a good, solid neighborhood for Mizzou. They're capable of having top 10 classes somewhat regularly, but probably not every year. Top 20 as an average is good, top 15 would be great.

On the second one, I've said this before, but I judge the season more on the regular season than the tournament result. The truth is, outside of about 8-12 teams, anybody can lose in round one and it won't be a surprise. And outside of about 16-20 teams, anybody that gets in can get hot at the right time and make the Final Four. So winning four games at the right time doesn't make an average team great and losing one at the wrong time doesn't make a great team terrible. But I understand it's all most people pay attention to.

All that said, I truly believe if Michael Porter Jr. returns this year and is what everyone thinks he is (I want to be clear, I still have no idea if that's happening) that Missouri has Final Four caliber talent. Not saying they'd get there, just that they'd have enough talent that it wouldn't be a shock to me if they did.

CleanMachean asks: Is there a particular school that Jatorian Hansford is hoping/waiting for an offer from? How many more O-linemen do you think we take in this class?

GD: I haven't heard of any school in particular that Hansford is waiting on. I feel pretty good about Missouri signing him in February. Very good in fact.

I think they could add one more OL in this class...but they don't have to.

the mighty yehti asks: Do you think Mizzou’s recruiting strategy towards instate recruits will change after going 1 for 10 (potentially 2 for 10 if they get Thompson) this year?

GD: Yes. I think there are going to be fewer (pre-camp circuit) offers to in-state players. As we've often discussed, you can't offer an in-state guy and then pull it later. You can tell him, sorry we're full at that spot and move on, but you can't just say "We used to want you but now we don't." The whole Show-Me Ten thing was a plan to try to get somebody to be the ringleader and jump in early. When it didn't happen, the entire thing backfired on Mizzou to some extent (I still think it was the right move, but it's certainly been criticized by quite a few people, both fans and media). Anyway, the upshot is now they're going to wait longer and be 100% sure before offering a kid in the state. Because if in-state kids are going to wait and make Missouri prove something to them, then there's nothing wrong with Missouri taking the same approach. The cynics will say this is going to hurt in-state recruiting. I'd counter with how much worse can it get?

Tigertiger65251 asks: Who replaced jmon?

GD: Nobody yet. I think Nate Brown is a possibility, but I also think that some guys in the coming recruiting class (Harry Ballard, Kam Scott) will get looks as well.

TigerInCincy asks: An offer for a FBack not long into the Dooley era seems to me to signal more movement into the Pro style offense, though variations on it now make it look somewhat like components of the spread. The downside of the Pro style is a more varied mix of formations that the O uses. How do you see that being incorporated while not, as Odom has said, significantly changing the offensive system?

GD: I actually think your downside is an upside. The more formations and looks you can give a defense, the better. The offense is going to look different. No doubt about that. The only question is how much different? I don't see Missouri lining up under center with two backs on every down, but there will definitely be changes. We won't really be able to gauge how significant they are until after spring football.

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