2019 camp preview: Safety
With SEC Media Days in the books, it’s time to start counting down the days to the start of the 2019 football season. Missouri will begin its preseason camp on Aug. 2. Each day until then, PowerMizzou will evaluate the roster one position group at a time, breaking down the depth chart and the outlook for the season. Today, we finish examining the defense by taking a look at the safeties.
Previous positions:
The starters:
Missouri’s depth chart looks a bit different at safety than a year ago with three positions listed, but it appears the on-field product will look similar. Juniors Tyree Gillespie and Joshuah Bledsoe, who played the majority of snaps by last season’s end, will man the starting strong safety and free safety spots, respectively. Gillespie in particular could be poised for a big year after totaling 48 tackles, third most on the team, despite splitting playing time a season ago. The duo will be complemented by Ronnell Perkins, who is back to being listed as a safety after spending last season as an outside linebacker, at least in name. Perkins split time with Brandon Lee at the position last year and, like Gillespie and Bledsoe, was taking the majority of reps by season’s end. Perkins may spend a bit less time in the box this season than last, but overall his responsibilities should look similar.
The backups:
Senior Khalil Oliver, who transferred to Missouri from Oregon prior to last season, started five games and made 40 tackles on the year. While he struggled at times in pass coverage, he should still see plenty of reps backing up Perkins. Jordan Ulmer is one of the more curious cases on the team’s roster, as he started the team’s season-opener as a true freshman in 2017 and has seen little action since. He’s currently listed as Bledsoe’s backup and could see meaningful defensive snaps for the first time in two seasons Plus, several true freshman should have the chance to work their way into playing time during camp. Four-star recruit Jalani Williams missed almost all of spring ball with a Lisfranc injury, but he has the athletic ability to contribute this season. Aidan Harrison and Stacy Brown both had highly productive senior seasons and look like candidates to contribute on special teams at a minimum.
Camp outlook:
Missouri hasn’t gotten much out of its safeties the past few seasons, but with experienced contributors back at all three positions this year, there’s reason to be optimistic. The coaching staff has long complimented Gillespie’s athleticism and Perkins largely outplayed a two-year starter in Lee last season. However, there are concerns about the depth behind the three starters, and the group will need to prove that it has improved in coverage. In several key situations last season, Missouri got burned by a tight end or slot receiver running uncovered down the middle of the field for a big gain. If defensive end is the position group that needs to take the biggest jump from last season, safety might be second.
Projected Week One depth chart:
1. Ronnell Perkins, Sr./Tyree Gillespie, Jr./Joshuah Bledsoe, Jr.
2. Khalil Oliver, Sr./Jordan Ulmer, Jr./Jalani Williams, Fr.
3. Aidan Harrison, Fr./Stacy Brown, Fr./Martez Manuel, Fr.