Football season is almost here and Tiger fans are ready to Drink Up! There's only one place to get set for Mizzou game day every week this season. Macadoodles does tailgating like nobody else. Get your crew ready to watch the Tigers take on the SEC in Eli Drinkwitz's first full season with a stop at Macadoodles on your way to Faurot Field. Whether it's beer, wine or spirits you're looking for, Macadoodles will make your tailgate the pre-game place to be in Columbia this season. Who does tailgating like nobody else? Macadoodles does.
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.
Brian OConner asks: Will Coach Drinkwitz have a top 25 recruiting class? Currently outside of the top 25
GD: As of this morning, Missouri is 27th in the team rankings. The good news is that the Tigers have 12 commitments right now and only two teams above them (Clemson at 10, North Carolina at 26) are ranked higher with 12 or fewer commitments in the class. That means Missouri is getting quality commitments even if it doesn't have the sheer quantity of many other schools. Our team rankings count your 20 most highly-rated recruits. So Mizzou has eight spots left to help that ranking. Obviously a commitment from someone like Luther Burden would give the Tigers a huge boost in the rankings. But even if they fill out the class with high three-stars, a top 25 class seems pretty likely. If I had to guess today, I'd put the over/under on the class at 19th.
Carnell75 asks: I know its early but where do you see the biggest hole on this years team being... Is it still uncertainty in the O-line, Is it special teams, or maybe linebackers? I'd like to see what you think and how those areas are being represented in recruiting.
GD: The biggest concern, I think, is depth. I'll give you a position on each side of the ball. On offense, what about quarterback? Connor Bazelak had a heck of a year last year, but it's pretty uncommon for an SEC quarterback to start every game. The Tigers have just two other scholarship quarterbacks. One of them threw seven passes last season and one is fresh out of high school and hasn't played a game in nearly two years. That's not to say Brady Cook or Tyler Macon couldn't step in and be good, but it's definitely a question mark. Defensively, it's linebacker. I've said all along Missouri will almost certainly be a little worse at the position because you don't just replace Nick Bolton. I think Mizzou fans can feel pretty good about Blaze Alldredge and Devin Nicholson starting, but what about after that? The Tigers don't really have another college-proven linebacker on the roster. The only other guy who has seen college snaps is Chad Bailey and he's missed the first few practices of camp with "sickness." You need a big step forward out of Jamie Pettway or a freshman ready to come in and contribute quickly.
