Alright, it’s Saturday and we no longer have football games to take up the majority of my writing on Saturdays so I think Ask the Editor will move here for the foreseeable future.

Let’s get into your questions.

MIZ25! asks: “There’s been some rumblings that Miller Moss seems to be the biggest target for Eli. Would this guy be the perfect stop-gap for a year? Or is there someone else you’d rather see them go after (that’s realistic)?

Kyle: Let’s start with the fact there are reports Moss is coming to Columbia next week, so it’s a little more than rumblings at this point. I think Drinkwitz is going to go after him hard.

I hadn’t gotten a chance to watch Moss at all until yesterday so I went through some game film and got a little bit of an idea of him.

From what I saw, he’s pretty accurate, has good arm strength and, while not bringing the type of running ability Brady Cook brought to the offense, isn’t immobile. He’s able to move around and shift the pocket to keep plays alive and looked willing to step up to read through his progressions.

So a bit different of a look than Mizzou has had recently. He also averaged 36.4 pass attempts per game last year, with three games where he threw the ball 50 or more times. He won’t be asked to do that unless the Tigers vastly change their offense.

I think he’s a pretty solid option to bring in as the favorite for the job next year and lets Matt Zollers sit for a year to get adjusted. If you bring him in and Sam Horn beats him for the job, then great news, turns out Horn is still a pretty good option.

So ya, I think he’s a pretty solid choice if Drink is able to swing him.

Other targets for realistic, one-year guys: Liberty’s Kaidon Salter, former UNLV starter Matt Sluka or everyone’s favorite, Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos.

I don’t think Castallanos is a good option to bring in as a possible starter and Sluka was operating a pretty different offense and offers the weirdness of his exit from UNLV, so definitely not going to be a fan favorite if brought in. Salter put up some great stats at Liberty, especially in 2023, and brings a lot of mobility on the ground, which Drinkwitz clearly likes.

MIZ…SEC asks: “Mizzou seems to be losing a lot on the defensive line with (Kristian) Williams and (Johnny) Walker. Do you expect (Zion) Young and (Eddie) Kelly to return next season? Amongst returning freshmen and sophomores, which players do you see being ready to start on the DL? Will DL be a big need in the portal?”

Kyle: Ya, those two are a lot of production to lose, but I found it interesting Darius Robinson talked about Walker as the new leader of the D-Line after last season and Walker was talking about Young as that guy going forward when asked after the Arkansas game. You can never be 100 percent sure where a kid stands with NIL discussions, but right now, I expect both Young and Kelly to be back.

You’ve still got Chris McClellan and Sterling Webb next year, that’s two of your top four defensive linemen in snaps played this season along with Young and Kelly to make it four of the top six.

Jahkai Lang played well in limited snaps, so I’d envision him as a step-up candidate and of course you’ve got to expect Williams Nwaneri to take a leap forward.

Drinkwitz talked about Javion Hilson as a freshman who can come in and compete from the jump, but I’m not putting my chips on a true freshman unless I have to. If he shows he’s one of the best options, awesome, but I’m going to stay with the returning guys who have had success at this level.

Portal wise, I would have said the defensive line was a spot to try to pull someone in, but with Armand Membou officially declaring for the draft, the math has to change. There needs to be more resources allocated to the offensive line and I think this is a spot you can roll with what you have unless something falls in your lap.

Bmorrow23 asks: “Kyle, do you expect any coaches to leave for other programs?”

Kyle: I’ll start at the coordinators and say not at this point.

If the Tiger 2024 offense looked as fun as it had in 2023, Kirby Moore would definitely be a candidate for head coaching spots somewhere, he probably still is, but I think the upper-tier offers he would have been looking for aren’t going to be there. Give it another year of success and those offers are going to be much bigger if he can rebound with a new quarterback and prove it’s not just a Luther Burden-driven offense.

There's some talk from outside the program about Moore being a candidate for the Appalachian State or Purdue head coach spots, but I think he can look a lot higher than App State if he has a bounce back, fun offense next year and Purdue offers a lot, but is probably looking for someone with experience at the top of a program right now.

Defensively, Corey Batoon’s unit struggled at the end of the year and is likely leaving a sour taste in the mouth of people looking to bring someone in. So even though I’ve been banging the drum for the defense being better than people talked about, what makes the difference here is what people’s lasting impressions of the unit are.

I’ve heard a rumor or two about possible coaches leaving, but nothing I can really substantiate at this point, I’ll let you know if what I’m hearing becomes more serious. At this point, it’s a phone call here or there. The rest of these are pretty much my opinion, not a ton of current inside info.

I don’t think special teams coordinator Erik Link is pulling in offers at this point, but I wouldn’t be shocked if running backs coach Curtis Luper, defensive line coach Al Davis or Defensive line/edge coach Brian Early are fielding offers for step-up positions. Early especially seems to be a recruiting powerhouse, I think some teams are going to look at what he’s been able to do and be excited to give him some money.

Ol Roscoe asks: “We got a jump on the NIL situation, what is the present situation, are we still ahead of the game, competitive or falling behind the bigger programs? How does our total amount available for NIL compare to say Alabama or Georgia?”

Kyle: First thing Ol Roscoe, I’ll try to get on the other question you asked about analysis of young O-linemen for a feature. It’s tough to get to the coaches during or soon after the season, but I’ll try to do some offseason features like that if I can.

OK, onto the current question.

Mizzou has set itself up very well for NIL and that’s largely because Drinkwitz is very open to being adaptable in new spaces. He said as much during the Signing Day press conference.

The next step is revenue sharing, but that’s still a few months off from the rules being set, so it’s hard to say if what the numbers and setup are being outlined as now is what they will end up being. A lot can change in a few months.

If we’re looking at a setup where it’s both revenue sharing and continued NIL, which is what it looks like now, I think the Tigers will continue to be well set in the NIL space. But that revenue sharing is going to be an issue compared to the bigger programs in the SEC.

That’s why ticket prices are going up and the North End Zone is getting a bunch of suites and the donation packages are changing. The Tigers don’t have the revenue to keep up with the Alabamas or Georgias; they're not close right now. So going to a revenue-sharing model will force some changes.

I don’t have real figures about NIL pools, schools have done a good job keeping those hidden. But the Tigers clearly have a big one. That’s how you flip a guy like Hilson on the last day and how you’re having Moss come in for a visit and how the recruiting level has gotten so much better.

So, currently, the NIL pool is large, the question is going to be how much the team is allowed to use that NIL pool moving forward within the revenue sharing model. If it is forced to go revenue-sharing heavy, there’s going to be a step back taken in team building.

MIZ…SEC asks: “With Newson, Hicks, Flagg all out of eligibility, who do you project will be the starting LB’s next season? Is LB as big of a need in the portal as it appears based on no proven starters headed into next season?”

Kyle: Thanks for the doubled-up question MIZ…SEC, I appreciate it.

Out of the guys returning, I think you’re looking at Khalil Jacobs as a main candidate for a starting spot, he was playing more than 20 snaps a game and played well until he got hurt.

He’ll be a senior, so makes sense for him to take charge.

Nick Rodriguez played well in his limited time this season, too, especially in the run of UMass, Auburn, Alabama. I think the coaching staff wants him to take on a much bigger role next season.

Maybe you’re looking to Brayshawn Littlejohn or Jeremiah Beasley, but I doubt their roles would expand as much as you would need to make them starters.

So yes, I think a portal linebacker is important.

Getting an experienced linebacker in the portal has been a key part of the Tiger defense the last three years with Flagg this season and Ty’Ron Hopper the two before that. So I’d say that’s an area to go out and look for your new No. 1 guy, then have Jacobs and Rodriguez as your next two while you work in Littlejohn and Beasley more often to get them more accustomed to the speed of play.

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