Missouri held its second practice of fall camp on Saturday morning. We’ll call this the rehab notebook. We check in on a number of Tigers who are trying to work their way back from injuries either last season or in the offseason.
TIGHT END TANDEM WORKING WAY BACK
The most notable injury for Mizzou last year was the shoulder injury suffered by Albert Okwuegbunam in the Florida game. It knocked him out for the second half of his sophomore season, but in a weird way may have been a blessing for the Tigers. Without that injury, Albert O may have entered the NFL Draft. Having more to prove, he’s back for his redshirt junior season.
On Friday, offensive coordinator Derek Dooley said Okwuegbunam was still a “work in progress” on the way back. His position coach agreed on Saturday.
“I think it’s natural that you’re going to be a little (rusty) and even or a guy that’s rusty he’s still able to make some plays and do some things,” AJ Ofodile said. “There’s a normal progression that you typically see with guys. You get injured and there’s a hiccup in that progression. The biggest thing for him is to really accelerate that back again to get to where he would have been without the injury. That’s always a challenge. He’s working towards that. Probably a little bit behind schedule obviously but it’s all within his grasp to get there.”
Albert O isn’t the only player in Ofodile’s room whose progression was interrupted. A year ago, people were talking about true freshman Messiah Swinson as a player who would skip a redshirt. But after tearing his ACL at practice, Swinson spent the season rehabbing. Swinson said he thinks he has made a lot of progress in the last 12 months, and not just physically.
“Everything, like knowing the plays, getting them down pat,” he said. “I feel like during the spring that was a big thing that I struggled with. Really because I wasn’t there during fall camp. The first five days I was there, but then after that, I wasn’t in meetings, I was in treatment and stuff like that. So really just my time to learn the playbook, really get a full grasp of it for the first time was in the spring. So over the summer I really improved with that, just studying and going over stuff with teammates and coach Ofodile and everything. So that’s where I feel like I’ve made the most progress.”
“Almost like an early enrollee instead of a second semester freshman,” Ofodile added. “Not only do you miss so you don't progress, but you're immobile, you can’t really do anything physically, so you regress. It’s been really exciting though to see the jump he’s taken as he’s gotten more healthy and how he’s come out for fall practice. He’s really shaken a lot of the rust off, he’s really taken some steps just in terms of being more confident, more urgent, better understanding of things.”
The two tight ends share a similar path over the last few months. Swinson and the Tigers would love to see his path continue to mirror Okwuegbunam’s.
“Me and him are really really close so what he says, I just always take it as a teaching tool,” Swinson said. “So it has really, really helped me because I can go out there and watch him, and then all the stuff he’s telling me to do he’s doing. So that’s like really a huge factor.”
BAILEY BATTLES BACK TWICE
Linebacker Chad Bailey had to overcome not one injury, but two. During fall camp, he had thumb surgery and missed much of the preseason. After seeing the field sparingly on special teams, the freshman linebacker maintained his redshirt, but missed spring football. This fall, he’s going through his first full camp as a college player.
“I don't think I'm a hundred percent, but I’m almost there. I'm getting there. I'll be there soon,” he said. “I was in the playbook a lot in the offseason with my position coach (Vernon Hargreaves) and some of the GA’s and I think it really helped me out a lot.”
One of the people Bailey cites as being a big help in that regard was a classmate, Nick Bolton. While the four-star recruit Bailey battled through injury, it was Bolton, a two-star prospect, who drew rave reviews and saw playing time in his first season.
“I remember me and him had a conversation, when I was in high school, my defense ran like four plays and his defense was a little more widespread,” Bailey said. “So he picked up on the playbook a little quicker once he got here. Once he picked up on it, he kind of helped me out too.”
WILLIAMS BACK AT FULL SPEED
Jalani Williams was the jewel of Mizzou’s 2019 recruiting class and enrolled early. But just three practices in he suffered a foot injury that knocked him out of spring football. So he spent the summer in the rehab room and the meeting room as well. Williams is back at practice without restriction looking to earn playing time at safety.
“I don’t think mentally he’s at a place where he’s at a hundred percent just in terms of being comfortable,” defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. “But he’s running full speed and you can’t tell he ever had an injury. He did stay dialed in mentally.”
“He’s a mature guy for a freshman,” head coach Barry Odom added. "I think he's got an opportunity. He’s got a lot to learn here in a short time but he is a skilled athlete.”
SHUFFLING THE OFFENSIVE LINE
Missouri, health willing, is set at center for this season and next with Trystan Colon-Castillo. But Jonah Dubinski medically retired prior to fall camp. He had served as Castillo’s primary backup. The Tigers are filling the hole with Case Cook, a redshirt sophomore who was expected to battle Larry Borom for the starting left guard spot vacated by Kevin Pendleton after last season. Odom said Cook is still competing at guard, but he’s taking reps as the second-string center in camp too, partly out of necessity and partly because Borom has played well.
“A little bit of both. The center position is really really difficult to do and the things that we put on them and Case is able to do that,” Odom said. “How important that is now that Jonah is gone, if something happens to Trystan to have something to feel really good about. It speaks volumes of Case as an athlete really up front, but also his ability to rotate in and out.”
Pendleton was banged up most of the 2018 season and Cook did see some time at guard as a redshirt freshman. While he had some good moments, he was also flagged for multiple penalties and had his share of struggles.
“As any young guy you’re going to have some things that you grow from and he’s no different in that,” Odom said. “But also, I don't know that there’s anyone that has put in, not our quarterback room, I don’t know if there's anybody that’s put more extra time in than Case has. He’s stepped right into that role, making calls and checks, and been really good.”
Junior college transfer Angel Matute has also taken reps at center the first two days of camp.
HALEY PUTTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER
Missouri’s defensive line room is starting to read like a list of Brick Haley’s reclamation projects. The position coach has brought in former Texas defensive linemen Jordan Elliott and Chris Daniels by way of transfer and junior college. He coached both in Austin. Having gone to the Longhorns from LSU, Haley also recruited New Orleans edge rusher Sci Martin.
Martin left LSU after his freshman season for East Mississippi Community College. Last winter, he signed with the Tigers and is playing for Haley.
“I think he’s going to be able to contribute really a good amount,” Haley said. “He’s been in this system before. He’s a little bit more mature than you’re average freshman. He’s got some game savvy to him. I think he’ll be really good add on for us.”
Martin plays the position most Tiger fans have the most questions about. Missouri lacked a significant pass rush most of last season. And while Haley admits he hopes to be better in that department, he doesn't have the tunnel vision many on the outside do about it.
“We’re always looking for more production in the pass rush, but I think also you’ve got to look at a lot of different things. If you're not a great run stopping team, they ain’t got to throw it,” he said. “I’ll take 10, 12 wins with 25 sacks instead of 50 sacks, 290 yards rushing a game. There’s a balance to it all. But we are. We're trying to create things on the edge, we're trying to create things inside, a little bit more movement type things to get us an opportunity to be better at what we’re trying to get done.”
The Tigers return to the practice field on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for the first full pads workout of camp. PowerMizzou.com will have full coverage.
