Fall camp preview: Cornerback
As Missouri prepares to kick off fall camp practices for its second season under head coach Eli Drinkwitz, a sense of normalcy has returned. Drinkwitz's debut season got delayed and de-railed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but after the Tigers managed to go 5-5 against an all-SEC schedule, fans are optimistic to see what he can do in year two.
Drinkwitz and Missouri will start fall camp practices the first week of August. So, every day over the next couple weeks, we will break down each of the team's position groups. Today, we examine the new-look cornerback room.
The Starters
No Missouri position will likely look as different from 2020 to 2021 as the Tiger cornerbacks — but that might not be a bad thing. Missouri not only lost its cornerbacks coach, David Gibbs, and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters during the offseason, but saw a pair of contributors at corner transfer out of the program. Adam Sparks left for Louisiana-Monroe after seeing his playing time wane, while Jarvis Ware opted to join Gibbs at Central Florida. Missouri replaced them with a pair of corners who started for new defensive backs coach Aaron Fletcher at Tulsa: Akayleb Evans and Allie Green IV.
Evans, Green and returner Ennis Rakestraw should be the most likely players to start for Missouri this season. (We're classifying the nickelback position manned largely by Joshuah Bledsoe a season ago as a cornerback). Evans, the first of the two Tulsa transfers to commit to Missouri, has starting experience in each of the last four seasons. He totaled 29 tackles, three pass break-ups and a forced fumble a year ago. Evans is thought to have NFL potential, and considering his other top suitors included Texas and Notre Dame, the expectation seems to be that he can help Missouri right away. Green, too, has started more than 20 games in his college career and put up solid numbers a season ago, logging 28 tackles and an interception. Finally, Rakestraw dealt with a few growing pains after being thrust straight into Missouri's starting lineup as a true freshman, but the former high-profile recruit also showed flashes of his ability while starting all 10 games. That experience plus a full offseason with the program should position him to take a step forward in 2021.
The Backups
Ishmael Burdine was another youngster who had to play significant snaps as a redshirt freshman a season ago. The results weren't always pretty, but as is the case with Rakestraw, the Missouri staff will hope he learns from the experience and can be a part of the regular rotation this season. The other cornerback who signed alongside Burdine in Missouri's 2019 recruiting class, Chris Shearin, shouldn't be overlooked either. Shearin opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns over COVID-19, but he played in 11 games as a true freshman during the 2019 season and got quite a bit of work with the first-team unit as the slot corner during Missouri's spring practices.
The above duo will face competition for playing time from a host of newcomers to the cornerback position. Kris Abrams-Draine is actually in his second season at Missouri, but he signed as a wide receiver and spent most of his time on the offensive side of the ball a season ago. He did have to play 19 snaps at cornerback when the Tiger secondary was short-handed in the regular-season finale at Mississippi State, however, and the staff apparently liked what they saw enough to move him to defense full-time. He could have a shot to play a regular role. Missouri also added four true freshmen during the offseason, two of whom enrolled early and participated in spring practices: Daylan Carnell and Zxaequan Reaves. Those two should have a bit of a leg up in terms of learning the defense, and given that the 6-foot-2, 211-pound Carnell already looks physically ready to play in the SEC, we'd peg him as the most likely of the incoming freshmen to shed his redshirt this season. Darius Jackson and Davion Sistrunk will round out the position group.
Camp Storyline to Watch
How quickly can the Tulsa transfers help Missouri's secondary? Cornerback looked like it was going to be a major weakness for the Tigers when the team lost not only Ware but junior college transfer Jadarrius Perkins, who enrolled for spring practices then transferred to Florida. However, the additions of Evans and Green within a week of one another helped assuage some of those concerns. There are always question marks when players have to learn a new system during fall camp and adjust to a higher level of competition, however. We think if Evans and Green can quickly earn and maintain first-team reps during fall camp, it would be a good sign for the defensive backfield.
PowerMizzou Prediction
As long as he's healthy, Rakestraw seems like a virtual lock to start at one of the outside cornerback positions. We think the Tulsa duo will adapt well enough that Evans starts opposite him and Green gets the nod at nickel. It wouldn't come as a surprise if Shearin pushes Green for that spot, however, or if they wind up splitting reps once the games arrive. Look for Burdine to be the first corner off the bench on the outside and either Abrams-Draine or Carnell to complete the two-deep.
Previous Position Breakdowns
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