Fall camp preview: Linebacker
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 take a look at the linebackers.
The Starters
Perhaps the toughest challenge faced by new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks during his first season at Missouri will be replacing linebacker Nick Bolton. Bolton led the Tigers in tackles each of the past two seasons. He earned first-team all-SEC honors in both 2019 and 2020, as well, and was named a second-team all-American last season.
The good news for the Tigers is that the player who started every game alongside Bolton last season, Devin Nicholson, is back at middle linebacker. Nicholson recorded 69 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and an interception a season ago. He should take over as the vocal leader and signal-caller in the middle of Missouri's defense.
The primary candidate to replace Bolton at the weakside linebacker position appears to be Rice transfer Blaze Alldredge. Alldredge, who started his college career at Los Angeles Pierce junior college, put up eye-popping numbers for the Owls, racking up 102 tackles and 21.5 tackles for loss in 2019 and 47 tackles in five games a season ago. There's always some question as to how a player will adjust when making the step up in competition from a Group of Five league to the SEC, but since Alldredge committed to Missouri, the expectation has been that he would step into Bolton's shoes.
The Backups
The one player who could realistically beat out Alldredge for the weakside starting spot is Chad Bailey. The former four-star recruit has battled injuries throughout his Missouri career, but he backed up Bolton last season. In doing so, Bailey had some ups and downs, which isn't uncommon for an inexperienced player. If Bailey can finally put it all together, the fact that he has more experience at Missouri could give him a slight leg up on Alldredge, but even if not, he will likely spell Alldredge and play on special teams.
The most likely candidate to back up Nicholson at middle linebacker appears to be Cameron Wilkins. Wilkins split snaps with Nicholson during the first two games of last year before an injury ended his season. Other players who will compete for a spot on the two-deep include Jamie Pettway, who is entering his third season at Missouri, and Will Norris, who as a true freshman last season didn't play on defense but made an impact on special teams when he blocked a punt against Georgia. Lastly, the Tigers brought in two true freshmen in the 2021 recruiting class in Dameon Wilson and Zachary Lovett. While it's possible both players could contribute on special teams, it would come as a surprise if either plays meaningful snaps at linebacker this season.
Camp Storyline to Watch
The question here is obvious, although we likely won't get a complete answer until the games start. How will Missouri replace Bolton. Obviously, someone will play Bolton's weakside linebacker position, but it will likely be up to more than one player to replicate all that Bolton did for the Tiger defense. If Alldredge can quickly grasp the Missouri defense and look like the disruptive force he was at Rice, that would certainly help. Nicholson will likely need to take a step forward this offseason, as well.
PowerMizzou Prediction
We're quite confident that Nicholson will start at middle linebacker, barring injury, and feel pretty good about Alldredge's chance of beating out Bailey at the weakside spot, even though he didn't arrive on campus until June. Bailey and Wilkins will round out the two-deep.
Previous Position Breakdowns
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