Fall camp preview: Wide Receiver
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 look at the Tiger receiving corps.
The Starters
Ever since he arrived at Missouri, Drinkwitz has made a clear effort to add some dynamism to the Tiger wide receiver room. Missouri has signed five high school prospects (one of whom, Kris Abrams-Draine, now plays defensive back) and brought in three transfers at the position over the past two offseasons. The result, Drinkwitz hopes, will be a group of wideouts that can generate more explosive plays in 2021, whether it be catching deep passes or turning quick-hitting plays into big gains. Missouri's receiving corps combined to score just six touchdowns last season.
The primary candidate to add some big-play potential to the Tiger offense appears to be Mookie Cooper. Cooper, a former top-100 recruit out of St. Louis, signed with Ohio State out of high school but transferred to Missouri in January after not playing last season. There are some question marks about Cooper — he's listed at just 5-foot-8 and 174 pounds, and he hasn't played in a football game since the fall of 2018 — but he brings elite speed and quickness to the roster. Look for Cooper to line up primarily in the slot, but to be utilized in a variety of ways, as Drinkwitz did with Jalen Knox last season.
Joining Cooper among the receivers we project to play the most for Missouri this season are a trio of veterans. Fifth-year senior Barrett Banister will likely split reps with Cooper in the slot, and the two could likely be on the field at the same time in four-wide sets. A reliable chain-mover, Banister has caught 27 passes each of the past two years and averaged 9.2 yards per catch. Out wide, another fifth-year senior is back in Keke Chism. Chism, who transferred to Missouri from Division-II Angelo State prior to last season, generated quite a bit of hype during camp but started the year slow. He hit his stride during the latter half of the campaign, however, catching 26 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown across the Tigers' final five games. The coaching staff will hope that carries over into his final college season. The final starting spot is probably the least concrete at this point, but we're projecting Tauskie Dove as the favorite to retain it. Dove, who caught just two passes across his first two seasons at Missouri, broke out for 30 catches, 300 yards and two scores a season ago. His ability to high-point the ball in traffic made him the team's most successful deep threat last season, and that's an area Drinkwitz has been vocal about wanting to improve in 2021.
The Backups
Missouri will almost certainly need contributions from more than four wideouts to make it through the season, and there are several other players who will vie for playing time at the position. Sixth-year senior Micah Wilson is the most experienced of the bunch. The former quarterback made a couple starts at receiver last season and performed well, catching five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. He'll have competition out wide from a trio of second-year players. Redshirt freshman Chance Luper recorded just one reception last season, but it was a big one — a 69-yard catch and run that set up the go-ahead touchdown against defending national champion LSU. With a strong offseason, he could be in line for more consistent playing time. Same goes for JJ Hester, another class of 2020 signee. Hester drew high praise from the coaching staff entering last season, but he battled an injury and didn't catch a pass. Lastly, former walk-on Boo Smith was one of the feel-good stories from last year. Smith had previously played football and run track at Coffeyville Community College and Mid-America Nazarene before trying out for the Missouri team. Not only did he earn a spot on the roster, he wound up playing meaningful snaps for a depleted receiving corps during several games, catching eight passes for 65 yards. Smith has since been put on scholarship.
A couple players will push Banister and Cooper for playing time in the slot — and could potentially line up out wide, as well. Dominic Lovett has generated almost as much hype as Cooper since signing with Missouri. The former four-star recruit racked up 73 catches for 1,541 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior at East St. Louis and enrolled early at Missouri in order to participate in spring practices. Look for Drinkwitz to try to find ways to get Lovett involved in the offense. Redshirt freshman Jay Maclin, the cousin of Missouri legend Jeremy Maclin, will be in the mix for playing time as well. Maclin caught one pass for five yards as a true freshman.
Camp Storyline to Watch
A few different storylines bear monitoring within the receiving room, such as how the reps shake out at slot and whether any of the above-mentioned second-year players can break into the regular rotation. But the biggest story among the group has to be Cooper. We should start to get an indication of how much Missouri plans to rely on Cooper early in the season even though he hasn't played in nearly three years as well as all the different ways Drinkwitz might utilize the speedster. If Cooper can live up to the hype as a consistent big-play threat, it would add a much-needed dimension to Missouri's passing attack and open things up for the rest of the offense.
PowerMizzou Prediction
Barring a rash of injuries, most teams feature about five wide receivers who play a regular role in the offense. We believe four of those spots are pretty much spoken for at this point. Banister, Cooper, Chism and Dove should all play quite a bit if healthy. The final spot will likely go to one of Luper or Hester, whichever has the best offseason — and it's not out of the question that one of those two could make a push to unseat Dove atop the depth chart. Look for Wilson to earn a position on the two-deep, as well.
Previous Position Breakdowns
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