Every day from spring practice, we're keeping Tiger fans up to date with the latest news and notes. Here are the quick hitters from Thursday's practice.
UTSEY TAKES ADVANTAGE OF AN EXTRA YEAR
Most players use a redshirt their first season on campus. But thanks to the new rule where players could play in four games and maintain a redshirt, defensive tackle Markell Utsey took a different path.
After playing in the first three games, Utsey was battling injury. By the time he got healthy enough to play, he and the coaches decided to keep him off the field, preserving his redshirt season. It wasn't an easy call for a player who had seen action in each of his first two seasons on campus, but he feels it was the right one.
"It was kind of tough, but I knew it would pay off in the long run. I feel it was actually a blessing. A lot of people waste those years and don't get it back, but I got it back," Utsey said. "I think it did benefit me a lot. I look back on it, I didn't actually waste that year. I feel good about it."
Barry Odom said Utsey probably would have played about ten snaps a game, a number that wasn't worth giving up his eligibility for the 2020 season. The Arkansas native will be a junior this year and will be back on campus as a senior in 2020.
"He was really open and receptive to it," Odom said. "He's as team of a guy as there is and he will benefit greatly from what he went through last year."
With Terry Beckner Jr. gone to the NFL, Utsey has his sights set on significant playing time this season.
"I set a lot of personal goals and team goals as well," Utsey said. "I just want to help the team out as much as I can, win as many ballgames as I can."
SCALES MAKING MOVES IN CROWDED ROOM
A year ago, you didn't hear a lot about Brendan Scales. Truthfully, there was some thought he might be crowded out of the tight end position and move on before 2019. Those thoughts are now gone. Since the start of spring ball, the Lafayette High School product has drawn the praise of the coaching staff.
"He had a great offseason. Really worked his butt off," tight ends coach A.J. Ofodile said. "Just really, really taking that step in terms of his development as an overall student-athlete. He's really stepped everything up and I think it's carrying over into how he's performing as an athlete.
"He's incredibly conscientious. He's his own worst critic sometimes and that's kind of what he's battled with. He's a talented kid, but he's been hard on himself."
Scales is not the long pass-catcher Albert Okwuegbunam or Messiah Swinson is. He is not the block-first road-grader that Daniel Parker Jr. was last season.
"He's somewhere in between," Ofodile said. "He can line up in the slot, he can line up in the backfield, he can play attached, he's tall enough and physical to do that. He's probably a combination of somewhere in between Daniel and Albert. He's got a versatile skillset."
That versatility could earn him meaningful playing time as a redshirt junior despite plenty of competition at the tight end position.
INJURY UPDATE
Wide receiver Dominic Gicinto and freshman cornerback Chris Shearin were new additions to the injured list on Tuesday. Both were held out of practice with hamstring strains. After practice, Odom said he was hopeful both could see a little action Thursday and be able to play in Saturday's Black and Gold game.
HYPING UP THE SPRING GAME
After raising some eyebrows last spring by saying he hoped the spring game resembled "watching paint dry," Odom has taken on a notably different tone this year. He even said last week he thought Saturday's exhibition would be exciting for fans to watch.
On that note, Odom has been diligent in trying to spread the word about his team more than in past seasons. He has opened up every practice to reporters and made every player and coach accessible for interviews. The Tigers sent players to every elementary school in Columbia on Monday afternoon, hoping to get some young fans excited about the team.
"I think we have a chance to have a special season," Odom said. "I just want the Mizzou fans to get to know our team, get to know the stories of the people that make up this team. I think it's important, the more we can involve all those that follow our program, I think it's better for everybody."
ADDING TO THE STAFF
Odom told PowerMizzou.com after practice that he had added a new analyst to the staff. Former East Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen started last week as an offensive analyst. Petersen has been a coach for 27 years, including OC stints at Marshall and Louisiana Tech before ECU.
The hire continues a trend of successful coaches taking the equivalent of a gap year while they look for a fresh start. Last year, Garrick McGee was hired in a similar role that was expected to be a one-year stopover. He is now the Tigers' wide receivers coach.
ONE MORE THING....
How about a bonus, feel-good moment from Tiger cornerback Christian Holmes?
