8/11/2023 football Edit

Missouri center Connor Tollison embracing competition in fall camp

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou

Staff Writer

Last season was rough for Missouri football.

It scraped together six wins and a berth in the Gasparilla Bowl, but it's season probably should've been better.

A lot of the team's success was placed on the team's top 35 defense while a lot of the blame fell on the offensive side of the ball, particularly on the two players who touch the ball the most, quarterback Brady Cook and center Connor Tollison.

Cook struggled for most of the season, but he also played 97% of his snaps with a torn labrum in his right throwing shoulder.

Even then, at the end of the regular season with bowl eligibility on the line, he was arguably the team's best offensive player in their last three games.

Going 2-1 and racking up seven touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 64% of his passes. He also had 315 rushing yards and a touchdown.

It wasn't pretty, but Cook gritted out virtually a whole season with a bad shoulder and was still able to have a period where he played solid football despite his offensive line ranking 11th in the Southeastern Conference in pass-blocking with a grade of 63.2 and eighth in run-blocking at 57.3, according to PFF College.

For Tollison on the other hand, his season was filled with a lot more lows than highs.

It started with his playing weight which was listed at 286 pounds last season (and that might be generous).

For reference, the average weight of the other 13 starting centers in the SEC last season was 309.6 pounds. So, Tollison was easily the lightest center in the league with the next ones being LSU's Charles Turner at 295 pounds and South Carolina's Eric Douglas at 297.

A week and some change into fall camp and he's at 290 with his target weight being at least 300 pounds.

"Every pound is good and I'll take every pound I can get," Tollison said. "But I feel like I do notice a difference (in play with the few pounds he's gained). ... I would say the heavier I could be was always going to be important. But as long as I keep the athleticism and quickness I have I'd still say that's very important to playing the center position. But adding weight is never going to be a bad thing."

When you look back on how Tollison fared on the field that wasn't great either.

He ranked 96th in the SEC among offensive linemen with 100 or more snaps in pass-blocking with a grade of 48.7. His run-blocking grade of 48.2 ranked 103rd.

Of the Tigers' 54 regular season offensive penalties, 32 of them were committed by the offensive line with three linemen, Tollison (seven), Mitchell Walters (seven) and Connor Wood (10) combining for 24 of them.

When he wasn't struggling blocking he was having struggles snapping the ball, which is something that lingered through spring ball this past March.

However, things have started to turn around for Tollison with the addition of former Houston offensive line coach Brandon Jones and former Houston All-American Athletic Conference first-team left guard Cam'Ron Johnson, who both arrived in April.

In Tollison's view, Jones' and Johnson's presence are positives with the redshirt sophomore believing they're there to help him get better.

"I'd say he (Jones) came in and tried to focus on our mentality, just playing through the whistle, just competing, honestly," Tollison said. "Don't go out there and not compete. Like if you're going to be out there might as well play to the whistle and I think he's kind of instilled that in us and at the end of the day, just give it everything you've got and I think we can coach everything else.

"I just look at it like I need to get better too. So, if he's (Johnson) here or whoever it is 一 I'm going to do what I can, and if they make me better then why would I be upset? I need to get better as a football player as it is."

To Jones, Tollison's offseason had been a good one entering camp, and he thinks Tollison is in a much better spot to win the starting spot than many expect.

"I do think Connor's had a really good offseason, at least since I've been here," Jones said. "Being a former center, I'm a little biased towards that position and I know the rigors and demands of it, but I think he positioned himself to be in the competition."

Despite the Tigers bringing in Johnson to compete with Tollison for the starting center gig, it's been the latter working with the first team and playing well with a renewed confidence that's caught Drinkwitz's eye.

"I've been really impressed with how Tollison has attacked this camp," Drinkwitz said on Saturday. "He looks like he's having fun again. He's enjoying running the show and competing and I've been very impressed with the way he's attacked."

Whether it's just a new voice in the offensive line room with Jones taking over for Marcus Johnson, the position battle with Johnson and or something just clicking for Tollison mentally, he's taken significant steps forward.

The biggest improvements for Tollison has seemingly been his snapping, building on his in-game experience from last season and his pre-snap communication, which Tollison believes can help him win this position battle.

"I'd say I'm more consistent (snapping the ball) having a whole year under my belt just working at it every day," Tollison said. "The coaches say there's nothing like game experience and once you have some I think it slows down and makes it a little bit easier.

"I'm just trying to communicate among everybody on the offensive line. If you can get everybody to play together that's probably the toughest thing. Everyone can make the blocks but if I can get everybody on the same page I would say that's the biggest key in making a good offensive line.”

The competition isn't over by a long shot with a little less than three weeks before the Tigers host South Dakota on Aug. 31, but Tollison has set himself up to possibly retain a starting gig many people assumed he lost in the spring.