Mizzou football notebook: OL coach Brandon Jones talks open competition
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz wasn't shy about declaring open season on every spot on the depth chart, including starting roles during his media day availability on Sunday.
Of course, some of this is a bit tongue-in-cheek. For example, Brady Cook will start at quarterback and Luther Burden III, one of the nation's best players, will be the offense's No. 1 receiver. Those are no-brainers.
There are positions like running back where an actual competition will be needed to determine the starter even if the Tigers claim they want a running back by committee. Even in those situations, someone gets to start more than the other usually.
Then, there's the offensive line, a position where it seems obvious who will start but there's just enough merit to declare a position battle has merit.
"It's wide open," Drinkwitz said. "Our number one core value is always compete. Whether you're a returning starter or whether you're a transfer. Whoever's coming in to give me the best five and be the most consistent will be the starters.
"I feel like Mitch Walters, Logan Reichert, Jayven Richardson, Marcus Bryant, Cayden Green, Tristan Wilson, all these guys have put in the right amount of work and the right amount of time to give themselves the ability to compete for the job. It's kind of like I told the team last year, we're not coming in with preconceived ideas. Whatever the results of the competition are the results of the competition."
Honestly, center Connor Tollison, right guard Cam'Ron Johnson and right tackle Armand Membou's spots are solidified. Combined they started 35 games last year and each finished the season strong.
Tollison went from seven penalties in 2022 to five in 2023 and seemed more comfortable in his second year starting.
Johnson started the season with nine penalties in his first seven games before recording two in the final six games.
Membou has NFL talent, albeit likely at guard at the next level, and showed he can anchor the right side of the line.
Those three are almost shoo-ins just like Cook and Burden. The two who aren't considered shoo-ins--but may not be too far off--are Oklahoma transfer Cayden Green and Bryant, who transferred from SMU this offseason.
Green is the 12th overall transfer in the Rivals transfer tracker rankings and played over 500 snaps at left guard as a freshman last year. He was lining up as the first-team left tackle in spring ball before Bryant transferred to Mizzou.
The former Sooner will start at left guard and Bryant, who has 31 career starts and was an All-American Athletic Conference first-team selection last year, is the favorite to start at left tackle. It would be hard to find better options to replace All-American left tackle Javon Foster than with this 6-foot-8 and 318-pounder. But at practice this week, Bryant did split some reps with Jayven Richardson.
Offensive line coach Brandon Jones expanded on what Drinkwitz said about the open competition, saying that chemistry will play a big part in whoever will start at left guard and left tackle.
"I really do think just the overall chemistry, the communication, just all of them being on the same page (will factor into who the starters are)," Jones said. "Having Armand, Cam and Connor back and then the two or three new pieces gives us the best opportunity to win. Who is moving the ball when they're out there and that's how we got to that package with Cam (at right guard) and Armand (at right tackle) last year. Whatever gives us the best opportunity to win. We're going to do it."
One of the other storylines since Green has committed to Missouri is his connection to the area. Green played at Lee's Summit North and was teammates with Membou and five-star freshman EDGE Williams Nwaneri.
So, chemistry isn’t an issue for Membou and Green despite being on opposite sides of the line.
"You can't find one without the other. They do a lot of extra work and they didn't go home last week,” Jones said. “They were up here, and you look out on the field and it's the two together. So, they're really more like brothers. They won't admit it. They compete with each other.
“They're two special talents and they push each other. I think that's really why Cayden is so happy here because he knows he's got him to push him and vice versa and he'll do the same, but they are always working and together. So it's a cool thing to see."
The pair were seen working alongside each other in drills during the first three practices, and in all likelihood, they’ll continue working and getting a bulk of the first-team reps. That means there won’t likely be any surprises on the line, and Bryant, Green, Tollison, Johnson and Membou will have about 22 practices to ensure they gel like Membou and Green before Mizzou hosts Murray State on Aug. 29 in the season opener.
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