Last season, the Missouri Tigers carried three punters, three long snappers and three kickers.
But with the expected implementation of roster limits and a lack of walk-on spots, the Tigers had to make some hard calls. And one of those was shrinking the special teams room.
Going into fall camp, the Tigers will have two punters, two kickers and one dedicated long snapper, shrinking the room almost by half.
“We’re operating as if that’s the rule,” Missouri special teams coach Erik Link said of the roster limits set out in the House settlement, limiting football teams to 105 total players, while the SEC also plans to limit teams to 85 scholarships. “I think we thought that it was fair to explain to our roster where they’re currently at and let those guys, after the season, make a decision on what’s best for their future.”
Those discussions led to the transfer portal departures of punters Luke Bauer, Will Safris and Orion Phillips, turning over the entire group as they looked for greener pastures. It also led to the departure of long snapper Jack Kautz and along with the graduation of Trey Flint, the Tigers have only Brett Le Blanc back from last year’s group.
And among the kickers, they led to the departure of Brody Boehm and Nick Quadrini in the portal, returning just starter Blake Craig.
The Tigers added freshman Robert Meyer to be the backup kicker, though he can punt as well, brought in Connor Weselman from Stanford to be the punter, and also brought in JUCO transfer punter John Butcher in the spring.
The Tigers are also planning to turn to walk-on linebacker Tommy Reese if need be as a long snapper.
Bringing back Craig means the Tigers returned 100 percent of the place kicking production from the rising redshirt sophomore who went 24-of-34 (70.59 percent) last season in his first year controlling the kicking game. He hit 7-of-8 attempts from 20-29 yards, 10-of-10 from 30-39 yards, 1-of-7 from 40-49 yards and 6-of-9 from 50 or more yards, with a long of 56.
So that leaves one key area to improve on.
“Blake’s been a consummate professional,” Link said. “I mean in terms of his work and how he goes about his business. He’s been impressive with that since he got on campus as an early enrollee two years ago. Feels like he’s been here longer than he really has, but I think he has learned a lot. … And as a kicker, you either make the rep or you learn from the rep, right? … We’ve really zoned in on some specific focus areas for him, some areas that he can improve in and I don’t think it’s any secret, when you look at the statistics, look at the numbers, there’s very specific areas that he needs to improve in from an execution standpoint.”
As the Tigers looked to replace a multi-year starter at punter, they turned to Weselman, an on-and-off starter at Stanford. But the staff has been impressed with the addition.
“He’s a very mature guy, you know, high-IQ guy,” Link said. “He works on his craft, studies the game, I think he’s really got a pro mindset and mentality when it comes to his approach and just how he works on a day-to-day basis. He’s been awesome to work with. I think he brings a level of maturity to that room, which is really, really good. … He’s also a great holder, so that brings a lot of value from that standpoint. Brings a lot of security for Blake.”
That Tigers will rely on that experience and security from both Weselman and Criag this year in a room that is now significantly smaller, and likely will remain at its new size in the future.
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