Missouri wide receiver Joshua Manning came into Tuesday's presser with a smile. He's a guy that has embraced his role and is where his feet are.
A little over a year ago, he worked out with his brother, former Mizzou wide receiver Micah Manning, and then two-time (now three-time) Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. But now, he enters his sophomore season trying to climb up the depth chart in a packed wide receiver room.
It doesn't help that wide receiver is one of the deepest, if not the deepest, position groups on the team with the team's top seven wide receivers (including Joshua) returning this fall. The thing is he's closer to the bottom of the depth chart than the top like last year.
It's not because he's not good. Joshua is a talented player and was a four-star prospect coming out of Lee's Summit (Mo.). However, when he joined the team in 2023 Luther Burden, Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper and Mekhi Miller already had established roles. Then Joshua’s fellow freshman classmate, three-star Marquis "Speedy" Johnson, broke out and took most of the remaining reps.
Those five combined for 2,653 of the 2,723 (97%) snaps by Mizzou receivers.
Joshua appeared in 12 games but had only 33 offensive snaps last year and had to look toward a special teams role to find his way on the field.
Admittedly, it was an adjustment, but he quickly realized the team's needs were more important than his.
"It was definitely harder at first because being a four-star I definitely had a lot of pride, but I realized that I had to sacrifice and try to help this team be as good as it can be," Joshua said.
While it didn't feel good to be on the bench, Joshua used the time to improve his craft with the help of players like Wease, who encouraged him to do things like attack the ball in the air instead of letting it come to you.
Wease, the team's WR2, is one of the team’s best-contested catch and red zone players.
Joshua, the son of former NFLer Brian Manning, said he's been working on those things throughout the offseason.
He also said one of the most important things the upperclass wide receivers taught him was to focus on the details more.
It wasn’t just the wide receivers who told him that but wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler, who has coached Pro Bowl receivers A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf.
"He says that the details are things that are easy to do, but easier not to do," Joshua said. "I feel like we're very locked in on that and I feel like that's what separates our (wide receiver) room versus any other (wide receiver) room."
Those details combined with the work Joshua put in over the offseason has the Mizzou coaching staff eager to get him on the field in some capacity.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said during the team's pre-fall camp media day that Joshua "had one of the best offseasons of anybody from any metric standpoint." Meanwhile, Peeler thinks Joshua’s confidence from the end of last season through the Black and Gold Spring Game, which saw Joshua win Offensive MVP, has gone up another level.
"He was a kid that came in June (of 2023 and) didn't have the opportunity to go through spring ball and so everything was so new for him this time of year," Peeler said. "You just saw him -- whether it was on special teams or playing more down the stretch, start to feel that confidence that comes along with playing in this league.
"Going into spring ball and in the things that he did in the weight room, the things he did in the nutrition aspect I think (he) just really bought completely into the process. Understanding that will ultimately make him a better player, but I'm excited to see the growth."
Cooper agrees Joshua’s confidence has improved massively and that the work he's been putting in on the jugs machine, catching at least 100 balls a day, the field working on his route running or in the weight room to tone his arms has been noticeable.
"He grew a lot as far as contested catches," Cooper said. "He's a big receiver. (Also he's) playing with confidence out there. That's probably the biggest thing I've noticed."
Returning to an offense with eight returning starters and the same offensive coordinator in Kirby Moore that led the team to the 28th-ranked offense and scoring offense means special teams may likely be Manning's way to the field again this year.
It may be in a kickoff returner role, but he's okay with that. He's all right with any role as long as it means helping the team increase the number in the wins column.
"I did it in high school. I was actually an all-state returner in my junior year," Joshua said. "So, not too much of a challenge. (In the SEC they're) bigger, stronger, faster dudes. So, obviously, it might take me some time to get used to but I think I'm built for it.
"Wherever the team needs to be. Last year, I was heavy on special teams. This year, I'm expected to be more heavily involved in special teams with an added offensive role.”
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