The Missouri Tigers went into last season with essentially the same corp group of receivers as they had in the breakout 2023 season.
Luther Burden and Theo Wease leading the way, Mookie Cooper and Mekhi Miller looking like key options and Maquis Johnson opening up the top of the defense.
But now, only Johnson, a junior, is back and the Tigers are turning to an almost completely new group.
With Burden gone, the Tigers turned to the transfer portal to pull in St. Louis product Kevin Coleman from Mississippi State, adding one of the best receivers in the SEC last season.
“Man, Kevin Coleman is everything you want him to be as a slot,” Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Dynamic player, really tough cover in man-to-man. Really felt like he had a good spring getting to know those quarterbacks.”
Coleman is a smaller option in the room, standing at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in route running and quick bursts of speed. He likely steps right into the role Burden left behind as the primary option on most plays.
“Really good route runner, really good yards after the catch,” Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore said. “Obviously, he’s done it under the lights in the SEC and he’s got some leadership to him. He’s with the younger guys right on the jugs. I’ll be working out during lunch, he’s on the jugs after hours, doing all those things, which is really awesome.”
Johnson likely won’t catch many teams off guard this season like he did his freshman season, especially after his impressive performance in the Music City Bowl when he became the main option for the first time and caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
But, that leaves a spot for a third option to surprise defenses, which could be the perfect fit for junior Joshua Manning.
“The one guy who I think always goes under the radar a little bit, and it’s probably his personality, is Josh Manning,” Moore said. “You just take for granted the consistency, the blocking on the perimeter, there’s no alignment issues, making contested catches, leadership. He’s kind of embraced his role right now within that receiver corps.”
Those will likely be the three primary receiver options in this year’s group and Moore said he believes the combination of talents will play well together.
“Definitely a mix of receiver traits right there, right?” Moore said. “You got Kevin, who’s a little bit on the shorter side, but very good, short-area quickness, yards after catch. Marquis taking the top off and then Josh Manning, from the physicality, high-point standpoint. So we’re going to figure out where those guys fit within schemes, move them around and I think that’s going to be beneficial to their game.”
But along with that trio, the Tigers might also turn to redshirt freshman James “Prez” Madison as the former four-star continues his development. Add in junior Daniel Blood, transfer graduate Xavier Loyd from Illinois State and a group of impressive incoming freshman with Olugbode, Shaun Terry and DeMarion Fowlkes, and the depth has impressed the staff.
“Been impressed with our freshmen,” Drinkwitz said. “Donovan (Olugbode), I think really stood out in a positive way, big-time catch radius. I know y’all saw the one-hand catch on Twitter, but that wasn’t new to anybody. You know, that was pretty much every practice he was making wild plays. So, he will push Marquis and Josh and Prez, James Madison, to be a force on the outside.”
Olugbode especially stood out in spring camp, getting rave reviews from multiple coaches. Moore said his ability as a pass catcher is far beyond the level of most true freshmen.
“Donovan (Olugbode), very advanced from a receiver standpoint,” Moore said. “I think at this stage in his career, he has got really strong hands, able to separate, make contested catches, which, from my experience in this conference, you have to be able to do that. The separation isn’t, maybe, as drastic as some other conferences. So he’s made some very impressive catches.”
And with all of those options for whoever ends up winning the Missouri quarterback battle, opportunities might end up limited. But there should be at least some chances to go around
“Obviously, you can’t just play with one wide receiver,” Drinkwitz said.
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