Newcomer Profile: Marcus Carroll
In addition to the 21 players the Tigers signed during the Early Signing Period, they've added 12 more via the transfer portal, as they look to build on last year's 11-2 campaign.
PowerMizzou.com will profile the 12 transfers to help fans familiarize themselves with them. Next up on our list is Georgia State transfer running back Marcus Carroll.
One of the more evident things about Missouri's momentum over the last eight months is getting a player like Carroll.
The Tigers have been riding a wave of momentum since last summer and Cody Schrader having one of the best seasons in school history regardless of position is partly why the Tigers are receiving a bigger national spotlight.
But how do you replace the nation's third-leading rusher who had over 1,600 yards?
Get a 1,300-yard rusher who has almost the same exact build as your previous star running back.
Carroll, a three-star transfer and the No. 411 overall player in Rivals' transfer tracker rankings, was the nation's 10th-leading rusher in 2023 after gaining 1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. He also caught 23 passes for 234 yards.
Typically, it's a little harder for Missouri to replace Schrader's production with someone like Carroll's.
Look at Schrader. He was a walk-on transfer from a D-II school replacing Tyler Badie after Badie broke the Mizzou single-season rushing record.
Nonetheless, times have changed. Carroll was one of the first players to transfer to Missouri when the portal opened in December and now he has a chance to be the Tigers' next bell cow. Although, it's more likely the Tigers are truly doing a running back by committee approach this fall.
Fellow running back transfer, Nate Noel, formerly of Appalachian State had an impressive spring camp and showed what he can do as a scat back. So, Carroll, who had a good camp himself, may be splitting reps with Noel but that's more of a testament to how well Noel performed as opposed to Carroll underperforming.
Running backs coach Curtis Luper sees the opportunity for a smash-and-dash combo to be a good one and reminds him of a couple of backs he coached a handful of years ago that went on to be NFL running backs.
"It's been really good," Luper said of Carroll and Noel's spring ball performance. "They both have played a lot of football. So, the learning curve for them is a lot less steep than it would be for say an incoming freshman. So, after about a week or so, they were full speed ahead.
"I said this the other day in a staff meeting. Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll remind me of Tyler Badie and Larry Roundtree in 2020. Larry is 218 pounds and Tyler was 195-ish. And they were a good complement. So, physically they would remind you of those two."
Heading into the summer it seems to be a 1A and 1B situation with the pair. If this keeps up, game script may determine who gets to start games but the Tigers basically have two starting running backs.
Missouri has found a way to replace a 1,600-yard rusher with a 1,300 yard rusher and the latter may (technically) not even be the starter some weeks.
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