Past or present: Comparing Missouri's 2023 & 2024 special teamers

Spring ball and the spring transfer portal are long behind us, which means Missouri's roster is taking more of a definitive shape. So now is as good a time as any, to compare the 2023 team to this year's team.

PowerMizzou will make a position-by-position comparison. Next up, are the special teamers.

For the first time since 2020, "The Thiccer Kicker" Harrison Mevis will not be the team's placekicker. The school's all-time leading scorer converted on 24-of-30 field goals (80%), including two game-winners last season.

What's known about Blake Craig is that he has a big leg. He had a decent spring camp and looked much better than in practice last season.

The three things Craig will need to do to remain the starter are to be accurate and consistent and get used to in-game situations.

Kicking in practice and kicking in front of 60,000-90,000 fans are obviously two different things. Accuracy and consistency go hand-in-hand. He's got to combine that with his leg strength.

Just like last season, there's a position battle going on at punter with Luke Bauer. This time, Orion Phillips will replace fellow Australian countryman Riley Williams.

Last season, Phillips was an All-Ohio Valley Conference Honorable Mention at Murray State after averaging 43.5 yards per punt on 52 punts.

Williams began the season as the starter last year before losing the job to Bauer a quarter of the way into the season. Bauer was the starter for most of the year but was replaced by Williams midway through the regular season finale by Arkansas. The latter would start in the Cotton Bowl, punting eight times for an average of 40.75 yards before transferring to Edward Waters in the offseason.

Bauer was getting the first crack at punting reps during spring ball but this position battle can go well into the season.

Missouri only returned 20 kickoffs among six players last year for an average of 19.15 yards per return.

Speedy Johnson led the way with seven kickoff returns for an average of 20.9 yards per return. Nathaniel Peat had the second-most with five returns for an average of 19 yards per return.

The latter ran out of eligibility but Johnson, as the fastest player on the team, should remain in his role as KR1. Marvin Burks had the third-most returns with four for an average of 18 yards. He could be the KR2.

Luther Burden III has been the primary punt returner for the Tigers for the last two seasons but in 2024 it appears he will be on an as-needed basis. Last season, he returned eight punts for an average of 8.8 yards.

Johnson primarily worked alongside Theo Wease and Daniel Blood in fielding punts during spring ball.

Expect Johnson to be the primary punt returner. If he's unavailable, it will likely be Blood, who returned five punts for touchdowns in his senior year of high school.

If it's a situation where the team wants to field the punt safely maybe Wease gets the nod now and then, and when the team needs a huge play that's when Burden will probably fill in.

Overall advantage: 2023

This one is really a toss-up. Since Mevis had the biggest impact on the game out of the special teamers, and because most of the 2024 options were on the team last year, the 2023 team gets the nod. The team will be better at returning kickoffs if they just fair catch every kickoff (that's a serious suggestion).

Johnson as the lead punt returner and Burden on stand-by probably better maximizes each player. The former has the chance to electrify the field with his speed and if Mizzou needs its best player to make a play, then Burden can do it in a pinch without having to risk injury fielding every punt.

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