Position Reset: Offensive line
The first Missouri football season of the Eli Drinkwitz era showed both plenty of reasons for optimism as well as room for improvement. The Tigers finished a 10-game, all-SEC schedule with a record of 5-5, including an upset of defending national champion LSU and at one point cracking the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 25. However, the team also dropped its final two games of the season and saw an average margin of defeat of 24 points in its five losses.
In this series, we will go position by position to break down Missouri's performance in 2020 and look ahead to spring football practices, which should start later this month and kick off preparation for the 2021 season. Last week, we examined the tight end situation. Today, we finish up on the offensive side of the ball by taking a look at the offensive line.
2020 Recap
Missouri's offensive line underwent a lot of change prior to the 2020 season. Not only did the unit have to adapt to a new offensive coordinator, position coach and starting quarterback, but it lost three multi-year starters to the NFL. As a result, the line was one of if not the biggest area of concern entering last season.
While 2020 wasn't perfect, the line certainly exceeded expectations. Missouri ranked 30th nationally in fewest sacks allowed per game and 50th in tackles for loss per game. The offense was also generally successful running the ball, particularly in short-yardage situations, as Missouri had 21 rushing touchdowns in 10 games. The unit's performance contributed to offensive line coach Marcus Johnson being nominated for the Broyles Award, presented to the nation's top assistant coach.
No individual exemplified the improvement of the offensive line more than right tackle Larry Borom. Borom looked overmatched at times in 2019, but he dominated last season. Borom was Missouri's highest-graded player on the season by Pro Football Focus and earned the 24th-highest grade for all offensive linemen in the country. The big year prompted him to declare early for the NFL Draft. Center Michael Maietti and left guard Case Cook also performed well. Maietti, a graduate transfer from Rutgers, came to Missouri with 33 college starts under his belt and filled in well for Trystan Colon-Castillo. He has announced he will return for the 2021 season, as will Cook, who has started each of the past two years for Missouri.
The Tigers' one weakness on the offensive line last season was depth, which was exacerbated due to a rash of injuries and opt-outs. Borom missed a couple games due to injury and the group took a step back with Javon Foster in his place. Starting left guard Xavier Delgado also missed time after injuring his ankle in the fourth game of the season, and he never quite looked the same when he returned. Missouri started a few different players in his place, including true freshman Dylan Spencer, who wound up opting out and entering the transfer portal midway through the season. Left tackle was also a bit of an issue all season. Zeke Powell had the tough task of starting the season-opener and playing most of the year despite the fact that he arrived on campus from junior college just a couple months before the season began. He split snaps with sophomore Bobby Lawrence, but neither showed much consistency.
2021 Outlook
Departing: Larry Borom, Thalen Robinson, Dylan Spencer
Returning: Case Cook, Michael Maietti, Xavier Delgado, Zeke Powell, Bobby Lawrence, Luke Griffin, Hyrin White, Javon Foster, Mike Ruth, Jack Buford, Drake Heismeyer, Mitchell Walters
With Maietti set to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA, the interior of Missouri's offensive line looks solid for next season. He and Cook bring a wealth of starting experience to the center and right guard spots. Meanwhile, both Delgado and Luke Griffin played meaningful snaps and showed flashes at left guard, and Oklahoma transfer EJ Ndoma-Ogar will likely compete for that starting spot as well. The big question mark is tackle. As mentioned above, both Powell and Lawrence left a bit to be desired with their performance last season, although there is reason to believe a full offseason at Missouri could help Powell. Foster hasn't played enough to really know how he would handle being a full-time starter. One positive for the Tigers, however, is that Hyrin White should be available after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury. White made a pair of starts in 2019 and was believed to be the likely starter at left tackle before undergoing surgery during fall camp last season.
Incoming: EJ Ndoma-Ogar, Connor Tollison
With so many players returning on the offensive line, Missouri didn't need to add too many to the position group during the offseason. However, there's hope they found an immediate-impact player in Ndoma-Ogar. The former high-profile recruit played sparingly while redshirting at Oklahoma during the 2019 season, then decided to transfer prior to last year. Tollison, the lone high school offensive lineman in Missouri's 2021 signing class, looks like he could be a steal, as he chose the home-state Tigers over the likes of Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but barring a rash of injuries, it's unlikely he's asked to play much during his first season on campus. It's very possible that Missouri could still add another offensive lineman to the roster prior to the start of fall camp, with a tackle likely being the priority.
Projected Starters: Hyrin White (LT), EJ Ndoma-Ogar (LG), Michael Maietti (C), Case Cook (RG), Zeke Powell (RT)
This is a pretty rough estimate at this point. Maietti and Cook seem like virtual locks to start as long as they're healthy, but the other three spots should be up for grabs during the offseason. We still don't know how White will look after missing a year of action or how Ndoma-Ogar will fit into the unit, plus whether the staff will add another tackle to the mix. As the roster stands right now, we think Lawrence and Foster could also be in contention to earn a starting tackle spot, while Delgado and Griffin could be in the mix to start on the interior of the line. There's also always the chance someone like Griffin moves from the interior of the line to tackle.
Spring Practice storyline to watch: The two tackle spots bring the most intrigue, as left tackle was the weakest position on the line last season and it will be difficult to replace Borom on the right side. Spring practices should allow us our first glimpse at where White stands physically and whether Powell or Lawrence have made the necessary strides from last season. Who knows, there might also be a new member of the position group competing for a starting spot by then, as well.
Previous Position Breakdowns:
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