Post-spring breakdown: Offensive line
Missouri concluded its spring football practices with the Black and Gold game last Saturday. Before settling in for the summer and shifting our focus forward to fall camp, we will take a look back at what we learned during the spring for each position group, as well as where the depth chart currently stands. Today, we round out the offense by examining the offensive line.
Previous positions:
DEPTH CHART
1. Yasir Durant, Sr./Larry Borom, So./Trystan Colon-Castillo, Jr./Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, Sr./Hyrin White, So.
2. Javon Foster, RS-Fr./Case Cook, So./Jonah Dubinski, Sr./Mike Ruth, RS-Fr./Bobby Lawrence, RS-Fr.
THE SKINNY
Missouri had the luxury of returning all five starters on the offensive line last season. This year, the Tigers will have to welcome two new starters into the mix. Right now, those starters appear to be redshirt sophomores Hyrin White, at right tackle, and Larry Borom, at left guard. White played a bit last season on the opposite side of the line when Durant went down with an ankle injury during the team’s Week Three game at Purdue, and he performed well. Borom played only on special teams or in mop-up minutes, but his teammates have spoken highly of his combination of athleticism, size and smarts.
The good news for the Tigers is that the three returning starters bring a combined six years of starting experience. Left tackle Yasir Durant, center Trystan Colon-Castillo and right guard Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms should anchor the group. Wallace-Simms was named to the all-SEC first team by the AP after last season. In the event of injury, Case Cook would probably be the first player off the bench. Cook saw some action at guard last season and can also play center.
SPRING TAKEAWAY
It would be premature to declare a position battle won before fall camp, but it sure looks like White and Borom have separated themselves at their respective spots. Both players started with the first-team offense during the Black and Gold game, and neither had a backup on the Black roster. The quick emergence of both players should give the coaching staff confident that the offensive line won’t take a step backward from its production the past two seasons.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Can Missouri build enough depth on the offensive line that an injury or two doesn’t derail the season? That’s probably an answer we won’t find until the games begin — and maybe never, if the unit has good fortune with injuries — but it’s definitely the biggest concern surrounding this position group. Aside from the five projected starters, only Cook and Jonah Dubinski have ever taken meaningful snaps in a college game. That’s not to say some of the young, unproven backups wouldn’t be up to the challenge of replacing a starter, but it can’t exactly fill offensive line coach Brad Davis with optimism that, if a regular contributor goes down, the offense won’t miss a beat.
QUOTABLE
Yasir Durant on Hyrin White:
“I think Hyrin has matured a lot throughout this spring, and I see him every day improving on stuff he needs to work on. He doesn’t even worry about that he just played a little bit last year, he just wants to get better every day. I see it in his eyes.”
Trystan-Colon Castillo on Larry Borom:
I think he’s a lot more athletic than people make him out to be. … He’s so big. But I mean like, when you see him, he puts his hand in the dirt, he’s running, pounding his feet, running, he moves people. That’s obviously something you want to see in your offensive line.”