Missouri concluded its spring football practices with the Black and Gold game on April 13. 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 complete our breakdown series by taking a look at the Tiger special teams. A complete list of position breakdowns can be found below.
Previous positions:
DEPTH CHART
Placekicker:
1. Tucker McCann, Sr.
2. Sean Koetting, So.
Punter:
1. Tucker McCann, Sr.
2. Josh Dodge, So.
Long-snapper:
1. Drew Wise, Jr.
2. James Workman, Sr.
3. Jake Hoffman, RS-Fr.
THE SKINNY
Special teams were a major weakness for Missouri in 2018. The Tigers ranked second-to-last nationally in punt return average, and a number of blocked kicks and botched snaps contributed to opponent points. Simply put, the third phase of the game has to be better for Missouri in 2019. While longtime assistant Andy Hill is still the special teams coordinator, head coach Barry Odom said every coach on the staff will play a larger role in coaching special teams this season. Whether that fixes the Tigers’ problems remains to be seen.
To complicate matters, Missouri’s most consistent special teams player last season, punter Corey Fatony, is now gone. How the Tigers will replace the four-year starter remains to be seen. Fatony’s heir-apparent, walk-on Josh Dodge, did not appear to perform well during spring practices. If the season started tomorrow, Tucker McCann, the starting placekicker who also handles kickoff duties, would likely be the starting punter as well. That’s a large workload to place on one leg, so expect the Tigers to bring in more candidates to compete for the starting punter spot this summer. Fatony was also the holder for field goals and extra points; it appears Sean Koetting will replace him in that role, though slot receiver Barrett Banister also tried his hand at holding during the spring.
Aside from the kicking game, there wasn’t much opportunity to view live special teams during the spring. Plus, most special teams roles won’t be determined until newcomers arrive on campus in June and participate in fall camp. But as of now, it appears senior cornerback Richaud Floyd will continue to field punts, while running back Tyler Badie is the current choice to serve as kickoff returner.
SPRING TAKEAWAY
Missouri most likely does not yet have its starting punter for the 2019 season on the roster. As detailed above, the Tiger coaching staff hoped Dodge could fill in for Fatony, but he has appeared to struggle. Because of his importance elsewhere, McCann is probably not a realistic option to start at punter. Strange as it sounds, Hill and the rest of the coaching staff will need to make finding a new punter a top priority during the summer.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Really, the main question is whether Missouri can avoid shooting itself in the foot as often on special teams this season. But since that question can’t be answered until the games begin, we will use this spot to take a look at possible returners. Floyd has done a decent job as a punt returner when he’s been on the field, but injuries kept him from filling that role for all but a few games last season. In his absence, Johnathon Johnson struggled mightily. Combine that with Johnson’s importance to the offense this season, and it would come as a surprise to see him return punts again. Receivers Dominic Gicinto, Khmari Thompson and Cade Musser appear to be other possible options. Badie did little to suggest he should have the kickoff return role taken from him after last season, but with the team a bit thin at running back, he could be deemed too important to take the extra hits as a returner. Other contenders for the spot are Floyd, Thompson, Kam Scott and Larry Rountree III (unlikely because of his offensive role). A return man role could be a good way to get a newcomer on the field, as well.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Barry Odom on special teams last season:
“We weren’t very good. We all know that. I thought Corey punted the ball well. Kickoff return unit was not anywhere near where it needed to be, and neither was our punt return unit. And those are hidden yards that you’ve gotta find a way to get positive yardage out of that. And it wasn’t just the returners’ fault. It was a number of penalties or lack of discipline to play the position the right way. The number of times that we had a breakdown in assignment was not where we needed to be. So it will be all hands on deck on making that an opportunity for us to be an advantage when you look at the things we need to do to be able to win games, we need to have that in our favor.”
Odom on the punting situation:
“We have a group of guys coming in in June on a walk-on opportunity. We’ll get the right person there.”
