Quirk Camp Notebook: Freshmen, injuries and the QB question

Missouri’s much publicized pursuit of Arizona State quarterback transfer Jayden Daniels ended on Sunday when Daniels signed with LSU. So is Missouri out of the quarterback market or will the Tigers start scouring the portal again?

“I wouldn’t say we’re always looking, but if the right opportunity presented itself and we felt like it was the right person that could add competition to the room, then we’ll evaluate each person individually,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “I would say we’re not actively seeking, but we’re not actively shy away from it either.

Sophomore Brady Cook and redshirt freshman Tyler Macon are the only scholarship quarterbacks in camp. Drinkwitz said both would welcome any competition Missouri would choose to add.

“I think if you talk to Tyler or if you talk to Brady, they would both welcome competition cause that’s who we are,” he said. “But you’re not gonna get a chance to talk to them because I’m not gonna let you.”

Drinkwitz praised both Macon and Cook, but has already stated he won’t name a starting quarterback after the spring game on March 19. Another wave of transfers is widely anticipated in college football after programs wrap up spring football. Whether anyone will catch Drinkwitz’s eye remains to be seen.

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RUNNING BACK OR RUNNING BACKS?

No matter who starts at quarterback for the Tigers, one luxury he won’t have is turning to hand the ball to Tyler Badie. Badie ranked third in the country in rushing yards, seventh in carries and 19th in touchdowns in 2021. Running backs coach Curtis Luper frequently used the phrase “running back by committee” when talking with reporters last week.

That’s something that Drinkwitz has never done. Badie got 77% of Mizzou’s carries by a running back last year. In 2020, Larry Rountree III took 76.8% of the running back carries. Things were a little more balanced at Appalachian State in 2019 when Drinkwitz gave Darrynton Evans 54.4% of the running back carries, but Evans still had more than twice as many carries as any other individual ballcarrier. But spreading things out isn’t something to which Drinkwitz is philosophically opposed.

“It makes it easier if you know exactly who you’re going to hand the ball to because of the production,” Drinkwitz said. “But this spring is not really about identifying or determining position battles. It’s about each player having the ability to take the reps and make mistakes and grow forward. We’re trying to take the pressure off of them.

“Whoever becomes the guy is going to become the guy and if not we’ve got multiple people.”

Stanford transfer Nate Peat and returners Elijah Young, BJ Harris, Michael Cox and Taj Butts will compete for carries in the backfield and four-star freshman Tavorus Jones will arrive in the spring. But Peat isn’t the only transfer in the Tiger backfield. Cody Schrader led college football in rushing a year ago, putting up 2,074 yards and 25 touchdowns at Division II Truman State. After that campaign, the St. Louis native chose to try his hand at a higher level and walked on at Mizzou in time for spring football.

“Absolutely he’s got a chance,” Drinkwitz said. “He earned his number in the scrimmage on Saturday. He is doing a lot of things the right way, has got great vision, toughness, hard runner, better than average foot speed so absolutely.”

For proof such a move can be made, Schrader just has to look a few feet in front of him on the practice field. Offensive lineman Connor Wood transferred up from FCS Montana State prior to the 2021 season and played in 12 of Missouri’s 13 games. Schrader has made an impression on Wood so far.

“I typically come to workouts 30, 45 minutes early, get warmed up, stretch, get ready for the workouts and Cody beats me there every day, takes my spot,” Wood said. “That’s one thing I’ve been impressed by Cody is he’s one of the hardest workers I know. He’s a strong, powerful dude. I’m excited to see him.”

It’s a leap that can be made, but don’t think it’s an easy one.

“At the end of the day it is just football, but there is a speed difference, size difference. I mean, we’re playing in the SEC here and there’s freaks of nature,” Wood said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that he’s going to see is the game speed and how big the guys are here.”

INJURY NEWS ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE

Speaking of the offensive line, Drinkwitz told the media on Tuesday that the Tigers are playing this spring without right tackle Hyrin Morrison-White. He’s out for “at least the rest of spring and summer” with a lower leg injury. His availability will be reevaluated closer to fall camp. White played in ten games last year for the Tigers and 11 in 2019. He missed the entire 2020 season with an injury. In his absence, Missouri has a number of options.

“Right now Zeke (Powell) has been taking the reps at right tackle, Mitchell Walters has been taking reps at right tackle, Armand (Membou) has been taking reps at right tackle,” Drinkwitz said. “Dylan Spencer has been taking the two reps at left tackle along with Richard Taylor. We’re letting Connor Tollison and Bence (Polgar) battle it out at the center position. We know that Connor’s a guy who has a lot of position flexibility with his athleticism and length. There’s a plethora of options, but we’re trying not to move people so much that they can’t have individual growth.”

CHECKING IN ON SOME FRESHMEN

One of the big storylines of spring football is always the newcomers. Missouri welcomed a big group of freshmen as early enrollees this spring. We got some insight into a couple of them.

Wood on offensive lineman Armand Membou, who earned his No. 79 this weekend: “He’s gonna be a good football player for us. Still has that freshman attitude and mentality, but he does great work out there…His physical nature, his mentality. The way he uses his hands and the way he moves his feet is very impressive. He’s still a young pup. We’ve just got to get some more experience with him, but he’s going to be a good football player for us.”

Barrett Banister on wide receiver Mekhi Miller: “Something actually the other day that happened, we were walking back across the bridge from practice and Mekhi came up to me and asked me just my honest opinion of how he was doing, what he could improve on. I thought that was pretty mature of him. He’s not looking for a pat on the back. He’s looking where can he improve, how can he find his role on this team and I thought that was really cool. Definitely something you want to look for in a younger receiver.

“I think his speed is one thing. I think he’s a very fast individual. He’s very cerebral when it comes to the game, he’s able to process things and understands the playbook well which is really good for a receiver coming in from high school. Coach Drink always says he’s got prom next week. He’s not expected to do what he’s doing now.”