12/13/2022 football Edit

Ranking Mizzou football's needs in the transfer portal

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou

Staff Writer

It's the holiday season and the Tigers have some shopping to do in the transfer portal as they look towards retooling for the 2023 season. The transfer portal opened on Dec. 5th and will remain open until Jan. 18.

Missouri has already lost 10 of its own scholarship players, headlined by All-Southeastern Conference second-team wide receiver Dominic Lovett, to the portal, so Mizzou has to get busy soon to recoup some of its depth.

Definite needs

Mizzou's definite needs are positions that need to get filled regardless of who stays or goes.

1.) Offensive line

Six. That's the number of offensive line combinations Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz had to throw out this season. Whether it was because of injury or poor play a lineup change every two games is not ideal for a team that wants to ascend above .500 for the first time since 2018. Left tackle Javon Foster's future in Columbia is in doubt. Foster hasn't made a decision to stay or depart for the NFL Draft and that's big because he was the best player on the line.

Left guard Xavier Delgado's future is in doubt as well because it's unknown if he will transfer or return in 2023. From a production standpoint, Delgado has 27 career starts and was the least penalized player on the line, but he struggled a lot. He was the team's sixth-best pass-blocker and eighth-best run-blocker among Tigers offensive linemen with 100 or more snaps this season, according to PFF College.

Missouri does have four-star prospect Logan Reichert joining the fray next season and he could possibly do what Armand Membou did at the end of the regular season and play valuable snaps and maybe even start at either tackle spot. Buffalo transfer Bence Polgar was deemed ineligible before the start of the season, but he's in line to compete with current starter Connor Tollison for the starting center spot.

Hyrin White started 11 games at right tackle in 2021 and the team was optimistic that he would be granted a medical redshirt to return next year after missing all of this season. White will likely get that medical redshirt, but he won't be using it at Mizzou. White became the 10th player to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 7.

Right guard EJ Ndoma-Ogar is out for the season after having foot surgery, but he played well at right guard and will likely battle it out with Mitchell Walters for that spot.

Mizzou probably needs at least two offensive linemen from the portal.

2.) Defensive line

Missouri has a date with Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 23 and it has already had its two best pass rushers, Isaiah McGuire and DJ Coleman, declare for the draft.

The good thing for Missouri is that the defensive line was the deepest position on the team, so it can afford a couple of departures even though these are decent-size ones. However, it's unknown if defensive tackle Darius Robinson or defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat will be declaring for the draft too. If Robinson and Jeffcoat join McGuire and Coleman then the need for defensive linemen--especially on the edge--goes from at least two to probably four or five.

3.) Safety

Martez Manuel will join McGuire and Coleman as someone who has decided to declare for the NFL Draft. Daylan Carnell has already shown that he will be more than capable of taking over that STAR spot, but what's unknown is Jaylon Carlies' future. Carlies has been hush about playing for Mizzou in 2023 or declaring for the draft. Mizzou defensive coordinator Blake Baker showed he liked having four safeties on the field and that would mean there are possibly two spots open. Three if you account for Jalani Williams who decided to enter the transfer portal.

The Tigers were able to flip four-star Marvin Burks from Ole Miss and he could possibly provide some depth on Mizzou's backline.

Mizzou should try to get at least one safety in the portal, maybe two.

4.) Kicker/Punter

Harrison Mevis has been one of the nation's better kickers throughout his career season, but he had a down year this season compared to years past knocking down 21 of 27 field goals (77.8%). Nonetheless, Mevis hasn't declared for the draft, but it's a real possibility that he does after the bowl game. Sean Koetting was the team's starting punter for the first three games before losing the starting gig to Jack Stonehouse. The latter recently entered the transfer portal, so Mizzou will need at least a punter and probably another kicker since Koetting is in his final year of eligibility.

Koetting will be replacing Stonehouse in the bowl game.

The Tigers have two-star kicker Blake Craig coming aboard next season, but that would only fill one spot and the Tigers will have at least two and possibly three spots to fill.

5.) Tight ends

This position can be ranked higher or lower depending on the way you view it. You could say that the tight end group isn't going to be a focal part of Drinkwitz's system or you could say that it appeared the team was playing at a disadvantage by playing tight ends that weren't passing or blocking threats.

No matter how you look at it this position was the least productive position group on the roster with Tyler Stephens, Kibet Chepyator and Ryan Hoerstkamp combining for 10 receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Four percent of the team's receptions, 4% of the receiving yards and 15% of the receiving touchdowns won't get it done next season.

Chepyator will be departing from the team after this season, so at the very least the team probably has to replace him. Stephens transferred from Buffalo, but he produced five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown in five starts and 11 games. He and Chepyator were also graded as the team's two lowest run blockers, according to PFF College. Hoerstkamp came on late in the season and if he continues to progress he will keep a role in the tight end rotation next season.

Mizzou does have 6-7, four-star Brett Norfleet joining the team next season, so Mizzou likely only needs to find one tight end in the portal.

Probable needs

Missouri's probable needs are positions that will likely get depleted to a degree, but if it can retain certain players it may not necessarily need to attack the position as hard in the portal.

6.) Cornerback

Missouri had one of the best cornerback duos in the nation with Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw. The pair combined for 25 pass deflections with Abrams-Draine leading the Southeastern Conference with 13 while Rakestraw was right behind him with 12. The duo also combined for 75 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery. It's possible Abrams-Draine declares for the draft and that would be a massive hit for this group. The team does have Dreyden Norwood and Marcus Clarke who have played well in limited action, but losing Abrams-Draine would be pretty significant.

Mizzou should try to get at least one cornerback in the portal.

7.) Running back

Cody Schrader came into the season as a walk-on and earned a scholarship a month into the season and for good reason. He led the team in rushing with 692 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season, but Drinkwitz alluded to the idea that he doesn't believe Schrader can have a heavy feature-back role with 20 rushes a game after he had 43 carries in a two-game span in weeks nine and 10. Nathaniel Peat is departing after the season and he is the only other running back to record 400 yards or more.

Mizzou has Tavorus Jones and Elijah Young who are likely to factor more into the rotation if they stay with the Tigers next season, but the Tigers should still go to the portal to see if they can find another starting-caliber running back. If not, a player who could have a similar impact that Schrader had this season and have a true running back by committee approach.

8.) Wide receiver

Lovett's decision to enter the transfer portal stings the most production-wise for the Tigers. He racked up 56 receptions for 846 yards and three touchdowns and became the first Mizzou receiver in four years to eclipse 800 yards on his way to All-SEC second-team honors. Then when you factor in sixth-year wide receiver Barrett Banister's departure and Tauskie Dove's likely departure that leaves three wide receiver spots.

Mizzou has already got one transfer in former five-star and Oklahoma Sooner, Theo Wease. In three seasons in Norman, Wease racked up 64 receptions for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns. This season, he caught 19 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns.

Missouri still has Luther Burden III, Mookie Cooper and Mekhi Miller, and they'll be joined by a host of other younger players who have either redshirted or been recruited to play next year out of high school like Joshua Manning.

The need may not be as big as it was when it was first reported that Lovett was entering the transfer portal. However, another option on the outside for Brady Cook or whoever is the starting quarterback in 2023 wouldn't hurt.

9.) Quarterback

The reason this position is much lower on this list is because the Tigers are likely going to be able to retain Brady Cook, who finished the regular season really strong. They'll retain four-star Sam Horn who will be a redshirt freshman next year and will bring in a four-star recruit in Gabarri Johnson.

Mizzou lost Tyler Macon to the portal and this is Jack Abraham's final year of eligibility. Missouri may get another veteran quarterback in the portal to replace Abraham, but it may not be necessary to get another quarterback with the talent it will have coming back.

Mizzou probably should attempt to get a quarterback in the portal and see if it can get an upgrade over Cook or at least get another veteran to replace Abraham.