Review and Preview: Cornerbacks
The 2018 football season is officially in the books. In this series, PowerMizzouwill go position-by-position to look back at the Tigers' 8-5 2018 campaign while also previewing the depth chart for the 2019 season. Today, we continue to focus on the defensive by breaking down the cornerbacks.
2018 review
It was a bit of an up-and-down season for Missouri’s cornerbacks, just as it was for the pass defense as a whole. DeMarkus Acy and Adam Sparks started the season opposite one another at corner, with Terry Petry the primary nickleback. But it didn’t take long for Christian Holmes, who missed all of the 2017 season with a shoulder injury, to take over Petry’s snaps, then eventually to work his way into the starting lineup in place of Sparks. Missouri’s pass defense seemed to improve with Holmes and Acy in the starting spots, and Acy in particular had a solid season, earning a spot on the all-SEC second team. However, the tandem did not finish the season well, giving up 333 passing yards and four touchdowns to Oklahoma State. In hindsight, the Tiger cornerbacks played well against teams with overmatched offenses, such as Tennessee and Arkansas, while struggling against the more prolific passers, such as Alabama and Oklahoma State. Part of their struggles also has to be chalked up to the defense’s lack of pass rush, which forced the secondary to cover receivers for long periods of time.
2019 preview
Departing: Finis Stribling IV
If no players with eligibility remaining transfer (which shouldn’t necessarily be assumed), Missouri will have ever cornerback who played a meaningful defensive snap in 2018 back next season. Stribling’s action was limited to special teams.
Returning: DeMarkus Acy, Christian Holmes, Adam Sparks, Jarvis Ware, Terry Petry, Chris Mills
Acy and Holmes will be back and likely starting for the Tigers in 2019. Aside from them, how the rest of the cornerbacks will fit into next season’s defense is a bit murky. Sparks has far and away the most experience of the rest of the returners, but he missed several games due to injury this season. He was dressed and supposedly healthy enough to play in the Liberty Bowl, but he didn’t see the field. If he’s back on the roster next season, he could play regular snaps in nickel and dime formations. Ware began to see some snaps as the third corner as a true freshman, so he could also compete with Sparks for that role next year, or possibly even push for a starting spot with a good offseason. Petry played sparingly after a rough outing against Purdue and seemed to have been passed on the depth chart. Mills could see some playing time on special teams but isn’t likely to break into the cornerback rotation yet.
Incoming: Chris Shearin, Ishmael Burdine, Martez Manuel
Two of the cornerback prospects signed by Missouri, Shearin and Burdine, will enroll in school early and participate in spring practices, thus giving them a head start in trying to see the field as true freshmen. Manuel may end up playing safety, but he has said the coaching staff could play him at corner during his first year or two while trying to add weight to his frame.
Projected 2019 starters: DeMarkus Acy, Christian Holmes
The Tigers figure to stick with the same starters as the second half of last season, but Acy and Holmes are not necessarily locks to start next year. Missouri’s pass defense has struggled enough that if the coaching staff sees something to suggest a freshman or sophomore is ready, that player will likely get an opportunity.
Offseason storyline to watch:
Can any of the young players emerge as difference-makers? The Missouri coaching staff certainly likes Acy and Holmes, but there’s room in the secondary for one or more of the underclassmen to carve out a role. Ware seems like the top candidate since he has a year in the program under his belt, although the coaching staff is high on both Burdine and Shearin. If a few of the freshman and sophomore corners show signs that they could elevate the position in the future, it would go a long way toward bolstering the reputation of defensive coordinator and secondary coach Ryan Walters.
Previous position groups: