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football Edit

Review and preview: Safety

The 2018 football season is officially in the books. In this series, PowerMizzou will 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 finish the series by looking at the safeties.

Sophomore Tyree Gillespie earned a starting spot by the end of the season.
Sophomore Tyree Gillespie earned a starting spot by the end of the season. (USA Today Sports Images)
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2018 review

Entering the 2018 season, safety was perhaps Missouri’s biggest question mark, as the Tigers had to replace both starters from the prior year at the position. It certainly wasn’t all smooth sailing for the safeties this year, but by the end of the season, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters had begun to turn the reins over to a couple young safeties who figure to play major roles in 2019.

Senior Cam Hilton and Oregon graduate transfer Khalil Oliver began the season as Missouri’s starting safeties, and they took some lumps early in the year, especially against Purdue. The group particularly struggled to cover the middle of the field, which resulted in some crushing pass plays at critical moments in losses to South Carolina and Kentucky. But Hilton found his footing and emerged as a steady contributor down the stretch, especially in the Liberty Bowl, when he recorded two interceptions. Oliver, meanwhile, lost his starting spot, instead entering the game only for third downs. Sophomore Tyree Gillespie, who the staff has been high on since he entered the program two years ago, started in place of Oliver down the stretch. Fellow sophomore Joshuah Bledsoe started to get more playing time during the second half of the season as well.

2019 preview

Departing: Cam Hilton, Dominic Nelson

Hilton took a lot of flak from the fan base during his college career, but he recorded 31 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions as a senior. His departure will create an opportunity for someone new to step into the rotation. Nelson rarely saw the field.

Returning: Tyree Gillespie, Joshuah Bledsoe, Khalil Oliver, Jordan Ulmer

As discussed above, Gillespie and Bledsoe both saw their snap counts increase as the year went on, and they will likely see their roles expand even further in 2019. Oliver will likely be counted on to contribute again in some capacity. Ulmer is one of the more mysterious players on the team, as he started his first career game two seasons ago — the 2017 opener against Missouri State — and essentially hasn’t seen the field on defense since. He played quite a bit on special teams this year, but due to Hilton’s departure it’s certainly possible he could work his way back into the discussion at safety.

Incoming: Jalani Williams. Stacy Brown, Martez Manuel

Missouri clearly emphasized the safety position in its 2019 recruiting class. The Tigers had to beat out LSU to land Williams, the lone four-star prospect in the class. He will enroll in school a semester early and thus participate in spring practices, so it’s possible he could see the field as a true freshman. Brown had a big senior season playing in Texas’ largest class, and the coaching staff is high on his potential as well. As we said in yesterday’s cornerbacks breakdown, Manuel, a Columbia native, could play either safety or corner.

Projected 2019 starters: Tyree Gillespie, Joshuah Bledsoe

All signs point to the pair of juniors-to-be taking over as full-time starters in 2019, with Oliver and a player to be determined later rounding out the regular rotation.

Offseason storylines to watch:

Can one of the true freshmen earn immediate playing time? Missouri likes to use four safeties in most games, and Hilton’s departure opens up one spot in that rotation. It’s also not out of the question that a newcomer could beat out Oliver. What remains to be seen, however, is how quickly Williams and Brown can add the size needed to play safety at the college level and learn Missouri’s defense. If one or both of them could emerge as a difference-maker this season, it would help bolster the depth of a relatively thin position group.

Previous position groups:

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive line

Defensive tackle

Defensive end

Linebacker

Cornerback

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