Review and Preview: Tight ends
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 take a look at the tight ends.
2018 recap
Entering the season, it looked like Missouri might have one of the strongest tight end groups in the SEC, comprised of Albert Okwuegbunam, Kendall Blanton and Messiah Swinson. By the second half of the season, the players contributing most at the spot were Blanton, Daniel Parker Jr. (a converted defensive end) and Samson Bailey (a converted offensive lineman). Yet, the Tigers still got a fair amount of production from the group, especially Parker. Parker switched from the defensive side of the ball late in fall camp and quickly established himself as one of the team’s best run blockers. He also caught six passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Blanton also finished the year well, catching a combined six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown in the last two games of his college career.
As much as Missouri got out of unlikely places in 2018, though, Okwuegbunam remained far and away the biggest receiving threat in the tight end room, and he had an up-and-down year. Okwuegbunam caught seven passes for 50 yards and a score against Wyoming. He was the only Tiger pass-catcher who seemed capable of getting open against Georgia, and he caught nine passes for 81 yards in that contest. He exploded for 159 yards and three touchdowns against Memphis. Yet Okwuegbunam also had a few games in which he was a non-factor, including losses to South Carolina and Kentucky, and he struggled with ball security at times, losing two fumbles on the season. Then a shoulder injury suffered during the win over Florida ended his season. Missouri will hope for more consistency from Okwuegbunam next season, assuming he is back on the roster (more on that in a bit).
2019 preview
Returning: Daniel Parker Jr., Messiah Swinson, Logan Christopherson, Brendan Scales
One of the biggest question marks for the Missouri offense this offseason is whether Okwuegbunam will return for his junior season or declare for the NFL Draft. If Okwuegbunam does opt to leave, Swinson, who has yet to play a college snap, would likely be thrust into the role of the offense’s top receiving tight end. According to the coaching staff, the 6-foot-7 freshman was on his way to seeing the field this year before tearing his ACL in fall camp. He has reportedly recovered well from the injury. Parker will likely compliment either Okwuegbunam or Swinson as a blocker.
It’s certainly possible that one or both of Christopherson and Scales could leave the program during the offseason. Both have pretty clearly been passed up on the depth chart. Christopherson didn’t record a catch this season and Scales had one for one yard.
Departing: Kendall Blanton, Samson Bailey
Blanton will be missed as both a blocker and a red zone threat. Bailey, who bounced around the entire offensive line during his college career, found a niche as an H-back this season, but when everyone else in the room was healthy, he rarely saw the field outside of short-yardage situations.
Unknown: Albert Okwuegbunam
All season, Okwuegbunam has been the one player who Missouri fans feared might leave school early to pursue the NFL. Here we are in January, and Okwuegbunam still has not made a decision. Okwuegbunam exploded onto the scene as a red zone receiver two seasons ago, when he caught 11 touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman. That tied for the most in the country among tight ends. This year, he played an up-and-down nine games before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season, as discussed above. If Okwuegbunam returns to school and doesn’t suffer a setback with his injury, he will certainly be Missouri’s top receiving option at tight end. It may not even be far-fetched to expect him to lead the team in receptions.
Incoming: Niko Hea
The St. Louis native was a late add to the signing class, committing to Missouri just two days before the early signing period began. He’s been praised for his athleticism and receiving skills, but he’ll likely need a redshirt year to add some weight to his frame, especially if Okwuegbunam returns.
Projected 2019 starters: Albert Okwuegbunam, Daniel Parker Jr.
As stated above, if Okwuegbunam opts to enter the NFL Draft, Swinson would likely slide into his spot. Swinson may end up playing a consistent role, similar to that of Blanton this season, even if Okwuegbunam returns.
Offseason storylines to monitor:
Aside from Okwuegbunam’s decision, there’s a couple other things worth monitoring here. First, the tight ends need a position coach. Joe Jon Finley, who had served as Missouri’s tight ends coach for the past three seasons, left for the same position at Texas A&M. It seems likely that the Tigers will fill his spot from within the current staff, either by promoting offensive analyst Garrick McGee to tight ends coach (McGee previously served as offensive coordinator at Louisville and Illinois and head coach at UAB) or by moving current wide receivers coach A.J. Ofodile, who played tight end at Missouri and in the NFL, to tight ends coach.
Second, it’s possible the coaching staff could decide to shift Parker’s position. Parker came to Missouri as a four-star defensive end, and the defense is short on pass rushers. He also played offensive line in high school, so the staff could try to bulk him up and make him a full-time guard. Given his success this season, we expect Parker to remain at tight end, but if Okwuegbunam returns, a move elsewhere doesn’t seem impossible.