Roster review: Tight end
Since the 2019 football season ended, a lot has changed for the Missouri football program. The Tigers fired head coach Barry Odom on Nov. 30 and 10 days later announce the hire of Eliah Drinkwitz. Drinkwitz had just eight days to salvage a class for the early signing period, all while slowly piecing together his staff of assistants. Drinkwitz appears to have the defensive side of the ball set, but will hire two more offensive assistants.
Now that the dust has finally begun to settle, it's time to take a look back at the 6-6 season. In this series, we will go position-by-position to evaluate the performance in 2019 and the pieces In place for 2020. Today, we take a look at the tight ends.
2019 recap
Expectations couldn't have been much higher for Albert Okwuegbunam entering last season. The redshirt junior was tabbed as a preseason first-team All-American. Instead, Okwuegbunam had arguably his worst season as a Tiger, finishing with 26 catches for 306 yards. He did serve as the team's top red zone threat, however, adding six touchdowns. Okwuegbunam was joined by converted defensive end Daniel Parker Jr., who served as more of a blocker but did catch 15 passes for 140 yards last season. True freshman Niko Hea saw action as well and caught three passes on the year.
Looking ahead
Departing: Albert Okwuegbunam
Returning: Daniel Parker Jr., Niko Hea, Logan Christopherson, Brendan Scales, Messiah Swinson
With Okwuegbunam gone for the NFL, Missouri loses a lot of talent at the position, but could gain some consistency. For every jaw-dropping touchdown grab Okwuegbunam made, he seemed to also miss a block, drop a pass or commit a costly penalty. Parker will likely step into Okwuegbunam's role as the top tight end in terms of snaps, though he probably won't ever put up quite the receiving numbers. Hea, who played in 10 games in his first year on campus, seems the top candidate to replace Okwuegbunam in the passing game. Hea caught 43 passes for 814 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior at Christian Brothers College high school. Scales, who missed most of 2019 with a broken foot, and Swinson, who was set back by a torn ACL prior to the 2018 season, offer some intrigue as pass-catchers as well, while Christopherson operated mostly as a blocker In short-yardage situations last year.
Incoming: none
No tight ends had committed to Missouri in the last several months under Odom. Look for probable new tight ends coach Casey Woods to add a player at the position before the February signing day.
Projected 2019 starter: Daniel Parker Jr.
Parker has the potential to be an elite blocker and, while he may not be the speediest player, has shown reliable hands. Barring injury, he will almost certainly play the most snaps among the tight end group.
Offseason storylines to monitor:
How will Drinkwitz use his tight ends, and how does the current crop fit? At NC State, Drinkwitz utilized Jaylen Samuels — then listed as a tight end but now a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers — in a wide variety of ways, from a blocker to a pass-catcher to a tailback to a wildcat quarterback. At Appalachian State, his offense often employed an H-Back, who lined up at the end of the offensive line but a yard or two behind the line of scrimmage. It will be Interesting to monitor how he fits Missouri's tight ends into his scheme and which players best fit which roles.