Roster review: Wide receivers
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 wide receivers.
2019 recap
Missouri paired two seniors in Johnathon Johnson and Jonathan Nance with several second-year players who the staff hoped might take the next step in their development in 2019. Instead, the unit struggled. Johnson had a couple big games but missed the final four games of the season due to injury. Nance was the most consistent receiver of the group but still only caught about 2.5 passes per game. Kam Scott and Jalen Knox both displayed maddening inconsistency, following up big plays with dropped passes or simply disappearing for games at a time. The unit didn't get much help from the quarterback play, especially in the second half of the season, but even so, the persistent drops and lack of a big-play threat exacerbated the offensive woes.
Looking ahead
Departing: Jonathan Nance, Johnathon Johnson
Returning: Kam Scott, Jalen Knox, Barrett Banister, Dominic Gicinto, Tauskie Dove, Micah Wilson, Maurice Massey, CJ Boone
Missouri loses its two leading pass-catchers from what was already an underwhelming group. The Tiger wideouts combined to score just six touchdowns on the season, and four of those came from Nance. There is clearly talent among the returners, but all come with question marks. Knox made a big Impact during the first half of his freshman season, catching 27 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns in 2018, but regressed to 19 catches for 307 yards last year. Scott possesses elite speed and has shown big play ability but struggled with drops and penalties last season. Banister emerged as the team's most consistent receiver by the end of last year but hasn't yet been asked to play a full season's worth of snaps. Massey and Boone both needed a year to adjust to college ball and redshirted. In short, Missouri has bodies at wideout, but no one who has really come close to proving he can be counted on as a go-to pass-catcher.
Incoming: Jay Maclin, JJ Hester
Adding to the list of talented but inexperienced wideouts for Missouri will be Maclin and Hester, both of whom signed in the early period. Maclin, the cousin of former Tiger great Jeremy Maclin, figures to project as a likely slot receiver. He will enroll in January, which should give him a leg up on learning the new scheme. Hester, a former four-star recruit, should bring length and speed to the outside. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Drinkwitz bring in at least one more wideout, if not two, in this class, either from the high school or transfer ranks.
Projected 2019 starters: Jalen Knox, Barrett Banister, Maurice Massey
This is admittedly a total guess. Spring practices should give us a much better idea of who fits in Drinkwitz's new scheme and who has taken the next step in consistency, which will be the biggest factors in determining reps. Banister seems like the safest bet to start; by season's end, the former walk-on was handling almost every snap In the slot. Knox brings the most production of the group of wideouts. We have Massey in the final spot for now because he might have the highest ceiling of anyone in the position group, and if he can put It all together this offseason, he could be poised for a big year. Learning his second new offensive scheme in as many college seasons could be a big ask, though.
Offseason storylines to monitor:
Can the staff find a new addition who can make an instant impact at wideout? Maclin or Hester could fit that bill, but it seems more likely Drinkwitz tries to find a more experienced receiver on the graduate transfer market. Missouri desperately needs a consistent threat at the position, and after last season, it's hard to have faith the Tigers currently have that person on the roster.