Though the moves were reported more than a week ago, Missouri’s new defensive coaching alignment had not been announced or publicly discussed by Eli Drinkwitz until Saturday afternoon. Following the Tigers’ second spring practice, Drinkwitz said first-year assistant Blake Baker is replacing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and linebackers coach D.J. Smith will serve as co-defensive coordinator.
“(It will) allow for us cohesiveness in that room, continuing on the progress that we had made toward the end of the season,” Drinkwitz said. “Blake has got experience calling defense, experience in this league and experience putting it together. Coach Smith has got experience with our players and what we’re doing here. I look forward to a collaborative effort to continue to improve our defense.”
Missouri will run a scheme that isn’t much different than the 4-2-5 Wilks employed a year ago and keep as much of the terminology as possible. Baker will be the playcaller on game days.
“Blake will be the play caller,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s got experience calling defenses in game situations. It will be a collaborative effort throughout the week and with different areas broke down, but the final say will be Blake as the defensive coordinator.
The players aren’t incredibly familiar with Baker just yet, but defensive tackle Realus George has been on a team with Baker before when he was a freshman at Miami.
“I love coach Baker,” George said. “He wasn’t my coach, I was on the other side of the ball and went against him every day, but we still had like a cool enough relationship where when he got here, I was excited about him, and I knew what kind of guy he is and what kind of energy he brings to the defense. We’re all excited about that. Because honestly, he’s doing what he can to keep it kind of the same for us as last year and just bringing what he can from his defense.”
Baker will call plays, but Smith will have daily input on the defense as well. Smith has been with Drinkwitz all three years since moving from Appalachian State.
“He knows what it’s like in the locker room, he knows what guys are like, he knows how it feels to be a broke college kid,” senior safety Martez Manuel said. “He relates to us at that standard. He’s not ashamed of his story. He tells us his story and it really motivates me and like I said, just seeing a black man in that position of power being able to do things the way they want to do it, it just really motivates me. I’ve built a great relationship with him and just look forward to building more of it.”
Drinkwitz also discussed the hire of cornerbacks coach Al Pogue from Troy. Pogue and Drinkwitz worked together at Auburn years ago.
“Very excited about Al’s energy and experience and what he’s going to bring,” Drinkwitz said. “Our defensive staff has been working hard putting this thing together and to make improvements.”
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT QUARTERBACK?
Brady Cook and Tyler Macon are the only scholarship quarterbacks taking part in spring ball…for now. Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels was on campus for a visit at Mizzou on Friday and signed a scholarship agreement earlier in the week, but Daniels has not declared where he’ll transfer to at this point. Despite that signed scholarship agreement, Drinkwitz wasn’t taking the bait.
“I can’t comment on any recruiting,” he said.
A source indicated to PowerMizzou.com that Daniels was still on campus as of Saturday afternoon.
Asked about the quarterback position in general, Drinkwitz limited his discussion to Macon and Cook and the one other quarterback everyone knows will be here this fall.
“I think it’s really important for both Tyler and Brady to understand that the job’s not going to be earned in the spring,” Drinkwitz said. “Sam’s (Horn) going to have an opportunity to earn the job when he shows up on campus and so we’re competing every single day because we always compete, but after the spring game, there’s not going to be an announcement of who the quarterback is.”
Or whether he’s even on the roster yet.
Horn won’t arrive on campus until June. Until further notice, it is a two-man competition and Cook and Macon have the next three weeks to stake their claim as the leading candidate to start in 2022. Both saw the field last season and both got a start, but neither has ever entered spring or fall camp in competition for the starting job.
“They’re developing as quarterbacks, that’s what spring’s for,” senior receiver Barrett Banister said. “I think both of them have done a great job these first two days and I think those progressions are just gonna keep stacking days on top of each other.”
“I think we need to see both of them become more of a leadership role, especially in the quarterback position, kind take charge of the huddle, getting everybody right, getting the details right,” offensive lineman Connor Wood added. “I haven’t noticed a huge difference between them both, but they’re both competing, they’re both doing great.”
Stay tuned. The next open practice is Thursday. It’s possible things look a bit different by then.
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
*Wide receiver Luther Burden is the only early enrollee freshman to have earned a number after the first practice. Burden was wearing his customary No. 3 on Saturday afternoon.
“Everybody gets an opportunity to earn their number,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s just a part of the process would be the biggest thing. Don’t need to fuel any more hype. There’s plenty of hype out there. Just calm down. It’s still late February.”
The hype is going to come no matter what. But so far, Burden has done what his coaches and teammates wanted to see.
“He hasn’t acted like he was the top recruit in the country as a receiver, which he was, he earned that,” Banister said. “But he’s come in, he’s made himself just another freshman coming in ready to work, ready to learn…He’s done everything he’s been asked to do.”
“He’s very humble, attacks every day because he wants to get better. You don’t see entitlement,” Drinkwitz said before knocking on the wooden podium. “You see a guy who’s very humble and hungry and working to earn his opportunity.”
*A number of players are dealing with injuries that will limit them this spring. Drinkwitz specifically said the following players will miss “a significant portion” of spring football: cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, safety Martez Manuel, offensive lineman Bobby Lawrence, cornerback Snoop Reeves, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw and safety Jalani Williams.
“We’re still, especially on the back end, a little bit beat up,” Drinkwitz said. “But our guys are working hard and it’s an opportunity for some of these guys that have transferred in or young guys to get quality reps.”
*Missouri will return to the practice field on Tuesday after a couple of days off. The next practice with a portion open to the media will be on Thursday. We will have a chance to talk to all the Tiger assistant coaches on Monday afternoon.
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