Missouri will enter kick off its first spring under new head coach Eliah Drinkwitz on Saturday, March 7. Each day until then, we will break down the roster one position group at a time. Today, we switch over to the defensive side of the ball and take a look at the cornerbacks.
The starters: With DeMarkus Acy gone to the NFL and Christian Holmes having transferred to Oklahoma State, Missouri lost its two most experienced cornerbacks from last season’s roster. As a result, at least one starting spot will be up for grabs in the offseason.
The most likely starter appears to be junior Jarvis Ware. Ware started all 12 games as a sophomore, and while he played well at times, Ware also got picked on by Georgia and Florida (the two best passing teams Missouri faced) and committed a few frustrating personal foul penalties. Ware’s athleticism and physicality are apparent, though, and Missouri will likely need him to emerge as a shutdown corner this season. The only other player at the position with starting experience is senior Adam Sparks, and he figures to get first crack at the other starting spot. Sparks burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2017, starting eight games, but he missed the second half of 2018 due to injury and hasn’t played many meaningful snaps since. Sparks might be Missouri’s best corner in run support but needs to show more consistency in coverage.
The backups: Not only has no one aside from Sparks and Ware started a college game, none of Missouri’s other options have played more than 38 defensive snaps in their careers. Chris Shearin and Ishmael Burdine both arrived on Missouri’s campus a year ago and will likely be counted on to take on larger roles now that there are fewer players in front of them. Shearin played in 11 games in his first year on campus, including some meaningful snaps against Tennessee when Acy and Ware were banged up. Burdine had drawn positive reviews in spring practice but underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and didn’t see the field until the final game of the year — when he played 35 snaps out of nowhere. Redshirt sophomore Chris Mills also saw his season cut short due to injury when he tore his ACL in the second week of the season.
Newcomers to know: Missouri signed two cornerbacks in the 2020 class in Jaylon Carlies and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Both players will arrive in the summer, but both should have a chance to compete for playing time right away — especially Rakestraw, who chose Missouri over Alabama and Texas.
PowerMizzou prediction: While some Tiger fans might have been frustrated with Ware at times last season, the goal clearly needs to be for him to step into Acy’s role as the cornerback who shadows opponents’ best receiver. He will work with the first team from day one of spring camp. At least two other corners will see regular action, either as a starter or in packages with extra defensive backs. We believe Sparks will be one of those players, but Burdine is our dark horse pick to win the second starting job.
Previous position previews:
Linebacker
