Spring football preview: Linebacker
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 linebackers.
The starters: The starters: One of Missouri’s two starting linebacker spots is all but guaranteed. The other will have an open competition. Nick Bolton burst onto the scene with a massive sophomore season in 2019, racking up 103 tackles, including 8.5 for loss, and two interceptions. He earned second-team all-SEC honors as a result. Bolton should return to his weak side linebacker spot as both the leader of Missouri’s defense in 2020. Who will play next to him will likely remain a mystery until the fall.
After Cale Garrett went down with a torn pectoral tendon last season, sophomore Cameron Wilkins and freshman Devin Nicholson both started games in his place, with Nicholson starting the final six games of the season. Nicholson still hasn’t even been on Missouri’s campus for a full year, so if he continues to develop, he would probably be the favorite to win the starting spot. But he will also face competition from seniors Jamal Brooks and Aubrey Miller Jr. Brooks recorded 21 tackles last year, including seven in the season finale, while Miller turned heads in fall camp but missed the majority of the season with a knee injury.
The backups: The names mentioned above won’t be the only linebackers vying for regular playing time this season. A few talented underclassmen will hope to rise up the depth chart under new position coach D.J. Smith. Perhaps the most talented of the bunch is Chad Bailey. The former Rivals250 prospect has had bad injury luck since he got to campus, missing time with a broken thumb and a torn ACL, but he started to get some playing time on special teams last season. Another player who hasn’t yet had a chance to show what he can do due to injuries is Jamie Pettway. The highly-touted Georgia native had knee surgery prior to last season and sat out of practices for virtually the entire year. Redshirt sophomore Gerald Nathan Jr. will also hope to see meaningful snaps for the first time in his third year on campus.
Newcomers to know: Missouri signed just one linebacker in the 2020 class in Columbia native Will Norris. Norris will be a summer enrollee.
Storyline to watch: This one is pretty simple: Who will start at middle linebacker? We probably won’t get a concrete answer by the time the Black and Gold game rolls around, but look for a couple players to start to separate themselves across the 15 spring practices.
PowerMizzou prediction: Barring injury, the starting spot at weakside linebacker will belong to Bolton. Again, we don’t believe the staff will name a starter at middle linebacker until the fall, but if we had to pick the two most likely players to contend for the spot, it would be Nicholson and Miller. Also, keep an eye on Bailey. If he can stay healthy, he could crack the two-deep and get some action on special teams.
Previous position previews: