Spring football preview: Quarterbacks
On Sunday, March 3, Missouri will begin its march toward the 2019 season with its first spring practice. Each day until then, we will preview the 2019 roster, one position at a time. We start, of course, with the quarterbacks, where Barry Odom and his staff made its biggest splash during the offseason.
The starter: As soon as former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant announced that he would be transferring to Missouri, the task of succeeding Drew Lock fell to him. Bryant became perhaps the most sought-after graduate transfer in the country after he announced he would be leaving Clemson, where he started 18 games in 2017 and 2018. As a junior, Bryant completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,802 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also added 665 yards and 11 touchdowns as a runner. Bryant amassed a 12-2 record that season and led Clemson to the College Football Playoff.
Bryant is a true dual-threat quarterback, and his running ability coupled with Missouri’s talented crop of running backs should make a Tiger rushing attack that finished 2018 strong even better next season. But Bryant has been outspoken about his desire to prove he can play quarterback in the NFL, so look for offensive coordinator Derek Dooley to keep some of the play-action and downfield passing concepts he utilized last season as part of the offense. Spring practices will be key for Bryant to learn the offense and mesh with Dooley.
The backups: Currently, there are three quarterbacks on Missouri’s roster returning from last season who could serve as backups for Bryant. We don’t expect all three to remain on the roster by time the season kicks off. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Powell won the backup job last offseason and appears to be the most likely to serve as the No. 2 passer this season. Powell saw only mop-up duty last year, completing six of his 14 pass attempts on the season. Senior Jack Lowary and junior Lindsey Scott Jr. also remain on the roster even though neither played a snap last season. Lowary has expressed interest in coaching, so it’s possible he could give up his scholarship while remaining around the team as a student assistant. Scott, who started his college career at LSU before transferring to Missouri from junior college, slipped down the depth chart last offseason and figures to have an uphill battle to playing time. Junior Micah Wilson already bowed out of the quarterback competition by switching to wide receiver.
Potential Storylines: Who will stay on the roster and who will depart? While it wouldn’t be a surprise to see at least one of Powell, Lowary and Scott leave the program, the Tiger coaching staff will want to keep at least one of the three on the roster, otherwise incoming freshman Connor Bazelak (more on him in a moment) will be the only eligible option left to back up Bryant.
Help on the way: Missouri addressed one of its most glaring needs by bringing in more than just Bryant at the quarterback position. Former TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson announced that he would join the roster two weeks after Bryant. While Robinson will not be eligible for the 2019 season — he’ll have two years to play afterward — he is already on campus and can participate in practices this spring. Robinson played seven games for TCU this year, in which he 1,334 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions while adding 230 yards and three scores on the ground. In addition to Robinson, Missouri signed Bazelak, a three-star prospect out of Ohio. Bazelak won’t arrive on campus until the summer, and as a result he seems likely destined to redshirt this season.
Spring prediction: Barring injury, Bryant is without a doubt Missouri’s starter. Powell will hold onto the No. 2 spot.