Spring football preview: Tight end
On Sunday, March 3, Missouri will begin its march toward the 2019 football season with its first spring practice. Each day until then, we will preview the 2019 roster, one position at a time. Today, we take a look at the tight ends.
The starters: Missouri’s 2019 offense got a boost when Albert Okwuegbunam announced he would return to school for his junior season rather than enter the NFL Draft. Okwuegbunam had an up-and-down 2018 campaign that was ultimately shortened by a shoulder injury, but he has shown the ability to be one of the most dynamic tight ends in the SEC, especially in the red zone. Okwuegbunam caught 11 touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman in 2017, which tied for the most in the country among tight ends. Last season, he caught six touchdowns in nine games. Okwuegbunam had a few huge performances, such as a 159-yard and three-touchdown game against Memphis, but also struggled at times, such as when he caught two passes for 20 yards against Kentucky and four for 13 yards against South Carolina. Regardless, expect Okwuegbunam to be featured heavily in the offense this season. He will likely be joined in two tight end sets by sophomore Daniel Parker Jr. The converted defensive end found a home at tight end last season, even being named to the SEC all-freshman team. Parker excelled as a blocker, but he also showed decent hands when necessary, catching six passes for 63 yards and a score on the year.
The backups: Among the most intriguing players on Missouri’s offense will be redshirt freshman tight end Messiah Swinson. The six-foot-seven Swinson appeared to be in line to contribute as a true freshman last season, but a torn ACL suffered during fall camp sidelined him for the year. Junior Brendan Scales and sophomore Logan Christopherson add to the Tigers’ depth at the position.
Spring storyline: The health of Okwuegbunam will certainly be worth monitoring, but assuming he’s able to participate fully in spring practices, we’ll be most eager to get a glimpse of what Swinson can do and how the staff might use him in the offense. His size and athleticism should make him a potential red zone receiving threat right away. If he can shows he can block, Missouri could use him in a role similar to the one Kendall Blanton played a season ago (while Okwuegbunam was healthy).
Help on the way: Just a couple days before the early signing period, Missouri extended a scholarship offer to St. Louis native Niko Hea. Hea, who burst onto the scene with a big senior season, quickly committed to the Tigers. By all accounts, the late-blooming Hea boasts impressive size and athleticism, but he will need to add some bulk to his frame. Hea will arrive on campus in the summer.
Spring prediction: As long as he’s healthy, Okwuegbunam will be Missouri’s go-to tight end in the passing game. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if he led the team in catches next season. We expect Swinson to back up Okwuegbunam and be utilized some two tight end sets, while Parker plays a similar role to a season ago.