Spring football preview: Wide receiver
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 take a look at the wide receivers.
The starters: After an underwhelming wide receiver group from 2019 lost its two most productive players, competition for the starting spots should be wide open. It seems the best bet to earn one of those spots could be a player who has never played a down in a Missouri uniform: Virginia Tech transfer Damon Hazelton Jr. Hazelton, who started his college career at Ball State, caught 51 passes and eight touchdowns in 2018 and 31 passes plus eight more scores last season. He committed to Missouri as a graduate transfer on Feb. 1 and thus will be eligible immediately. The hope for new receivers coach Bush Hamdan has to be that he can serve as the go-to possession receiver Missouri lacked last season.
Almost by default, the other two early favorites to start seem to be Jalen Knox, out wide, and Barrett Banister in the slot. Knox and Banister are the only two returning wideouts to catch more than four passes last season. Knox exploded onto the scene as a true freshman, catching 20 passes and scoring three times in the first six games in 2017, but has just 26 grabs and one score in 14 games since. Banister, a former walk-on, took advantage of an injury to Johnathon Johnson and served as Missouri’s most productive receiver at the end of last season. Banister caught 35 passes for 334 yards and a score on the year.
The backups: Missouri has a host of talented but unproven options behind Banister and Knox. Perhaps no one embodies that better than redshirt freshman Maurice Massey. The Kirkwood product turned heads with some ridiculous catches during fall camp last season, but he struggled to learn the playbook and didn’t wind up recording a catch in four games of action. At 6-foot-3, Massey has the size and the athleticism to be a big play threat if he used the offseason to mature a bit. Redshirt sophomore Tauskie Dove and former quarterback Micah Wilson are other names to watch out wide. Dove only has two career catches, but he made the second one count, making an impressive play to come down with a jump ball on a scoring drive against Arkansas.
In the slot, junior Dominic Gicinto figures to push Banister for playing time. Gicinto looked to come on during the second half of 2018 — he caught nine passes for 171 yards and two scores on the year — but the Kansas City native battled injury and caught just four passes as a sophomore. Redshirt sophomore Khmari Thompson, who also runs track, has the physical abilities to contribute, but he has yet to record a catch and didn’t see the field at all last season due to a knee injury. Thompson practiced as a slot receiver last year but could also play out wide.
Newcomers to know: In addition to Hazelton, Missouri will have a true freshman join the team at wideout this spring. Jay Maclin, cousin of Missouri great Jeremy Maclin, has already enrolled in classes. Another Kirkwood product, Maclin likely projects as a slot receiver, so expect him to compete for playing time there. JJ Hester, Kris Abrams-Draine and preferred walk-on Chance Luper will further bolster the position when they enroll this summer.
Potential storylines: Can anyone in the position group be the go-to playmaker that Missouri lacked last season? Admittedly, it will be difficult to answer that definitively answer that question until the Tigers line up against another opponent, but talking to the coaches and seeing how Hazelton adjusts to his new team should give us our first clues about whether Missouri can improve one of its major weaknesses from a season ago.
PowerMizzou prediction: As a newcomer, Hazelton might initially be listed at the bottom of the depth chart and have to work his way up the ranks, but realistically, the staff brought him in to help right away. We expect him to work with the first team for much of spring ball. The other wideout spot will remain competitive going into the fall, but Massey will make enough plays that it will be impossible to keep him out of the discussion. Banister and Gicinto will split time in the slot.