Spring Preview: Tight Ends
Missouri will open its second spring under Barry Odom next month. Over the next two weeks, we preview spring ball position by position. Today, it's the tight ends.
SPRING FOOTBALL 2017: TIGHT END
THE STARTER: The likely guy once the season gets going is Kendall Blanton, who emerged as a sophomore with 16 catches for 161 yards and three touchdowns while backing up Sean Culkin. Blanton started two games a season ago and showed athleticism and the ability to be a red zone threat, with nearly 20% of his catches going for scores. But Blanton will miss spring football recovering from surgery on torn ligaments in his ankle, which means Jason Reese is the No. 1 option.
THE BACKUPS: Upon Blanton's return, we anticipate Reese will be the primary backup. Reese caught eight passes for 97 yards a season ago. He hasn't quite broken out like many thought, but has all the tools to be a weapon in Josh Heupel's attack. This will be Reese's final go-round so it will be interesting to see if he can take advantage of the added opportunities in spring ball. Redshirt freshmen Brendan Scales and Albert Okwuegbunam round out the spring rotation as far as scholarship players go and both will get an extended look.
Potential Storylines: No position is as flexible in this offense as the tight end. They will be split out wide, attached to the line and even put in the backfield. Who emerges in the Tyler Hanneke H-Back role this time around? Is it one of the previously mentioned tight ends or someone else? The progress of the two redshirt freshmen will be one of the most intriguing things to watch.
Spring Prediction: Blanton is a potential breakout player on offense. He is a bit of a throwback to Missouri's tight end glory days of Rucker, Coffman and Egnew with the combination of size and athleticism. Look for him to have a big role. We're going with Albert Okwuegbunam as a spring surprise who could push for No. 2 on the depth chart by the end of the Black and Gold game.
Help on the Way: The Tigers signed Illinois tight end Logan Christopherson, who was limited by injury as a senior. If Christopherson blows people away in fall camp he would add to Missouri's depth, but a redshirt seems most likely considering the Tigers have four more experienced scholarship tight ends.