Tigers excited about the future, focused on the present
It’s the news that is still reverberating throughout the Mizzou fanbase. On Tuesday night, former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant committed to the Tigers over Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State and North Carolina. Bryant signed financial aid papers on Thursday and is set to begin classes in January.
“With a guy like this, you look at the way the schedule’s playing out next year,” Drew Lock said. “I’ll be an outsider looking in, so I can be honest about it. I think we have a really good chance to win a lot of games. He’s got a lot of weapons around him. For whoever’s playing quarterback, it’s going to be a good season for him.”
Bryant will have to officially win the starting job, but it’s a near foregone conclusion he is the successor to Lock as Missouri’s starter next season. Since the Tigers still have a bowl game to prepare form, offensive coordinator Derek Dooley didn’t want to talk about put some thought into how his offense will change next season.
“After Oklahoma State we’ll talk about next year,” Dooley said. “Right now, I’m focused on we’ve got to win this game. That’s the most important thing.”
While Lock was excited about the news Missouri landed its top target, he was also thinking about his current teammates.
“I’ve obviously grown really close to all the quarterbacks,” Lock said. “You’re torn. You got a new guy coming in. I’m super excited for him, I know he’ll learn a lot from coach Dooley. If he comes out here and plays, he’s going to do great. But then you’re still friends with the guys here. As far as my position goes, it’s kind of a difficult spot.”
Bryant wasn’t the only graduate transfer to commit to the Tigers last week. Just minutes after the quarterback’s announcement, he landed a deep threat when Arkansas wide receiver Jonathan Nance also announced he would play his final season in Columbia. Nance was a high school teammate of Tiger junior Richaud Floyd.
Nance has not yet signed financial aid papers with Missouri so the Tigers cannot comment on him yet.
With those two pieces in the fold, Missouri’s returning offensive players are bubbling with optimism about the 2019 season.
“With him coming in, being another element to the offense, being able to throw and run, we have a lot of weapons coming back,” Floyd said. “It should be a pretty exciting offense.”
The Tigers should learn in the coming weeks if tight end Albert Okwuegbunam will be one of those weapons. Barry Odom confirmed that Okwuegbunam was one of the Missouri players who have submitted their names to the NFL Draft Advisory Committee for feedback about where he would be picked in the 2019 draft.
“Maybe next week we’ll hear back on all those guys that had that interest,” Odom said. “It’s always good to be able to do that and get the information back. Then they’ve got a decision to make, but also can use it as motivation too as it turns out, when you think maybe I’m pretty good and then it comes back stay in school.”