It was an up-and-down year for Missouri's offensive line as a whole in 2022.
We've already talked about left tackle Javon Foster returning and looking to get his name back in all-conference conversations, as well as the hope the Tigers have in former Eastern Michigan left tackle Marcellus Johnson making the successful transition to right tackle
On one hand, when talking about the interior offensive line, there are more questions than known solutions at this moment.
On the other hand, there are some promising moves that have happened in the interior that could lead to better production for Mizzou in 2023.
Upside
The first key positive starts with the new position coach and who he brought with him
After offensive line coach Marcus Johnson left in March to take the same job at Purdue, Mizzou brought in former Houston offensive line coach Brandon Jones to replace him, and again, he didn't come alone.
He brought former Houston All-American Athletic Conference left guard Cam'Ron Johnson with him. This is the second upside of things for this group.
Johnson had a PFF pass-blocking grade of 79.4 which would've ranked 24th in the Southeastern Conference among offensive linemen.
He's believed to be transitioning to center which is probably the Tigers' biggest position of concern after tight end.
The next key upside comes in the form of Armand Membou, who proved to be a nice addition to the offensive line at right tackle as a true freshman in 2022 and now is in line to be the team's starting right guard.
Marcus Johnson said in early March that Membou has special traits and that's part of why he was able to see sustained playing time in his first season.
"There aren't a lot of guys 一 and I had this conversation with him 一 that play as a first-year offensive lineman in the country," Johnson said. "I don't know the numbers, but I bet you probably can count on two hands how many true freshmen played and probably one hand in this league. He has a special and unique ability that you can coach. I mean, his combination of size, strength, athleticism and twitch."
Much like the right tackle position, the right guard position was also a turnstile with Connor Wood, Mitchell Walters and EJ Ndoma-Ogar all starting at least two games at the position.
Ndoma-Ogar played well before suffering a season-ending lower leg injury in week 10 versus Kentucky and he caught the eye of the coaching staff, according to Marcus Johnson.
"I thought he did a good job when he got his opportunity," Johnson said in an early March interview. "I just hate it because it was so short-lived. He played some last year and he's an older guy going into year five now, so he's kind of been around the block and back. Hopefully, once he's back on the field he can continue where he left off at."
When fall camp rolls back around in August it will have been around 10 months since the injury occurred. So, he's expected to be healthy enough to compete for the left guard position.
So, even though Membou will have to adjust to playing faster since he is closer to the ball, he's a player the coaching staff is happy to have starting.
This would mean the Tigers at this point in time have some level of optimism in four of their five starting offensive line positions (all except left guard).
Downside
With Cam’Ron’s move to center, the left guard spot and the uncertainty of the position comes more into focus.
Last season's starter, Xavier Delgado, had PFF pass-blocking and run-blocking grades south of 56 last season.
Despite entering his sixth season in 2023 and having over 30 starts under his belt, it's probable the Tigers would probably like to give someone else a chance to start at that spot.
Ndoma-Ogar's aforementioned lower leg injury limited him in spring football and he has only 56 snaps logged in at left guard during the course of his career, according to PFF College.
So, the uncertainty lies with having a player with limited experience at that position coming off of a lower leg injury win the job or having a player who was inconsistent win back the job.
The second downside 一 really more of a precautionary thought 一 is moving Cam’Ron to center.
Since he was an all-conference guard last season it's reasonable to expect that he can make the move.
But he did commit 11 penalties (five in pass-blocking situations) last season which would've ranked third in the SEC and led the team. And that was just against AAC competition.
Obviously, his responsibilities will increase when he moves to center and that's notable because he doesn't have any experience playing there.
There's not much reason to worry now, and having his offensive line coach who helped him earn all-conference honors helps but it's still a small gamble to have brought in a player who never has played center to start there, especially in this league.
The Tigers know he can play well at left guard but if he doesn't successfully transition to center and he has to play guard again Missouri will be back at its initial issue after spring ball 一 wondering who will play center.
Connor Tollison struggled mightily in his first season as the starting center and was still struggling to snap the ball in spring ball.
Bence Polgar, who was ineligible last season after transferring from Buffalo, apparently wasn't making much noise during the spring (based on Tollison generally being with the first team during practices media attended and Cam’Ron’s position change).
If things don't work out then the Tigers will have just moved problems from one position (center) to another (left guard) and possibly back again instead of successfully fixing both position problems.
Reality
If Ndoma-Ogar is healthy, he should have a good chance to compete for starting left guard.
Cam'Ron will start at center and Membou will have right guard all locked up.
These three will join tackles Foster and Marcellus Johnson to make up the starting offensive line.
Cam'Ron should be an improvement at center and a healthy Ndoma-Ogar probably has the edge 一 at least going into fall camp.
Membou, despite being the youngest and least experienced of the players vying for starting spots in the interior, is probably the one the Tigers feel the most sure about relative to their position.
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