COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri’s wide receiver room is in a unique situation. It looks just about the same as last season.
Almost, anyway — there are a couple of new freshmen in the No. 11 Tigers’ wideout ranks. But put them aside, and the receivers on the roster this year were also on the roster last year.
In the age of the transfer portal and ready-made exits in pursuit of more playing time, though, it might be better to tout the novelty of Mizzou’s receiving corps in the inverse: The wide receivers who were on the roster last year are also on the roster this year.
MU coach Eli Drinkwitz recognizes the strangeness of that phenomenon. It gives Missouri one of the highest-regarded groups of wide receivers in the nation, buoyed at the top by the likes of Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr.
“Very talented,†Drinkwitz called them recently. “As skilled as any group I’ve ever seen from 1 through 11.â€
People are also reading…
Having an entire position group come back, though, creates a bit of a pickle. Without the usual bit of turnover from season to season, the Mizzou receivers who found themselves buried in the depth chart last year don’t have a natural climb to more prominent roles this time around. Even with the creativity of second-year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, only so many mouths can realistically be fed.
So Drinkwitz is pairing a unique situation with a unique ask of his wideouts.
“The challenge for them is to be uncommonly unselfish,†he said. “Wide receivers tend to want the game to be played through them.â€
How the Tigers divvy up targets among a deep group of receivers will be a trend of interest during the 2024 season. Last year, Burden received 120 of the 352 targets, or 34.1% of the available looks, according to Pro Football Focus.
That specific number might change, but the idea that Burden would get roughly a third of the passes thrown his way doesn’t seem like the sort of offensive tenet that will shift astronomically. Wease received 78 targets, or 22.1%. Next came Mookie Cooper, rounding out the starting wide receivers with 45 targets for 12.8% of the total allotment.
The next two highest targets last year were running back Cody Schrader and tight end Brett Norfleet. Schrader may be gone, but Missouri will undoubtedly still look to incorporate running backs into the passing game. Norfleet is also returning and could merit more of a role in his second season.
Then comes the depth receiver options. Mekhi Miller earned 21 targets last season while Marquis Johnson picked up 16 as a true freshman. The former’s experience and the latter’s speed would make it a challenge for coaches to decrease the opportunities given to them.
But two second-year wide receivers are looking to present exactly that kind of challenge.
Joshua Manning, a former four-star recruit from Lee’s Summit, has impressed through spring practices and preseason camp. He was the offensive MVP of the Tigers’ spring game and stood out in their weekend scrimmage.
“Josh is very consistent,†Drinkwitz said. “I think he does a really good job of finding a role in special teams. The challenge to everybody is embrace your role, put the team first, find a place that you can help us. He’s always helping us in special teams, but he’s done a great job in the wide receiver room.â€
Manning didn’t receive a target during his freshman season but did play prominently in a special teams capacity, appearing in 12 games. Preseason practices suggest that will remain consistent, perhaps with a few route assignments to run as well.
The transition from dominating high school games to sitting near the bottom of the depth chart with a Southeastern Conference program was something of a wake-up call for Manning.
“I learned that it’s really hard to play at this level,†he said. “I felt like I wasn’t good enough last year. I feel like I’ve put in the work to be good enough this year.â€
That work entailed catching 100 passes from a JUGS machine each day during the offseason, Manning said, in addition to more lifting and a focus on his movement at the top of a receiving route.
Similarly pushing for playing time is Daniel Blood, who’s also entering his second season with the Tigers.
Like Manning, Blood’s freshman appearances came mostly on special teams, where he played in 10 games. Blood did receive three targets as a receiver, though, including one that turned into a vital 3rd down catch against Louisiana State.
“He’s been really good. Very consistent yards after the catch,†Drinkwitz said. “Been doing a great job with his punt return. (He’s) another utility guy.â€
Whom Mizzou will use for punt returns is yet to be determined, but practices have shown that Blood is clearly in the mix. His offseason training regimen centered around the ability to advance the ball after it’s in his hands.
“My coach challenged me on yards after the catch,†Blood said, “and I think I really proved to him that I can do that.â€
It seems to be paying off. Cooper said Blood was a standout in MU’s first scrimmage of preseason camp for one acronymic reason: “Lot of YAC.â€
DE Darris Smith suffers practice injury
Missouri’s preseason camp received an injury scare when edge rusher Darris Smith left Tuesday morning’s practice with an injury. He fell to the turf during a one-on-one drill that seemed like a simulation of a punt coverage player shedding a blocker and was helped to the locker room while limiting the weight on his left leg.
The severity of Smith’s injury will likely not be clear until Drinkwitz next addresses local reporters, which is scheduled to take place Tuesday.
Smith, a transfer from Georgia, has been competing for a spot in Mizzou’s defensive end rotation.