Competitions at Running Back, Left Tackle Seem to be Settled for Missouri

There's now a few less unknowns on what the Missouri Tigers' lineup will look like for the 2024 season.

Players gather around running backs coach Curtis Luper at Missouri Tigers practice August, 13, 2024 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. / Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

The Missouri Tigers now have some more clarity on what their lineup will look like when they step onto the field for week 1. A little over two weeks of fall camp practices has led to some players earning starting opportunities.

First, SMU transfer Marcus Bryant has nearly locked down the starting left tackle spot. The 6-foot-8, 318 lb. force has made the most of his opportunities during practices.

"Marcus has taken all the reps with the ones at the left tackle position, and that position is really starting to gel," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said after week 2 of fall camp. "That doesn’t mean the competition is over by any means. We’d like to see some game reps with different guys, but that five right now is building some continuity and chemistry.”

Bryant's main competitor was JUCO transfer Jayven Richardson. But the more experienced Bryant has set himself apart in the race. He brings 29 games of starting experience in his four-year career with the Mustangs.

"I wanted to be in a program, it was kinda like a puzzle piece, somewhere that really needed me, not really in a rebuild type of deal," Bryant said in a press conference. "So that's when Mizzou hit me up and I came down here and we visited. They were emphasizing how I'm the puzzle piece to the to the puzzle so that’s why I chose to Missouri."

READ: Marcus Bryant is Beginning to Find his Role on the Mizzou Offensive Line

Lining up behind Bryant, there's less question marks at the running back position and what the split will look like with Nate Noel, Marcus Carroll and Jamal Roberts. Noel, a transfer from Appalachian State, seems to have established himself as the every down back while Carroll, a transfer from Georgia State, will serve as a powerful, change of pace, downhill runner.

In a scrimmage Saturday to close the second week of fall camp, Noel was held out as a precautionary measure. Carroll received around five carries, according to Drinkwitz.

"We’re very confident in what he can do, very excited about how he fits into this offense," Drinkwitz said of Noel. "Marcus Carroll, I think we ended up giving him five carries today. His best asset is to be a physical, downhill runner."

Roberts, a sophomore, has been taking the reps behind Noel and Carroll. The three-star prospect could be a threat as a downhill runner and as a receiver.

“I improved on pre-snap reads, picking up protections, running the ball a lot more, understanding the gap schemes," Roberts said Tuesday on the improvements he made this offseason.

Finally, on special teams, kicker Blake Craig is progressing during fall practices. He hasn't been perfect but is showing resiliency. The sophomore has big shoes to fill with Harrison Mevis now in the NFL. In a scrimmage Saturday, Craig went 6-for-7 on his kicks, missing from what Drinkwitz estimated was 51 yards.

"He’s had some days where he’s missed some kicks that we’ve got to make," Drinkwitz said. "But overall, he’s battled back. I think the biggest thing that I’ve seen is his mental toughness. You miss a couple of kicks, and it’s tough, and he’s just been out there, kept working, keeps his head down. He drilled the next opportunity he had from 51 on the left hash, and then made one right there at the end of the scrimmage.”

Craig was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 2 kicker by Kohl's kicking camps for the Class of 2023. Drinkwitz was impressed by the consistency Craig showed in the spring but said that he'll have to continue to prove it in high-pressure situations.

With Missouri's 2024 opener less than two weeks away, the Tigers are continuing to gel together with each practice. There will undoubtedly still be moving pieces and rotating doors by the time Drinkwitz's squad faces off against Murray State but there's now a few less unknowns for Missouri.

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