****Official 2018 Missouri Tigers Football Thread****

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The beginning of the 2018 season is a little under five weeks away. Missouri enters the year projected to finish 4th in the East, and may be a borderline Top 25 team according to some projection systems. After a disappointing recruiting cycle last year, pressure is on Odom to restock the cupboard after the senior years of Lock and Beckner, who will go down as two of the better Tigers in history and likely first round draft picks.

Schedule:

Spoiler!

9/1: vs. Tenn-Martin
9/8: vs. Wyoming
9/15: @Purdue
9/22: vs. Georgia
10/6: @SCar
10/13: @Alabama
10/20: vs. Memphis (homecoming)
10/27: vs. Kentucky
11/3: @Florida
11/10: Vandy
11/17: @Tennessee
11/23: vs. Arkansas

Recruiting:

Spoiler!

Commits:

Martez Manuel, DB: ***, 5.6 RR, Columbia, MO
Chris Shearin, DB:***, 5.5 RR, Bradenton, FL
Connor Bazelak, QB: ***, 5.6 RR, Dayton, OH
Anthony Watkins, ATH: **, 5.4 RR, Fort Worth, TX
Jack Buford, OL: ***, 5.7 RR, St. Louis, MO
Aidan Harrison, DB: ***, 5.5 RR, New Lothrop, MI
Thalen Robinson, OL, ***, 5.6 RR, Arlington, TX
Maurice Massey, WR, ***, 5.7 RR, St. Louis, MO
Ishmael Burdine DB, ***, 5.7 RR, Slidell, LA
Stacy Brown, DB, ***, 5.6 RR, Duncanville, TX
Jalani Williams, DB, ****, 5.8 RR, St. Louis, MO
CJ Boone, WR, ***, 5.6 RR, St. Louis, MO
Luke Griffin, OL, ***, 5.7 RR, Chatsworth, GA
Devin Nicholson, LB, ***, 5.6 RR, Detroit, MI
Niko Hea, TE, ***, 5.5 RR, St. Louis, MO
Isaiah McGuire, DE, ***, 5.5 RR, Tulsa, OK
Darius Robinson, DE, ***, 5.7 RR, Canton, MI
Chris Daniels, DT, ***, 5.5 RR, Wesson MS
Jamie Pettway, LB, ***, 5.7 RR, Albany, GA
Shemar Pearl, DE, ***, 5.6 RR, Plano, TX
Arvell Ferguson, DE, ***, 5.5 RR, Kirkwood, MO

Transfers:

Kelly Bryant, QB, Clemson Grad Transfer (former 4*)
Shawn Robinson QB, TCU Transfer (former 3*)
Jonathan Nance WR, Arkansas Grad Transfer (former 3*)

At this point, the class is ranked 68-69 nationally by Rivals and 24/7. Odom is going to have to rely on Pinkel's diamond-in-the-rough approach. It looks like they've pulled back considerably from Georgia, focusing more upon Texas, which is what they should have always done. Unfortunately, they've done horrific in-state, and I think that will likely end up being the nail in Odom's coffin after the 2019 season.

12/19 Update: A strong finish late in the cycle moved the class up significantly. Securing commitments from grad transfer Kelly Bryant and TCU transfer Shawn Robinson has solidified the QB position in the short and intermediate term. A class that was ranked in the 60's at the beginning of the season is now a top 20-30 class factoring in transfers.

Hamas' Crystal Ball: 8-4; 4-4 in the SEC (wins vs. Ark, Tenn, Vandy, Kentucky)

[Mosbonian]

My worry is that they will fire Odom and make Dooley the Head Coach

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Mosbonian

I totally agree with what you say....but here is the million dollar question:

Who is out there right now that would be a great hire for Mizzou?

Oh, I have no idea. I'm just saying that the writing is on the wall for Odom. I don't even think Mizzou is dumb enough to give Dooley another HC gig. Sterk has shown acumen to this point.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Odom is so ****ed once Lock is gone. He hasn't recruited a single WR that can win one-on-one, the pass rush is non-existent, and the secondary is worse than I've ever seen it.

Washington is getting lots of crystal balls to Texas too. If Mizzou gets a coach that can keep most of the instate talent they can be a top 10 team damn near every year.

[Chiefspants]

The amazing thing from watching this is that this was a winnable game for Mizzou, something I did not at all expect going in.

The pieces were there to win, the execution wasn't. This could be a fun team to watch this year if they iron everything out.

The crystal ball shows that this year might be the last hurrah for a while though, right?

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

The amazing thing from watching this is that this was a winnable game for Mizzou, something I did not at all expect going in.

The pieces were there to win, the execution wasn't. This could be a fun team to watch this year if they iron everything out.

The crystal ball shows that this year might be the last hurrah for a while though, right?

Yeah, it's one of those moral victories. If we had a nickel for every one of those, we could buy our own SEC ref$.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

The amazing thing from watching this is that this was a winnable game for Mizzou, something I did not at all expect going in.

The pieces were there to win, the execution wasn't. This could be a fun team to watch this year if they iron everything out.

The crystal ball shows that this year might be the last hurrah for a while though, right?

Too many ****up's to win.

Bullshit fumble return for a TD & Blocked punt for a TD. Can't win games like that against bad teams much less the #2 team in the nation. Georgia looked beatable today but today feels like a giant missed opportunity. I wonder if a healthy Emanuel Hall changes this game at all? He really wasn't a factor. Missouri didn't hit anything deep. If officials are going to be so reliant on instant replay, they really should have goal line cameras at every game...NFL & college. I've wondered for years why they never have.

[gblowfish]

Welp, at least they weren't totally destroyed like they were against Auburn last year. I was at that game. It was a baby seal clubbing.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Too many ****up's to win.

Bullshit fumble return for a TD & Blocked punt for a TD. Can't win games like that against bad teams much less the #2 team in the nation. Georgia looked beatable today but today feels like a giant missed opportunity. I wonder if a healthy Emanuel Hall changes this game at all? He really wasn't a factor. Missouri didn't hit anything deep. If officials are going to be so reliant on instant replay, they really should have goal line cameras at every game...NFL & college. I've wondered for years why they never have.

Oh god, just too expensive!

[BryanBusby]

The plan never stood a chance from the start and really Odom was ****ed from the get go.

He's trying to copy a Gary Pinkel map without having the ability to coach, develop and recruit like Gary Pinkel. There was a great coach right there for the taking, who would of gladly chosen Missouri over Iowa State, and they never bothered to even call him.

I think they need to go with Neal Brown this time around.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

The plan never stood a chance from the start and really Odom was ****ed from the get go.

He's trying to copy a Gary Pinkel map without having the ability to coach, develop and recruit like Gary Pinkel. There was a great coach right there for the taking, who would of gladly chosen Missouri over Iowa State, and they never bothered to even call him.

I think they need to go with Neal Brown this time around.

Seth Littrell

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

The plan never stood a chance from the start and really Odom was ****ed from the get go.

He's trying to copy a Gary Pinkel map without having the ability to coach, develop and recruit like Gary Pinkel. There was a great coach right there for the taking, who would of gladly chosen Missouri over Iowa State, and they never bothered to even call him.

I think they need to go with Neal Brown this time around.

Since this board has told me Frost isnt a good coach, Heupel has taken over UCF and hasnt missed a beat. Left nut debunked and hed more in the know but I still contend Heupel is a great coach.

Neal Brown would also be a great hire. Good coach and has connections in the south.


With that said you guys are 3-1 and while Odom got off to a rough start he took care of business down the stretch.

Unless the next coach is guaranteed to lock down in state talent I think its lunacy to fire a guy who will win 7 or 8 games this year.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

Since this board has told me Frost isnt a good coach, Heupel has taken over UCF and hasnt missed a beat. Left nut debunked and hed more in the know but I still contend Heupel is a great coach.

Neal Brown would also be a great hire. Good coach and has connections in the south.


With that said you guys are 3-1 and while Odom got off to a rough start he took care of business down the stretch.

Unless the next coach is guaranteed to lock down in state talent I think its lunacy to fire a guy who will win 7 or 8 games this year.

I guess it really depends on if you're a glass half full or half empty kind of guy.

I just don't think the program is going to go forward at all with Barry Odom and with the strategic shift on being more of a football university, they need to not settle with maybe we'll be lucky with an okay year here and there and get a bowl game. Don't think we'd even be having this conversation today if a ton of programs didn't collapse all at once last season.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

I guess it really depends on if you're a glass half full or half empty kind of guy.

I just don't think the program is going to go forward at all with Barry Odom and with the strategic shift on being more of a football university, they need to not settle with maybe we'll be lucky with an okay year here and there and get a bowl game. Don't think we'd even be having this conversation today if a ton of programs didn't collapse all at once last season.

I noticed the tone changed once you guys laid an egg vs Texas in that bowl game. As it turns out Texas is looking like it might actually be a pretty good team. Beat SC next week and I'd imagine some of the heat on Odom dies down.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

I noticed the tone changed once you guys laid an egg vs Texas in that bowl game. As it turns out Texas is looking like it might actually be a pretty good team. Beat SC next week and I'd imagine some of the heat on Odom dies down.

My tone has kept pretty consistent through the whole run, but yeah general opinion has been up and done. I've always felt he wasn't good. I also think that Drew Lock is overrated as a prospect for the NFL and never saw what teams saw when they mouthed first round pick, but **** if Josh Allen is a top ten than I guess it's possible.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The one thing that we've always known is that any coach in any sport at any level (Larry Coker, Barry Switzer, Frank Haith, Les Miles, et al) can win with someone else's player's, but it's a hell of a lot harder to do it with your own.

Where are the impact players that Odom has brought in? His best defender, his QB, and his #1 WR are all Pinkel's recruits. Albert O signed when Pinkel was still here, as did Nate Brown. There are some good lineman that they've signed, like Durant, but most of those were either signed before Pinkel resigned or they're JUCO guys. The one thing he has done is brought in good RB talent, but Crockett has not looked like the same player from two years ago, when he was one of the most dynamic freshman in Missouri history.

The cupboard is extremely thin, and it's thin because Odom can't recruit in this state worth a damn. A lot of us said it a while back, but him striking out on all that in-state talent in the last recruiting cycle was going to be his downfall. Given that he hasn't shown an ability to recruit top end talent or find enough diamonds in the rough (the development of pass rushers has completely disintegrated since Kuligowski left) there is almost nothing to hang his hat on. The coach after Odom is going to have nothing to work with.