Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
With no major changes to this week’s depth chart, the Tigers seem content with running it back with the same group as Florida comes into town.
Missouri released its 10th official depth chart on Tuesday following its third straight conference loss, this time to Georgia, on Saturday. The next game won’t be any easier as the Tigers face No. 11 Florida, but at least they get the Gators at Faurot Field, the place where Missouri is 5-0 this season.
Here’s the full depth chart with some quick reactions following it:
Offense
Quarterback
- 7 Kelly Bryant 6-3 225 Gr. Calhoun Falls, S.C. (Wren)
- 5 Taylor Powell* 6-2 210 So. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)
Running Back
- 34 Larry Rountree III** 5-10 210 Jr. Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook)
- 1 Tyler Badie* 5-9 190 So. Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
Wide Receiver
- 9 Jalen Knox* 6-0 195 So. Mansfield, Texas (Timberview)
- 13 Kam Scott* 6-2 170 So. Manvel, Texas (Manvel)
Wide Receiver
- 4 Jonathan Nance 6-0 190 Gr. Perkinston, Miss. (Gulfport)
- 14 Dominic Gicinto* 5-9 180 So. Raytown, Mo. (Raytown)
Slot Receiver
- 12 Johnathon Johnson*** 5-10 180 RSSr. Memphis, Tenn. (Melrose)
- 30 Barrett Banister* 6-0 190 RSSo. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)
Left Tackle
- 70 Yasir Durant** 6-7 330 Sr. Philadelphia, Pa. (Imhotep/Arizona Western)
- 64 Bobby Lawrence 6-8 300 RSFr. St. Joseph, Mo. (Central)
Left Guard
- 59 Case Cook 6-5 295 RSSo. Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton)
- 73 Mike Ruth 6-7 320 RSFr. Coppell, Texas (Coppell)
Center
- 55 Trystan Colon-Castillo* 6-4 315 RSJr. Webb City, Mo. (Webb City)
- 77 Thalen Robinson 6-7 315 Fr. Arlington, Texas (Bowie)
Right Guard
- 75 Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms*** 6-5 330 Sr. East St. Louis, Ill. (East St. Louis)
- 72 Xavier Delgado 6-5 330 RSFr. Glendale, Ariz. (Deer Valley)
Right Tackle
- 79 Larry Borom* 6-6 340 RSSo. Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Brother Rice)
- 50 Hyrin White* 6-6 305 RSSo. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)
Tight End
- 81 Albert Okwuegbunam ** 6-5 255 RSJr. Springfield, Ill. (Springfield)
- 82 Daniel Parker Jr.* 6-4 260 So. Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
Defense
Defensive End
- 39 Chris Turner** 6-4 255 Jr. Hammond, La. (Hammond)
- 99 Isaiah McGuire 6-5 260 Fr. Tulsa, Okla. (Union)
Defensive Tackle
- 1 Jordan Elliott* 6-4 315 RSJr. Missouri City, Texas (Westside/Texas)
- 90 Markell Utsey* 6-4 295 Jr. Little Rock, Ark. (Parkview)
Defensive Tackle
- 78 Kobie Whiteside** 6-1 310 Jr. Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor)
- 97 Akial Byers** 6-4 280 Jr. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)
Defensive End
- 28 Jatorian Hansford* 6-4 245 So. Forsyth, Ga. (Mary Parsons)
- 93 Tre Williams** 6-5 260 RSJr. Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge)
Weakside Linebacker
- 32 Nick Bolton* 6-0 235 So. Frisco, Texas (Lone Star)
- 25 Jamal Brooks** 6-1 240 Jr. Bessemer, Ala. (Bessemer City)
Middle Linebacker
- 58 Devin Nicholson 6-3 215 Fr. Detroit, Mich. (Cass Tech)
- 40 Cameron Wilkins* 6-2 245 So. Del Valle, Texas (Del Valle)
Cornerback
- 8 Jarvis Ware* 6-1 190 So. Apopka, Fla. (Wekiva)
- 21 Christian Holmes** 6-1 200 RSJr. Leland, Miss. (McNair)
Cornerback
- 2 DeMarkus Acy*** 6-2 195 Sr. Dallas, Texas (Wilmer-Hutchins)
- 14 Adam Sparks** 6-0 180 Jr. Baton Rouge, La. (Dutchtown)
Free Safety
- 18 Joshuah Bledsoe** 6-0 205 Jr. Houston, Texas (Dekaney)
- 31 Martez Manuel 6-1 185 Fr. Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge)
Strong Safety
- 9 Tyree Gillespie** 6-0 210 Jr. Ocala, Fl. (Vanguard)
- 4 Jalani Williams 6-2 175 Fr St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway North)
Boundary Safety
- 20 Khalil Oliver* 6-1 210 Gr. Meridian, Idaho. (Rocky Mountain)
- 3 Ronnell Perkins*** 6-0 205 RSSr. St. Louis, Mo. (University City)
Special teams
Kicker
- 19 Tucker McCann** 6-2 215 Sr. O’Fallon, Ill. (O’Fallon)
Punter
- 19 Tucker McCann** 6-2 215 Sr. O’Fallon, Ill. (O’Fallon)
Kick Returner
- 1 Tyler Badie* 5-9 190 So. Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
Punt Returner
- 17 Richaud Floyd 5-11 195 RSSr. Gulfport, Miss. (Gulfport)
- 87 Cade Musser 5-9 200 RSFr. Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
Depth chart analysis
Bryant still QB1, no movement at backup
Though he didn’t play against Georgia on Saturday due to a lingering hamstring injury, Kelly Bryant is still atop the depth chart at the quarterback position.
Bryant was also the starter on last week’s depth chart, though last Tuesday he said his hamstring was only at about 75%. He warmed up with Missouri prior to last week’s game, but Taylor Powell ended up starting instead. Head coach Barry Odom said post-game that he expected Bryant to be healthy by the time Florida comes into town this Saturday, so it makes sense that the Tigers would keep him at No. 1.
He may not be healthy just yet, but with five more days still to recover, Missouri is expecting Bryant to be good to go against the Gators.
Meanwhile, Powell remains the top option as Bryant’s backup. He had a lackluster performance against the Bulldogs, leading the offense past midfield just once in over three quarters of playing time. Powell doesn’t deserve all of the blame, though, thanks to the play of the pass catchers, offensive line, and running backs, who all had poor performances.
However, third-string quarterback Connor Bazelak was impressive in limited time when he replaced Powell in the fourth quarter, completing 8 of 12 passes for 64 yards while almost leading the only scoring drive of the night for Missouri (he and Dominic Gicinto couldn’t connect on fourth and goal for a touchdown).
There’s been speculation that Bazelak could see an uptick in playing time after his performance, and perhaps eventually move into the backup role.
But, as the depth chart shows, Odom and offensive coordinator Derek Dooley still have faith in Powell for the time being.
‘Or’ distinctions gone
Missouri removed ‘or’ distinctions throughout the depth chart, meaning there will be no co-starters this week against Florida.
That means that Jalen Knox, Larry Borom and Devin Nicholson are the confirmed starters at wide receiver, right tackle and middle linebacker, respectively, heading into Saturday.
Despite an impressive freshman year, Knox has disappeared for most of the past couple of months. He hasn’t caught more than a single pass in a game since Week 3 against SEMO, and has no more than eight receiving yards in a game in the same time span. Borom has been okay on the offensive line, but he’s picked up his share of holding penalties throughout the current losing streak and hasn’t done much to correct the issues that have plagued the line since after Homecoming.
Nicholson, on the other hand, has played a huge role in keeping the defense afloat after losing Cale Garrett. A true freshman, Nicholson has produced six total tackles in both the loss to Kentucky and the loss to Georgia. Though the defense still has trouble with mobile quarterbacks and strong run games, Nicholson has helped take control of the middle of the field alongside Nick Bolton.
It remains to be seen what each player has done to earn sole starter status. Perhaps they’ve shown in practice that without a doubt they are “the guy” at the position, though it’s possible the coaching staff decided having that uncertainty on the depth chart wasn’t something they wanted in the face of so much adversity.