Missouri went from one of the worst offensive lines in 2022 to one of the best in 2023. 2024 projects for another awesome year. What keyed this turnaround?
On April 24th, the 2024 Missouri Tigers football team saw a bump in talent level when SMU all-conference left tackle Marcus Bryant committed to finishing his college career in Columbia. It was the latest domino to fall in an impressive rebuild of an offensive line that only two years ago was one of the worst in the Power Five. The rebuild, driven by transfers and new position coach Brandon Jones, keyed last year’s powerhouse offense on the way to the Cotton Bowl, and has Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers well situated for success in the coming seasons.
It is no secret that winning in the SEC is driven by high-level play in the trenches. In the early seasons of the Drinkwitz tenure, the team could play on the perimeter: guys like Akayleb Evans, Ennis Rakestraw, Dominic Lovett, and Martez Manuel. But the rosters were lacking some meat on the bone, and the program was held back by a catastrophic defensive line performance in 2021, and the same on offense in 2022.
Things were bleak that season. Winnable games, like at Auburn and at Florida, were lost by razor-thin margins. The running game was stalled by TFLs and the passing attack was grounded by early, frequent, and overwhelming pressure on Brady Cook. Collectively the team ranked 125th in the country in TFLs allowed (101 total), 74th in PFF pass pro grading, and 83rd in run blocking grades.
What a difference a year made, as Missouri’s offensive line made arguably the biggest leap in the country. They stayed healthy all year. They finished 35th in pass pro and FOURTH (!) in PFF run blocking grades. They kept Cook upright, and paved the way for Cody Schrader’s marvelous season with teach-tape caliber play on the outside zone run blocking. They were Joe Moore award semifinalists.
And with the addition of Bryant, things might be even better next season. Program stalwarts Javon Foster and Xavier Delgado are off to the NFL, but the team landed Cayden Green and Bryant, two of the most coveted linemen in the portal, to replace them. An influx of blue-chip recruits are arriving on campus to bolster the ranks and battle for future playing time.
So how did we get here? You have to heap praise on the work Brandon Jones did as a teacher, and the work ethic of his pupils to improve. Delgado got markedly better in his sixth year on campus, leaping from a consistent mid-50s grade in PFF to a 70. He transformed from someone who seemed to play because of process of elimination, to a legitimate run-game road grader. Connor Tollison’s snap infractions still linger, but his blocking has improved by leaps and bounds. Armand Membou feasted in the run game, and Cam’Ron Johnson solidified his performance throughout the course of the SEC season.
So why was a position coach with such a great track record on the open market? His tenure ended at Houston because of his poor track record in recruiting. While those covering the program were happy with his teaching and coaching ability, recruiting was lacking for Dana Holgerson’s program. With Jones particularly treading water in that aspect and the team moving up to a Power conference, they wanted to bolster recruiting by revamping the offensive staff. Houston’s loss was Missouri’s gain.
Because in Columbia, Jones’ teaching has been married with a head coach who is a nuclear weapon in recruiting. Drinkwitz, backed by a wholly aligned powerhouse NIL program, has put together the best half-decade of talent acquisition in the school’s history. There is no pressure on Jones to identify under-the-radar Group of Five talent; he can work with high-end prospects like Green, Membou, Logan Reichert, and Talan Chandler. Veterans like Bryant and Cam’Ron Johnson on the way to the NFL will sign up to play for a coach with a great track record of developing pros, especially as pass protectors.
The marriage of Brandon Jones’s teaching and Eli Drinkwitz’s recruiting worked wonders for Missouri’s lightning quick rebuild in 2023. This fall, the Tigers could take even another step forward, as Jones continues to develop his young charges and Drinkwitz continues to land impact players. Missouri fans believe 2024 could be a special season in the SEC, and this offensive line is a key reason why.