The outlook in 2021 for the newcomers at linebacker

In the 2021 recruiting class, Missouri signed plenty of players who filled needs, but also had hype due to their ranking. Obviously Tyler Macon, Dominic Lovett, and Travion Ford are some of the names that come to mind. Those were key signings were important to begin to elevate the program, but Missouri has always been a school where three star prospects are going to be the life blood of your program. The recruiting has improved and may continue to improve, but at the end of the day you’re going to have to develop players.

At linebacker, Missouri signed two three-star freshmen who have a lot of athletic ability and both may have an outside chance at seeing the field in 2021.

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Dameon Wilson

If you ask around to see who is pushing for more reps in camp, Dameon Wilson has been one of the names consistently heard. It’s not hard to see why.

Wilson, in high school stood out as a rangy, athletic linebacker with some really good instincts. He was impossible to block, and had a good idea of what opposing offenses were trying to do. It’ll obviously be a bit different in college, but there were signs that he was a guy who could push for a spot on the two-deep. Especially when you factor in that Missouri has just seven scholarship linebackers.

Wilson may be having a good camp, but I have a hard time believing that Blaze Alldredge came to Columbia to be someone’s backup. I also have a hard time believing that Devin “I was sneaky good and started every game last year” Nicholson is going to just give up his starting spot.

Beyond that? Those races seem to be wide open, and he could be as good as any other candidate.

Zachary Lovett

Zachary Lovett was recruited out of Rockledge, Florida and showed some interesting things in high school. His speed at linebacker really pops off the tape, and you can’t help but be impressed. He also always seemed to be around the football and making turnovers happen. He too, may have been a very good high school player, but the SEC is a different animal.

There hasn’t been too much buzz on Lovett for good or bad during camp, and that’s okay. He’ll have an opportunity to compete for a backup spot, or possibly play some special teams.

There’s also a chance that Lovett may redshirt. With that, he can still play in four games this season while continuing to develop until 2022 when he could actually have a realistic chance to gain significant playing time.

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