Injury timelines and O-line: Notes from first Missouri football practice of spring camp

Posted by author March 1, 2025 Football

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It must be spring.

For the first time in 2025, Missouri football opened a portion of its practice to the media, running through drills Saturday morning inside the Stephens Indoor Facility in Columbia.

The Tigers, who have 28 new players between transfers and high school early enrollees this spring, reported to the team facility Friday and held a walkthrough practice. On Saturday, the team went through more organized drills. The opening five periods of the practice — lasting approximately 25 minutes — were open for observation.

That makes takeaways tricky. Missouri’s big group of newcomers don’t yet have a number on their respective jerseys — a common practice under head coach Eli Drinkwitz, as players earn numbers as a performance-based incentive — which makes identification a challenge from three floors up on an observation deck.

In Saturday’s practice, the team mostly ran through special teams work and some ball-security drills. The team likely got into some situational work later.

Drinkwitz’s message for Day 1?

“I told them, ‘today should be the worst day you (have) as a Missouri football player, because it’s your first day, you’re unsure of everything,’” Drinkwitz said. “From this point on, it’s about growing and getting better. And I’m confident all those guys will do that.”

Spring camp is underway, and here are three notes to know from Mizzou’s first open practice:

Injury recovery: Who was practicing, who wasn’t for Missouri football?

Three players were wearing green no-contact jerseys Saturday: Tight end Brett Norfleet, outside linebacker Khalil Jacobs and boundary safety Marvin Burks Jr.

At least two prominent players did not appear to be on the field running through drills: Defensive end Darris Smith and center Connor Tollison, although Drinkwitz said both have been doing limited, non-contact work.

Most of those names were expected. Both Tollison and Jacobs sustained season-ending injuries during the 2024 campaign and likely are still in the recovery phase. Norfleet underwent surgery shortly after the Tigers’ regular-season finale and missed MU’s win in the Music City Bowl. Smith sustained a season-ending knee injury before the 2024 campaign started.

On Smith: “He’s going through what he can. He’s one of those that we want to be really cautious just because of his length and speed and twitch, and so everything’s on track but we limit the contact that he can have,” Drinkwitz said. … “He’s doing all the non-contact stuff that we can, but we just don’t want to put him in a negative situation. We know how physical and talented he is, now it’s just about getting him back acclimated.”

On Tollison: “He’s doing really good,” Drinkwitz said. “You know, he’s able to be out here and snap during seven-on-seven. Obviously he’s no-contact, but he’s really attacked his rehab, and I’m really proud of him and how much he’s gotten done.”

On Norfleet: “We like where we’re at. Obviously, we’re going to be very cautious in how we try to utilize him this spring. Don’t want any setbacks.”

Offensive line turnover in full swing

With Tollison on the sideline, the makeup of Missouri’s offensive line was almost entirely different.

Mizzou is replacing right tackle Armand Membou, right guard Cam’Ron Johnson and left tackle Marcus Bryant this season. On Saturday, Tollison’s absence meant left guard Cayden Green was the only holdover from MU’s five starters last year.

In the brief windows that the offensive line lined up for something that resembled a live rep Saturday, Mizzou ran with West Virginia transfer Johnny Williams IV at left tackle, Green at left guard, Michigan transfer Dominick Guidice at center, returning redshirt junior Tristan Wilson at right guard and Wake Forest transfer Keagan Trost at right tackle.

In another lineup, it looked like true freshman Henry Fenuku was at left guard while redshirt freshman Talan Chandler was at center, redshirt junior Curtis Peagler was at right guard and redshirt sophomore Brandon Solis was at right tackle. Redshirt freshman Whit Hafer, who has moved from tight end to offensive line in the offseason, also took some reps at right tackle, Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz said he appreciates how Guidice has taken on the challenge at center since arriving on campus, and the coach said he joked with Tollison about Wally Pipp, who famously was replaced at first base by Lou Gehrig for the Yankees after asking to sit out because of a headache. But, you can expect Tollison to return as the starting center once he’s cleared to practice again.

The head coach also expanded on the recruitment of the Tigers’ three new transfers — Williams, Trost and Guidice — who appear to be frontrunners for starting spots in the fall.

“It always starts for us with athleticism,” Drinkwitz said. “We want big, long, athletic guys, and then toughness. And, ultimately, we’ve got to make sure that they’re a scheme fit. We start with the outside zone. We felt like those guys were athletic enough and able to handle it.”

Special teams work

Most of the open portion practice centered on special teams drills. The Tigers were using returning wide receivers Daniel Blood and Marquis Johnson as punt returners, which is consistent with last season.

The Tigers have two kickers on campus, with returning starter Blake Craig and preferred walk-on Robert Meyer taking reps kicking field goals. Mizzou currently does appear to have just one punter in Stanford transfer Connor Weselman.