With the 2012 football season and the recruiting period over, it is time to run down just where the teams in the Southeastern Conference are in preparing for the 2013 season.
Here is a thumbnail look at the Missouri Tigers.
2012 REVIEW: Last year was a first step into the competitive world of the Southeastern Conference for the Tigers, and although it did not produce a winning season, it was close enough to validate that Missouri can compete in its new league. The Tigers were 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the SEC. Thy missed out on a bowl game after losing three of their final four games, which included a seven-point loss to Florida and a four-point loss to Syracuse.
Coach Gary Pinkel’s team got a strong season from quarterback James Franklin when he was healthy. When he was injured, Corbin Berkstresser stepped in and played well. Kendial Lawrence had a big season running the ball and finished with 12 touchdowns. Marcus Lucas and T.J. Moe were the leading receivers, and freshman Dorial Green-Beckham showed his enormous potential with five receiving touchdowns.
Defensively, Will Ebner and Sheldon Richardson tied for the team lead with 10.5 tackles for loss and each had 75 tackles, only four behind team leader Andrew Wilson. Kip Edwards led the team in interceptions with two.
SENIOR STARTERS LOST: Left tackle Elvis Fisher, tailback Kendial Lawrence, WR T.J. Moe, punter Trey Barrow, deep snapper Brad Madison, linebackers Zaviar Gooden and Will Ebner, cornerback Kip Edwards, strong safety Kenronte Walker
KEY JUNIORS WHO DECLARED FOR NFL DRAFT: Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson
RECRUITING NEEDS: Defense should always be a priority in the SEC and Missouri addressed that side of the ball in its 2013 signing class. Considering the Tigers lost two of their top three tacklers and their interception leader, there was a need to sign players at those two positions. The Tigers also suffered losses at tailback and wide receiver as well, and they replenished those areas nicely.
COMMITMENTS: The Tigers’ recruiting class was not highly regarded by Rivals.com. Missouri was last in the SEC in recruiting and 39th in the nation. They signed one four-star prospect, tailback Chase Abbington. Abbington is 6-4, 210-pounder from St. Peters, MO., who runs a 4.4 40. He was ranked as the 12th-best player in the nation by Rivals.
247Sports.com ranked Missouri’s recruiting class at No. 38 nationally, with two four-star players and 17 three-star players. The Tigers’ class was ranked 14th in the Southeastern Conference. The site ranked Abbington, safety Duron Singleton fromFresno, CA., and defensive tackle Josh Agusta from Peoria, IL., and the top-ranked players in the Missouri class. 247Sports said Missouri filled its need at quarterback by signing pro-style quarterback Eddie Printz, a 6-foot-4, 200-pounder from Marietta, GA.
Scout.com listed the Tigers at No. 36 nationally and 13th in the SEC. Ten of the Tigers’ signees are defensive players.
COACH SPEAK: Gary Pinkel: “When we have adversity here, what I embrace is the foundation of our football team. I embrace the foundation of what we’re about, and making sure that everybody in our organization is doing all the little things necessary (to win). What I’m not going to do is I’m not going to be the coach that changes guys to make it (seem) like I’m mixing things up. I go back to my philosophy of how I manage people, and we have a good staff. We might meet with the coach from Southern Cal, we might meet with the coach fromOhioState. We ask like 25 questions about what they’re doing in their program to find out what’s happening in every one of those areas, and we report back. That’s so we stay on top of the cutting edge of what’s happening out there … so we’re very detailed, and that has helped us to remain as consistent as we have, even though we had a bad year this year.”