Missouri
Tigers

Missouri Team Report

Updated: February 03, 2012 02:02 EST

It's not often that one player can dominate offseason headlines.

It's even rarer when that one player is still in high school.

All eyes were on Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, as the nation's top-ranked player decided on his college future. WR Dorial Green-Beckham picked Missouri over Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama, and set off a frenzy in Missouri's coaching office.

With very few storylines dominating Missouri's offseason, Green-Beckham's decision became the top story before spring practice begins. After setting the national high school career receiving record during his four years at Hillcrest High School, Green-Beckham became the most sought-after player to come out of Missouri since Tony Van Zant in 1986.

Van Zant was the top-ranked player, according to Parade, and he also signed with Missouri. However, a knee injury before his freshman year kept him from realizing that potential.

Green-Beckham's potential has been dissected and discussed at great length. While the Missouri coaching staff won't simply hand him a starting job, the expectation is that he'll play immediately.

"We're counting on him to come in and compete for a job," receivers coach Andy Hill said, "compete for playing time, compete for a starting job and I know he's a competitor. I've seen him in several situations athletically that the guy's a competitor."

The last time Missouri had a receiver with Green-Beckham's measurables was 2009, when a healthy Danario Alexander rewrote Missouri's record books. While the staff is tempered on Green-Beckham's expectations, it's obvious that the sky is the limit.

Hill said because Missouri's top receivers usually have close to 90 receptions a year, it was an easy sell for Green-Beckham.

"We're working with large numbers there," Hill said. "It's not something we have to go sell a guy, 'When we get you, we're going to do these certain things. We're gonna try this and you'll catch 100 balls.' We can say, 'This is what we've done with a guy like you' and it's not some sales pitch, it's actually been done."

In an offseason where Missouri has been largely quiet, a high school senior stole the show. Now, the staff is hoping he can duplicate that feat in the fall.

TOP OF THE CLASS

WR Dorial Green-Beckham (Hillcrest High School, Springfield, Mo.) -- Green-Beckham, the nation's top-ranked player according to Rivals.com, chose Missouri over Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma on Wednesday morning. Without a doubt, he's the biggest get in Gary Pinkel's tenure. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound receiver broke the national career receiving yards mark and seems tailor-made for Missouri's offense. He gives the Tigers a home-run threat they haven't had since Danario Alexander.

OG Evan Boehm (Lee's Summit West High School, Lee's Summit, Mo.) -- Boehm is one of the top interior linemen in the nation, according to every major recruiting service. If he was over 6-3, Boehm may have been ranked even higher. Despite that, Boehm is a fundamentally sound blocker. While it's uncommon for an offensive lineman to play as a freshman, Boehm will have a shot. Missouri lost both of its starting guards after the 2011 season.

QB Maty Mauk (Kenton High School, Kenton, Ohio) -- Mauk was a record-setting high school quarterback, putting up video-game numbers in his dad's wide-open spread offense. While he's only 6-2, Mauk is a perfect fit for Missouri's offense. Already, he's drawing comparisons to Chase Daniel. However, because of the emergence of QB James Franklin, Mauk may not play as a freshman. Once he arrives on campus, he'll fight for the backup spot with Corbin Berkstresser, who will be a redshirt freshman in 2012.

--For the first time since after the 2008 season, Gary Pinkel had a spot to fill on his coaching staff. Safety coach Barry Odom was hired as the new defensive coordinator for Memphis in December. Pinkel didn't wait long to hire Odom's replacement. He brought in Alex Grinch, formerly Wyoming's secondary coach. Odom was one of Missouri's best recruiters, and Grinch is becoming known as an up-and-coming force on the recruiting trail. He was the Cowboys' recruiting coordinator as well. Grinch is also Pinkel's nephew.

--Missouri's first season in the SEC will begin on Sep. 8, 2012, when the Tigers host Georgia. From there, Missouri will host Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Kentucky, and will have away games at South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas A&M. The nonconference schedule, however is yet to be finalized. So far, Missouri has a home game against Arizona State and a road game at UCF. The Tigers will likely add an FCS opponent to start the season, and will have to fill either Oct. 20 or Nov. 17 with another nonconference opponent.

PRACTICE ENDS: April 14 (No start date announced.)

PRACTICE PRIORITES: Missouri must figure out who will step up on both the offensive and defensive lines. There are virtually no questions at the skill positions, but the Tigers have to replace six starters total on the lines.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It was an eventful morning, at 9:15. I was in my office. I didn't want to watch it. I was just hoping somebody would start screaming." -- Gary Pinkel, on the tension before Dorial Green-Beckham announced his decision.

KEY LOSSES: Missouri's main losses come on both lines, where the Tigers have to replace six starters. DT Dominique Hamilton, DT Terrell Resonno and DE Jacquies Smith graduated, as did OG Austin Wuebbels, OG Jayson Palmgren and OT Dan Hoch. On defense, Missouri has DT Sheldon Richardson to plug the whole in the middle, and on offense, Jack Meiners has played nearly every position across the line. The Tigers also have to replace SS Kenji Jackson, WR Jerrell Jackson and WR Wes Kemp, all who were fixtures in the starting lineup since the 2009 season. Luckily, WR Marcus Lucas and WR L'Damian Washington showed their potential in 2011.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012:

WR Marcus Lucas -- Lucas was a four-star receiver out of high school, and during his sophomore year, showed why he was so highly touted. He caught 23 passes for 414 yards and was tied for the team lead with five touchdowns. In 2012, he'll likely be a starter, and will be a big part of the offense.

RB Marcus Murphy -- With Henry Josey's 2012 status unknown after a severe knee injury, Murphy's return could offset a potential loss. Murphy sat out the 2011 season with a shoulder injury, but he's similar in size, stature and skillset to Josey. With him and Kendial Lawrence in the backfield, Missouri's running game may not fall too far.

DT Sheldon Richardson -- With the move to the SEC, Missouri's line play becomes even more important. Richardson, who was a five-star recruit out of high school before going to junior college, will enter his second year as the anchor of that defensive line. He showed flashes of dominance in his first season. Now, he'll need consistency.

QB James Franklin -- By every statistical measure, Franklin had a great first year as Missouri's starter. His running is such a dangerous threat that now more teams will force him to throw to beat them. Franklin was inconsistent at times with his downfield throws, and that's an area he'll have to work on for 2012.

PLAYER NOTES

--LT Elvis Fisher is seeking a sixth year of eligibility after rupturing his patellar tendon last August. The NCAA, however, has not ruled on his case.

--MLB Will Ebner received a fifth-year of eligibility after back-to-back injury shortened seasons.

--FS Tavon Bolden returned to the team in December, after being dismissed from the team in September because of academic problems.

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