The Missouri Tigers have had two winning seasons since joining the SEC in 2016. Their head coach Eli Drinkwitz has had three starting quarterbacks the last three seasons and none of them have worked out for the Tigers. However, in 2023 something might be on the horizon. I think they are a sleeper team in the SEC. Here is my preview for the 2023 Missouri Tigers.
Offense
If Drinkwitz gets a quarterback that works, I really like Missouri’s chances in 2023. Brady Cook is listed as the starter right now, but an off-season surgery has put his status of being the starter up in the air. Missouri went in the transfer portal and snagged Jake Garcia from Miami to come in and create a competition. We are far from seeing who the Tigers starting quarterback will be, but they will have some weapons for whoever the starter is. The big name receiver is sophomore Luther Burden III who might be one of the top playmakers in the SEC. In his freshman campaign, Burden III had 45 receptions to go along with 8 total touchdowns. He is going to be the number one option with Dominic Lovett playing as a Georgia Bulldog this year.
However, Drinkwitz added some more help in the transfer portal. He added Theo Wease Jr (Oklahoma) and Dannis Jackson (Ole Miss) to their stacked receiver corp. So the receiver room looks solid. Now the running back room looks loaded as well, with every member being a senior. They are led by senior running back Cody Schrader, who last season rushed for 745 rushing yards on 4.4 yards per carry and added 9 touchdowns. He is going to be a focal part of this Missouri offense this year. The Tigers also bolstered their offensive line by bringing in two huge transfers. Center Cam’Ron Johnson (Houston) and right tackle Marcellus Johnson (Michigan) come in to add some big game experience to the Tigers offensive line. Four out of the five starting lineman are seniors and graduates. With Missouri’s offensive line looking solid heading into 2023, the Tigers should be in a great spot this season.
Defense
The Missouri defense took a big step forward in 2022. They hit on a ton of transfers last season and now they bring back eight starters. Last year, the Tigers ranked 2nd in the SEC and 15th in the nation in tackles for a loss per game. The front seven is led by linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper who is a breakout star in my eyes. Hopper had 77 tackles last season and 13.5 were for a loss. Other big names in the front seven are defensive end Darius Robinson and defensive tackle Kristian Williams. Their front seven is going to be really good again and will create havoc to opposing quarterbacks.
In the secondary they are led by Ennis Rakestraw Jr, Kris Abrams-Draine, and outstanding nickel safety Daylan Carnell. They also added some depth in the secondary with transfers Tre’Vez Johnson (Florida) and Sidney Williams (Florida State). This is a deep secondary group that can hang with some of the SEC’s top receiving corps. The Missouri defense will be an intriguing one and will provide the spoilers to some of these teams trying to continue for an SEC title.
Win Total Bet
The win total is set at 6.5 on the FanDuel Sportsbook. The over is set at +104 odds and the under is set at -128 odds. This Missouri team has just about everything a team needs to be a sleeper. They have a great defensive group and they have playmakers on the offensive side. If they can put it all together, they hit the over. This is a two unit play for myself, over 6.5 wins +104. I am all in on Missouri in 2023, you don’t want to miss this team’s success.
Schedule Predictions
Win vs South Dakota (1-0)
Win vs Middle Tennessee State (2-0)
Loss vs Kansas State (2-1)
Win at Memphis (3-1)
Convincing Win vs Vanderbilt (4-1)
Win vs LSU (5-1)
Loss at Kentucky (5-2)
Win vs South Carolina (6-2)
Loss at Georgia (6-3)
Win vs Tennessee (7-3)
Win vs Florida (8-3)
Loss at Arkansas (8-4)