16-05-2025
Missouri football mostly relying on development, with notable exception, in passing game
Missouri football is mostly relying on development at wide receiver in 2025.
Gone are the good times watching Luther Burden III, now a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears, make a fool of sprawling defenders with the ball in his hands. Done are the days of Theo Wease Jr. going hand-to-hand with a DB on an island on the outside, as he signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins. Long-time reliable No. 3 receiver Mookie Cooper has graduated.
Advertisement
If you're counting that means the Tigers' full starting cast for the past couple years has moved on.
That's a lot to replace.
Or …
'I really wouldn't say replacing it,' returning wideout Marquis Johnson said during spring camp. 'I would just say just continuing it.'
Johnson, who is coming off a spectacular Music City Bowl outing, is a name most Mizzou fans are familiar with after flashing incredible speed in his rookie year. But, his role is changing, as he now has the most in-game experience of all of MU's returning receivers.
Joshua Manning has patiently waited his turn, taking extensive special teams reps before elevating into a reserve role in 2024. He stayed the course and now, as a junior, looks to be on the fastrack to a starting job.
Advertisement
Behind them, competing for reps, are returners Daniel Blood and James Madison II, Illinois State transfer Xavier Loyd and true freshmen Donovan Olugbode, Shaun Terry II and DaMarion Fowlkes.
More: Missouri football depth chart projection: Who will start on Mizzou's offense in the fall?
And there's the headliner: Kevin Coleman Jr., a senior Mississippi State transfer with more than 1,804-career receiving yards from a season apiece at MSU, Jackson State and Louisville, is taking over in the slot and figures to be the go-to option for Beau Pribula or Sam Horn, whoever wins the starting job at quarterback.
Coleman is the obvious go-to receiver for Mizzou at this juncture, with spring camp wrapped, the transfer portal closed and fall camp still more than two months way. He was an All-SEC third-team player at Mississippi State last season.
Advertisement
'Man, Kevin Coleman is everything you want him to be as a slot,' MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz said April 8. 'Dynamic player. Really tough cover in man to man.'
But beyond him, the Tigers have to prove they've developed well internally.
'Obviously, Drinkwitz said, 'you can't just play with one wide receiver.'
Sep 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (3) runs the ball against the Florida Gators during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images
The staff is encouraged by Olugbode, an early enrollee. Drinkwitz said he'll push for reps as a rookie on the outside.
'Very advanced from a receiver standpoint,' MU offensive coordinator Kirby Moore said. 'I think at this stage in his career, he's got really strong hands, able to separate, make contested catches, which, from my experience in this conference, you have to be able to do that.'
Advertisement
Drinkwitz is excited by the addition of Loyd, who was a highly sought-after receiver in the spring transfer portal window.
'That was a really key addition for us,' Drinkwitz said April 29. … 'We needed another veteran presence, a guy who had multiple position flexibility, a guy who can play on the outside and be a guy who can consistently get open and make plays vertically down the field.'
But any success Mizzou has through the air has to be through the players they've now spent multiple seasons developing — players who have waited their turn.
Johnson, who was a big-play breakout in 2023, struggled with injuries before an impressive performance — seven receptions, 122 yards and one touchdown — in MU's bowl win in 2024. The Tigers struggled with finding deep targets for most of the year, which perhaps didn't help Johnson's game.
Advertisement
But the rising junior has to become a more rounded player rather than a huck-it-long gadget guy. The bowl game indicated that's possible. In the spring he took another step, thanks to one major difference.
'I'm healthy,' Johnson said. 'Healthy, and I feel like I'm more mature than where I was from my first spring ball to where I am now. I feel like it's been going (great).'
More: Can Missouri football's defensive ends be among best in nation? Why Eli Drinkwitz thinks so
Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson (2) celebrates with tight end Jordon Harris (86) after his touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Then there's Manning — a soft-spoken Lee's Summit product who can fly under the radar at times but has risen up the ranks in the receiver room. His personality isn't flashy, but the important things haven't escaped his offensive coordinator.
Advertisement
'You just take for granted the consistency, the blocking on the perimeter,' Moore said. 'There's no alignment issues, he's making contested catches. Leadership. He's kind of embraced his role right now within that receiving corp.'
The passing game never took off for the Tigers the way most expected it would in the 2024 season. Wease led the team with 884 yards. Burden's production dropped by more than 500 receiving yards from his sophomore year to his junior campaign. After that, no receivers caught more than 18 passes in the regular season.
The reasons expectations were so high have now moved on, and the baton has passed.
'They left a good legacy, left a good place here' Johnson said. 'I'm just here to continue it.'
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Why development is crucial for Missouri football wide receivers in 2025
