****Official 2017 Missouri Tigers Football Thread****

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Year two of the Barry Odom era begins in a little over a month.

2017 Schedule:

Spoiler!

9/2: vs Southwest Missouri State
9/9: vs South Carolina
9/16: vs Purdue
9/23: vs Auburn
10/7: @Kentucky
10/14: @Georgia
10/21: vs Idaho
10/28 @UConn
11/4: vs Florida
11/11: vs Tennessee
11/18: @Vanderbilt
11/24: @Arkansas

Hamas' Crystal ball says 6-6 w/ two SEC wins (SC @ home and @Vandy).

Recruiting:

Bold=Signed LOI

Spoiler!

Commitments:


Daniel Parker Jr, DE: **** 5.8 RR, Blue Springs, MO
Antar Thompson, DT: *** 5.7 RR, Highland C.C. (JUCO), KS
Mike Ruth, OL: *** 5.6 RR, Coppell, TX
Danny Gray, WR: ***, 5.7 RR, Dallas, TX
Harry Ballard III, WR: ***, 5.5 RR, Ellisville, MS
Jalen Knox, RB: ***, 5.7 RR, Arlington, TX
Tyrone Collins, DB, ***, 5.5 RR, Bradenton, FL
Kam Scott, WR: ***, 5.7 RR, Manvel, TX
Chad Bailey, LB: ****, 5.8 RR, Missouri City, TX
Cameron Wilkins, LB: ***, 5.6 RR, Del Valle, TX
Jarvis Ware, CB: **, 5.3 RR, Apopka, FL
Trajan Jeffcoat, DE: ***, 5.5 RR, Columbia, SC
Gerald Nathan Jr., LB: ***, 5.5 RR, Charlotte, NC
Chris Mills, DB: ***, 5.5 RR, Converse, TX
Dominic Gicinto, WR: **, 5.3 RR, Raytown, MO
Javon Foster, OL: **, 5.3 RR, West Bloomfield, MI
Khmari Thompson, WR: ***, 5.5 RR, Lawrenceville, GA
Sami Bakare, RB: **, 5.4 RR, Austin, TX
Nick Bolton, LB, ***, 5.6 RR, Frisco, TX
Xavier Delgado, OT, ***, 5.5 RR, Glendale, AZ
Bobby Lawrence, OL, **, 5.4 RR, St. Joseph, MO
Lindsey Scott Jr. QB, ***, 5.7 RR, Scooby MS (JUCO)
Jatorian Hansford, LB, ***, 5.6 RR, Forsyth, GA
Tyler Badie, RB, **, 5.3 RR, Memphis, TN

There are several key recruits in state this year, and Missouri is not off to a promising start. There are seven 4* players within the state and thus far Missouri has no commitments. Texas and Nebraska both have one. If Odom cannot lock down a good portion of this in-state talent crop, it's unlikely he sees his second recruiting class graduate.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by Coach

I do see where you're coming from in that point of view, but he is a good recruiter. I do imagine he does have very solid ties to the Louisiana high schools, something that Odom does not.

Another note, Bobo would be good choice too, because GA is producing good quality players as well.

Yes he is. I think they could do much worse than Les Miles, but I don't think there's much left in the tank.

Bobo gonna be fire hot with Tennessee, Klantucky, MU and maybe even Florida will all be coach shopping in the SEC East alone.

[Mike in SW-MO]

Originally Posted by Bowser

In fairness, when we come down it's one of the places the kid loves going to, so we hit it frequently when we're there. That and G&D Steakhouse. I had maybe the best ribeye I've had in years at that cafeteria setup, I shit you not.

I'm open to any suggestions of can't miss restaurants in CoMo (a little change of scenery wouldn't be a bad thing).

G&D. Good times.

LOTS OF BEER IN AMERICA!

I still have my t-shirt from the mid 80s. First beer free when you wore your t-shirt. Minute we hit the door they'd be pouring.

[duncan_idaho]

As for coaching replacements, my short list (working off my phone, may miss a guy I like here and there):

Kyle Whittingham (Utah). It seems unlikely Mizzou could lure Whittingham away, but this would be a major coup. His name always seems to come up regarding this football job, not sure why.

He wouldn't be a dynamo recruiter, but his system is sound and he has proven he can win at a Power 5 non-blue blood.

Not sure who in this type of category Mizzou could pull - successful at a Power 5 school that is perhaps more difficult to recruit to than Mizzou - but I'm sure Sterk has a few guys. Gloucester keeps telling me Leach is happy in Washington, but that's a name that I'd think would be considered also.

I've mentioned Frank Wilson and Mike Norvell already. They remain on my list.

I think a big key for Mizzou is that it needs that guy who can be a QB whisperer and make sure you're always stocked at the position. That was a real strength of Pinkel's and one reason the team was so steady, IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by bowener

Hey, man... the food is definitely overrated, but the beer is not. I will be upfront and tell you that I do personally know 75% of the staff (anyone older than 20 that is working there). I'm down for buying you a beer if you ever want one.

I will add that I have degrees in philosophy and sociology, and I'm really not certain how Mizzou could ever possibly be considered "culturally Marxist" or anything close to the Frankfurt school, but it has become a very popular right-wing snarl phrase the last few years.

My meal was very good, and reasonably priced too. It was the best part of my visit. We used to go to Boone Tavern or the Heidelberg or Shiloh.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Bowser

I'm open to any suggestions of can't miss restaurants in CoMo (a little change of scenery wouldn't be a bad thing).

Flyover recently opened on the south side of town and it's excellent; one of my favorite places. It's a 'shared plates' joint where my wife and I will go get 4-5 different things off the menu and just stuff ourselves. The fried catfish is a must though there are enough rotating items on the menu that you'll be able to get something different every time.

As far as more 'bar' kind of places go, I think Taphouse is one of the best in town. Great bar food; excellent Pizza (they snagged some guys from Wiseguys to set up their pizza recipes/menu), really cool concept with burgers, nachos, sandwiches and fries - you have a checksheet and you just check off boxes of things you want and give them to the waitress. Some of the best homemade chips you'll ever have. Wings are good as well. Billiards on Broadway is an underrated little gem; not a lot of people seem to know about it but it's great. D-Rowe's is also good if you're on the south side.

The old stand-bys are still good but CJ's Wings will be my death row meal if/when that day inevitably comes. CoMo Smoke and Fire is the only barbecue place in town that can stand up to KC; very good and actually do burnt ends correctly as opposed to just dicing up brisket.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by Mizzou_8541

Not to take away from your point, but I believe enrollment is back to normal levels.

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/n...fcfc9b8f1.html

[KCUnited]

I have nothing to add to this thread other than a friend recently sent me a couple Rock Bridge Brewing Co milk stout cans out of Columbia which I enjoyed more than I expected to. Would likely seek them out if I lived in the area.

[DJ's left nut]

Heard an interesting point made that seems like a fair position - Gary Barnett claims that year 2 is the toughest for a coach. You've lost some of the 'rally around the new coach' stuff that can accompany year 1; the novelty has worn off. You also have upper-classman that were heavily involved in the old coach's system and now some of the under-classmen that are the new coach's guys are either eating into their playing time or taking their jobs outright so you get cliques in the locker room.

And let's face it, while CS1950 may not be impacting recruiting, it DID split that lockerroom and that's been well established. Ivey's guys were kinda leading that charge and many of them are still around. Meanwhile Ivey got axed by Odom (likely at least in part to what many perceived as a mutiny led by Ivey) so it wouldn't be surprising if the players he was particularly close to in '15 are grumbling loudly these days.

Now winning would've cured all that but when you have a locker-room that was already a bit fractious, losing sure puts strain on it. Add in that 'year 2' tension and perhaps these guys just haven't found a rallying point to bring the team together.

They're playing like a team that doesn't really like each other very much. You don't see them picking up slack or playing with any sense of cohesion. It may just be a talent gap but I don't think this is the least talented team we've seen in Columbia in 25 years (far from it, in fact). Yet they're playing like the worst team we've had since Stull.

At this point I'm leaning towards giving Odom year 3. I think I buy into Barnett's contention here that this should be the toughest task Odom faces. If there was a way to save the ShowMe18 class, I'd perhaps be in a greater rush but that ship has sailed. If you're going to get those guys, it's going to be based on familiarity with THIS staff and improvements in facilities. Canning Odom will only make the '18 class fall apart that much sooner.

So you take your hail mary and give him '18, IMO.

[gblowfish]

From what I saw in the Auburn game, this was an extremely poorly coached team. I say whack him, can't get any worse.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

From what I saw in the Auburn game, this was an extremely poorly coached team. I say whack him, can't get any worse.

But oddly, isn't that as good a justification to keep him? I mean the guy's paid for. And the absolute unquestioned, by far best case scenario is that Barry Odom, who is Mizzou through and through, succeeds with this program.

We've already eaten the shit sandwich here, lads. Might as well see if there's even a 5% chance that he recovers and actually pushes us near the best case scenario outcomes we'd envisioned.

Because if you do fire him and let's say you get the #1 guy on your list (let's say you get Wittingham or Bobo), you're really just setting yourself up for the realization that this isn't either of those guy's destination jobs and they'll leave if they get to 8-9 wins and a better gig.

And for what gain? So you can get the guy that just happens to be THIS year's top property? As though there won't be someone available just like him next year? So you can get moving 1 year earlier on a rebuild?

It's funny, but the fall off has been so fast and so precipitous that you can really use it as justification for riding it out for another year just to see he can capitalize on the possibilities you saw when you hired him. Afterall - I'm not sure there's any more long-term damage that can be done by another year with him at the helm.

[gblowfish]

They may want to tolerate him in Columbia, but every single Mizzou fan I know here in KC wants the guy gone.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

They may want to tolerate him in Columbia, but every single Mizzou fan I know here in KC wants the guy gone.

Sure - that's always the reaction to a shit season.

But again - to what purpose and at what cost? The benefit would be to start a rebuild one year earlier. The cost is almost certainly any remaining shot at securing a couple of key gets out of the ShowMe18 class and punting on the only 'trueson' with legitimate long-term coaching potential. If you don't make Odom work, you're just going to be going through 'stepping stone' hires for the next decade and hoping that you stumble into another Pinkel (who, BTW, every Mizzou fan also wanted gone at various points throughout his tenure).

I do not believe Barry Odom will be a failure over a long enough timeline. He will be a good coach somewhere. If it's here, he's our guy for 25 years and can truly transform a program. I hate that we couldn't get a more seasoned version of him but it is what it is. Might as well do the seasoning in house now.

At this point the upside, no matter how remote, probably justifies the relatively small gains we get by firing him this off-season. I just don't see a Tom Herman kind of option available this year (and Herman told us no anyway). So when the best options are just the same kind of options that exist every season, I see no reason to hurry into a move.

[Stanley Nickels]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Sure - that's always the reaction to a shit season.

But again - to what purpose and at what cost? The benefit would be to start a rebuild one year earlier. The cost is almost certainly any remaining shot at securing a couple of key gets out of the ShowMe18 class and punting on the only 'trueson' with legitimate long-term coaching potential. If you don't make Odom work, you're just going to be going through 'stepping stone' hires for the next decade and hoping that you stumble into another Pinkel (who, BTW, every Mizzou fan also wanted gone at various points throughout his tenure).

I do not believe Barry Odom will be a failure over a long enough timeline. He will be a good coach somewhere. If it's here, he's our guy for 25 years and can truly transform a program. I hate that we couldn't get a more seasoned version of him but it is what it is. Might as well do the seasoning in house now.

At this point the upside, no matter how remote, probably justifies the relatively small gains we get by firing him this off-season. I just don't see a Tom Herman kind of option available this year (and Herman told us no anyway). So when the best options are just the same kind of options that exist every season, I see no reason to hurry into a move.

I'd agree with you if we were in any other conference, save maybe the Big 10. Throwing a guy into the SEC to learn is like throwing a blue-chip rookie pitcher into the majors because "he'll get there one day anyway"-- the wallopings just hurt confidence, and the competition is too many steps ahead to truly learn any lessons.

Also, Sterk is not in the position of being able to wait around while Odom learns-- there's just too many impatient rich folks with too much clout to let that go on, and money drives everything. Would that we could pack the house every week regardless of record; we just aren't that type of program.

[BryanBusby]

You have to be ****ing high to give Odom a third year after going what's likely to be 2-10.

If you're trying to be a football power house, 2-10 can never ever ever be tolerated. Ever.

As for a locker room split, we had like one "anonymous" player from 2015 saying that? I'm not sure if that's a thing 2 years later, but hey who knows.

From what I can see, I don't see a whole lot of active coaching. Guys are just standing around bullshitting or sittinf with a finger in their ass. I can't recall much live teaching taking place.

To be a force in the SEC with a so-so recruiting result, you have to be fundamentally sound top to bottom. Odom's squad can't stop steppingon their own dicks.

And finally, coaches go to places all the time not expecting to stay with a better job offer down the line and end up staying. I'd be amazed if Pinkel wasn't aiming for higher.

You pay the guy you want to keep really well, along with his staff and give him the beat resources to win. Sure that's not going to fend off a Bama or a Ohio State, but blueblood jobs don't come open often.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by Coach

I have no dog in this fight, but wanted to hear Mizzou fan opinions. Assuming Odom gets canned after this season, who is on your wish list?

Greg Schiano is the first call I'm making...I'm sure he'll have a better offer though.