Missouri Football Spring Ball Preview: Special Teams

After producing its best season in nine years and a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, Missouri's beeline toward a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoffs begins Tuesday when spring practice starts, with the Black and Gold game taking place on March 16.

Until then, we will preview the 2024 roster by doing position-by-position previews. For the last installment of this series, we'll look at special teams.

The starters: Missouri has massive shoes to fill, replacing the school's all-time leading scorer, kicker Harrison Mevis.

On Monday, head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Blake Craig, who was a two-star signee in the class of 2023, will start at kicker but he will be in a position battle with soon-to-be redshirt sophomore Nick Quadrini and true freshman Will Safris to replace Mevis.

The Tigers also have a new punter, with Riley Williams transferring out and Orion Phillips, another Aussie-style punter, transferring in from Murray State.

Phillips, who averaged 43.5 yards per punt on 52 punts, was an All-Ohio Valley Conference honorable mention selection and a semifinalist for FCS Punter of the Year in his freshman season with the Racers.

The team still has walk-on Luke Bauer, who averaged 42.1 yards per punt on 22 punts last year, and Safris, who committed to the team last summer as a punter.

Punter will probably be an open competition, but considering the team got Phillips out of the portal and he's on scholarship, he will likely get the first crack at first-team reps.

Star wide receiver Luther Burden III has been the starting punt returner the last two seasons and averaged 8.75 yards on eight returns in 2023.

Burden can do the job, but will he want to? Will Drinkwitz want him to?

If the answer to both questions is yes, then Burden will continue doing it. However, If Burden isn't the starting punt returner, it doesn't mean he won't ever return punts in 2024. He'd probably be saved for those "got to have it" moments.

The backups: The backups for both return spots will likely be Daniel Blood, Marvin Burks and Speedy Johnson.

The latter two are the only returning players who fielded kickoff returns last season with Johnson averaging 20.9 yards per return on seven returns. Burks averaged 18.5 yards on four returns.

Storyline to watch for: Who is the heir apparent to Mevis? Replacing the program's all-time leading scorer who has the conference record for a made field goal and had a couple of game-winners last year won't be easy. Craig has a strong leg, but he has to put it all together, and if no one shines during spring ball then the Tigers may look in the portal for another kicker.

PowerMizzou prediction: Craig will start with the ones as Drinkwitz said. Phillips will be the starting punter. Burden will be the first-string punt returner if Drinkwitz wants him to. If not, expect Johnson to be the punt returner and be one of two kickoff returners, alongside Burks.

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