Mizzou football's center competition seemingly over as Connor Tollison takes charge
Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz didn’t show too much of the Tigers’ hand Saturday.
After Saturday’s extended closed-doors scrimmage — the Tigers’ second of training camp — Missouri’s head coach was complimentary of the team’s progress on defense and kept mostly mum on the status of the Tigers’ quarterback competition.
Drinkwitz did, however, give one glimpse into one of the Tigers’ key position battles from the beginning of camp.
Missouri’s returning starting center Connor Tollison looks all but confirmed to hike the first snap when the Tigers’ offense first takes the field against South Dakota on Aug. 31 at Memorial Stadium.
Mizzou landed former Houston right guard Cam’Ron Johnson out of the transfer portal shortly after hiring former Cougars O-Line coach Brandon Jones to the same role in the spring. Drinkwitz said at the beginning of camp that Johnson was among the contenders fighting to take over at center, where Tollison started all 13 of the Tigers’ games during his true freshman campaign but went through some rookie woes.
During the period of practice open to the media on Friday at Memorial Stadium, while Tollison hiked to quarterback Brady Cook and backup centers Bence Polgar and Drake Heismeyer snapped to Sam Horn and Jake Garcia, respectively, Johnson was on the opposite end of Faurot Field’s North End Zone working with the rest of the line.
“We moved (Johnson) up with the guards today. Well, we actually did the last four days,” Drinkwitz said Saturday. “He’s still snapping after practice to be ready, but right now Connor’s done such a nice job it's time to let us solidify that job and see if there's another competition available.”
Tollison has not officially been named starter for Missouri’s season opener, but Drinkwitz’s comments appear to indicate that is the direction the Tigers are headed.
“I’ve been really, really proud of Connor Tollison. His gas meter has gone through the roof,” Drinkwitz said. “And he's really taken on ownership of that offensive line from calling it, being dedicated, from snapping the ball, from gaining weight.”
Tollison is up 18 pounds to 304 from his listed weight last season. Friday’s reps with Cook haven’t been uncommon, as Tollison has been working with last season’s starting QB for most, if not all, of the open periods of practice. Every time the first team has taken the field for a drill, Tollison has had his hand on the ball.
“I've been proud of him,” Drinkwitz said. “And I think that's naturally what happens when the game means something to you and there's an opportunity to get put on the bench.”
“I would say this has been the most enjoyable camp since I’ve been here, and I’ve had a lot of fun so far in camp,” Tollison told the Tribune on Tuesday. “Camp’s meant to be hard, but when you can find the fun things in it and enjoy it, it makes the time being here a lot better.”
He joined an accomplished group of returners who earned Drinkwitz’s plaudits Saturday.
The coach is happy with the defensive front’s ability to stop the run.
Cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. are proving pretty hard to pass against, he said.
Wide receiver Mookie Cooper has made significant strides in his third camp with the program and is “learning to play without the ball,” Drinkwitz said.
In other positions, there is still plenty to decide.
Who Tollison will snap to still remains the biggest mystery.
“At quarterback it's about being a smart, disciplined decision-maker and knowing when to go forward, when to take what the defense gives you,” the coach said.
Who might be leading that endeavor?
“Well, I think there's been a lot of ups and downs on that,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do to figure that out.”
That’s not the only spot still undecided in close proximity to the ball.
Drinkwitz said the Tigers are down to seven or eight players — from eight or nine at the start of camp — that could start along the O-Line. That includes Johnson, who might not get the start at center ahead of Tollison this season, but has improved through camp, per the head coach.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football center competition seemingly over as Connor Tollison takes charge
