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Holy smokes, SEC Media Days are next week. Time flies.
Our own Ethan Triebsch will be there to document the proceedings, but on Wednesday we learned who would be headed to Hoover to represent Mizzou: Eric Beisel, Drew Lock, and J’Mon Moore.
Mizzou Football senior LB Eric Beisel (Fenton, Mo.), junior QB Drew Lock (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and senior WR J'Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas) will join head coach Barry Odom at next week's SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama. Mizzou is scheduled to run through the annual media affair on Wednesday, July 12.
The Tigers are set to begin their day with the media at 9:05 a.m. (CT) at the Wynfrey Hotel and are scheduled to meet with the local and national media until 12:05 p.m. (CT). For the third-consecutive year, SEC Network and ESPN will have live, on-site coverage of SEC Media Days.
Gotta say, that’s a pretty engaging, thoughtful trio of athletes. Beisel and Moore are two of the most interesting personalities on the team. And of course, Beisel will get a chance to talk Arkansas smack.
#Mizzou is ready for all the lights in Hoover...#SECMD17#MIZ #ShowMe pic.twitter.com/GUfu1wsnjz
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) July 5, 2017
By the way, when the SEC media polls come out, and Missouri is inevitably predicted last in the East division, remember that this is normal. And that, despite the last couple of years, Missouri is still one of the steadiest overachievers in the country compared to preseason rankings.
Despite receiving almost no preseason love during his tenure in Salt Lake City (ranked 19th in the 2009 preseason poll), the Utes have racked up 49 points in the postseason AP poll over five ranked finishes. Missouri, with four conference title game appearances since 2005, is a close second and former mid-major TCU ranks third. It is interesting to note that the top three teams in this metric all upgraded to better conferences during this time period.
So there’s that, at least.
I’ll get into this in far more detail later on, by the way, but the SEC East is going to be fascinating this year. Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Mizzou all return a ton of last year’s production, Florida just added a decent graduate transfer quarterback (Malik Zaire), Tennessee gets to fly under the radar (but has still recruited well), etc. It’s possible that at least five of the division’s seven members improve this year. That’s not necessarily good for Mizzou, but the Tigers should be able to compete.
And then, in theory, the division gets even better in 2018.
I've been thinking lately about the SEC East and how it might actually be good in 2018. Best it's been in years, for sure.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
Consider Mizzou. Only has 10 seniors on its 2-deep (per Athlon), just 6 of them starters, and probably no one will leave early for the NFL.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
It'll have senior QB Lock, junior RB Crockett, at least five upperclassmen WRs, senior TE. At least 3 senior OL starters (probably 4).
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
Defense is losing a big piece in Frazier. To correct earlier, it might lose Terry Beckner Jr. early to the NFL.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
But it should start all upperclassmen in secondary, a place where experience counts. Could start all seniors in front 7 if wants to.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
No, Mizzou doesn't have recruiting stars of other programs, but experience-laden teams tend to outperform their star ratings.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
Missouri will be a player for the East in 2018. UF, UGA, SC, Tenn will all have stud 3rd year QBs. It's going to be a great race.
— David Wunderlich (@Year2) July 5, 2017
So you’ve got that to look forward to, huh?
More Links:
- Former Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel sat down with ABC 17 (which has been landing all sorts of good interviews lately) to talk about health, retirement, Barry Odom, etc. A clip:
Gary Pinkel's cancer is still in remission, but he took me through what it was like for him when he was diagnosed
— Andrew Kauffman (@A_Kauff) July 6, 2017
https://t.co/meapjHpnJG pic.twitter.com/E7bGHuAjww
- PowerMizzou’s Brian Austin took a look at what the Danny Gray commitment means for Mizzou.
- Michael Porter Jr. is one of six finalists for Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year.
- Former Mizzou hoops assistant Emanuel Dildy has joined the Valparaiso staff.
- We know two more former players involved in the Carroll & Bowers Alumni Game now: Zaire Taylor and Travon Bryant. (The updated list to date, I believe: Laurence Bowers, Bryant, DeMarre Carroll, Justin Gage, Marcus Denmon, Jimmy McKinney, William Moore, Rickey Paulding, Ricardo Ratliffe, Martin Rucker, Taylor, and Sean Weatherspoon.)
The Carroll & Bowers Alumni Game on July 22 at #Mizzou Arena... be there!
— Mizzou Basketball (@MizzouHoops) July 5, 2017
Support charity!
See Zaire & Travon! #MIZ pic.twitter.com/10jxNxYkDw
- And speaking of old times, I’m so here for an SEC Network documentary on 1997 (i.e. my first season in Columbia). It will air during Mizzou’s SEC Network Takeover day later in July. Yes, yes, yes.
You've Gotta Believe!
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) July 6, 2017
Relive 1997 with the highly-anticipated documentary during #Mizzou's @SECNetwork Takeover this month#MIZ #ShowMe pic.twitter.com/xLrkXBbZEQ