At times, special teams were a problem-area for Missouri football in 2024.
There were mistakes made in the return game. After moving on from program standout Harrison Mevis at placekicker, the Tigers were inconsistent at the middle-distances last year. There weren't any obvious issues punting, but it wasn't a particularly strong point, either.
So, where do the Tigers stand ahead of the new season?
From a numbers-standpoint … a little light.
Mizzou's season-opener for the 2025 campaign against Central Arkansas on Aug. 28 on Faurot Field is a little more than five weeks away. Fall camp is on deck, as the Tigers will report for camp ahead of their first practice Monday, July 28.
Here is how Missouri 's specialists shape up heading into fall camp, including a projected depth chart, the upside and possible questions for the room and some snippets of what the coaches said during the spring:
Placekicker: Starter: Blake Craig , r-so.; Backup:Robert Meyer, fr.
Punter: Starter: Connor Weselman , gr.; Backup:John Butcher, jr.
Longsnapper: Starter:Brett Le Blanc, jr.; Backup:Henry Crosby, fr.
Kick returners: Marquis Johnson , jr.; Joshua Manning , jr.; Marvin Burks Jr., jr.
Punt returners:Kevin Coleman Jr., sr.; Marquis Johnson, jr.; Daniel Blood, jr.; Shaun Terry II, fr.
Craig returns for his second season as the Tigers' starting kicker after finishing his debut campaign 24-of-34 on field goals, including a 1-of-7 mark between 40-49 yards. Meyer, his backup and the only other placekicker currently on the roster, is a true freshman who originally committed as a preferred walk-on.
Weselman joined Mizzou from Stanford , where he was the backup for the Cardinal last year but averaged 42.2 yards with a 59-yard career-long before that.
He is set to replace outgoing starter Luke Bauer, who is now with Michigan as a graduate transfer. Butcher joined the team from junior-college-level Grossmont CC.
We'd expect one of Mizzou's wide receivers to take on punt-returning duties. Coleman has some experience in that arena with Mississippi State , and Terry, a true freshman, is a wildcard option with some intriguing tape from high school.
Johnson, Manning and Burks were Mizzou's primary kickoff return players in 2024.
The return units should give fans a reason to be optimistic.
Coleman was one of the better punt returners in the SEC with Mississippi State last season, taking the average punt back 9.6 yards — a better mark than Luther Burden III over his past two seasons in Columbia.
With a fully healthy Johnson — and a little bit more experience in the return game under his belt to shed some errors — the Tigers could have one of the fastest players in the league lining up to return kickoffs.
The Tigers did not excel in the return game last season. The pieces are there for that to improve in 2025.
The depth beyond the starters appears to be lacking at kicker and punter.
Both starting roles seemingly were settled in the spring, and there isn't much reason to believe that either Craig or Weselman has a player pushing them for the starting role.
Part of that is because teams across the country had to prepare for, at the time, expected roster-size changes coming to college football via revenue-sharing. Before 'designated student-athletes' were allowed due to a revision to the house settlement, that was having a significant impact on backup specialists.
The plan to immediately implement roster limits was ultimately scrapped, but teams are generally smaller than they were at this time last year — even with designated student-athletes And, the damage in Columbia had already been done.
At one point in spring camp, Mizzou had just four specialists on its roster.
Luke Bauer left via the transfer portal to Michigan, and the Tigers have since turned to Butcher, a junior college transfer who averaged 37.3 yards per attempt on 114 career punts, to find an emergency backup. Mizzou opted not to add a kicker to challenge Craig via the portal, although Butcher also has some kicking experience.
Now, the Tigers have a little uncertainty behind their starters.
What if there is an injury or a poor run of performances? Craig, although he had a stellar bowl game and showed off the potential for a huge leg with a 6-of-9 mark from more than 50 yards, wasn't perfect last season. Weselman hasn't punted in a live game since 2023.
Will the Tigers turn to their freshman kicker or junior-college transfer punter if something goes wrong?
Of course, Mizzou won't want to ever need to make that call — but it's college football, so it's not out of the realm of possibility and certainly worth monitoring.
More: Led by All-American, can transfer-heavy safety room give Missouri football stability?
More: Is a Cody Schrader record in sight for Ahmad Hardy? Previewing Missouri football running backs
"Very impressed with Connor Weselman," Eli Drinkwitz said April 8, after spring camp had finished. "I mean, he had an outstanding spring punting the football. That's what SEC punters are supposed to look like from a hang time and distance combination.
"Blake Craig — it was very consistent. Somebody that we're continuing to work with on consistency on a day-to-day basis, but pleased with where we're at with the specialists."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What to expect from Missouri football's special teams in 2025 season
