State of the Mizzou Football Team: Coaching Hires

Many fans unsure about what the Mizzou football team will look like.

Every year, Mizzou football goes through the same routine most teams in college football go through, and prepare for a new season. Well, this isn’t your mom’s old Tiger recipe, as changes of this magnitude haven’t been a part of Mizzou’s off-season preparation in over 15 years.

No more Craig Kuligowski, the mastermind behind every defensive end from Aldon Smith to Brian Smith, leading to a fraternity of ‘MizzouMade’ talent at the position in the NFL. No more Josh Henson, the strategist in scoring for the SEC East’s back-to-back division championships.

No more Gary Pinkel.

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If you were told that at the end of the season, Pinkel, Henson and Kuligowski were going to be gone, and you were told this right before the season started, you may have sold off all your individual game tickets and burned your parking passes. But as everything that ends in sports must eventually begin anew, let’s look at the changes that we’re in store for personnel-wise, and what that may mean for the team.

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Josh Heupel

Mizzou fans remember this guy. The former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback from Oklahoma is leaving Utah State and is headed to Columbia to run the Tiger football offense. This is head coach Barry Odom’s first major hire, which is going to be put under the microscope big time, being at such an important position.

The hire is dynamite for several reasons. First of all, although Utah State will not knock you over with their offensive production on paper last season, it’s what Odom knows about the style of offense he wants to run in the SEC, and how Heupel can match that. In addition, he will be the quarterback’s coach as well, a job that used to be handled by Andy Hill. Another major reason is recruiting; young kids are going to want to go and play for a younger guy who they can relate to, period.

Heupel will help bring a solid passing game and knowledge in. Many thought that Odom would go run-heavy, so this is a good indicator that it will be a balanced attack.

Wide Receivers Coach, Andy Hill

Hill will be resuming the role he started under the late Larry Smith in 1996, giving this staff a nostalgic feel that fans can feel good about. But it’s about more than that, as Hill wasn’t retained to make fans happy, he was retained because he’s very talented at what he does.

Hill has excellent people qualities, able to crack a joke about nearly anything at any time. His quick-witted style is an indicator of how he coaches, confidently and decisively. The fact that he’s been through a lot of different situations will help all of the other coaches on the staff, including those to be named.

Running Backs Coach, Cornell Ford

What an absolute gift it is to still have Coach Ford on the staff. An tireless instructor, Ford has immediate respect of the players and is a very intelligent guy. Players love playing for Ford, but certainly not because he acts like “one of the guys.” He has a very focused and business-like demeanor, almost intimidating at times…but he clearly knows how to get the most out of his players.

Coach Ford is perhaps most recognized by those outside of the program, as having strong recruiting ties to the St. Louis area. Keeping him as a part of the staff not only ensures a strong St. Louis pipeline, but it rewards a guy who will be coaching without Gary Pinkel for the first time since 1991. Ford will be making a transition from Cornerbacks Coach to Running Backs Coach.

Defensive Coordinator, DeMontie Cross

It’s interesting to see  former Mizzou players head back to campus like this, and with Coach Odom pulling the strings, it’s going to be interesting to see if these moves pay off. With Cross being such an early hire, you have to figure Odom’s confidence in him is sky high.

Cross of course played for the Tigers, but he’s also a returning member to the coaching staff, as he coached the outside linebackers in 1998 and 1999.

Most recently, Cross has been spending his time trying to stop the powerhouse offenses of the Big 12 Conference as co-defensive coordinator for TCU. His experience in countering strong offenses will be a major asset in SEC play. His presence also adds further to the St. Louis recruiting ability, as Cross is from the Gateway City.

Cross is aggressive, but also knows how to get burned by being too blitz-happy. His style may be more reserved at first, but don’t look for him to be shy when it comes to attacking big time passers in big time games.

Safeties OR Cornerbacks Coach, Ryan Walters

Walters is another guy who will remain on the staff from Pinkel’s, but he was hardly Pinkel’s guy as Walters made the transition to Mizzou this past February from Memphis with Coach Odom. Walters spent last season in charge of the safeties, which he could very well do again. But at Memphis, he was the Cornerbacks Coach, something there is a need for now that Coach Ford has gone to coach running backs.

It will remain to be seen, as far as where Walters is put. Once more hires are announced by Odom, we will have a much more clear picture on exactly what Coach Walter’s role will be with the team.

Positions still in need of a coach: Offensive line, Defensive line, Linebackers, Safeties OR Cornerbacks, Strength and Conditioning

So four pieces of the Mizzou coaching puzzle in place, with about five more to go probably before everything is rounded out. This could take a week, or right up to February when National Signing Day is completed.

We can talk all day about who we miss, and ask why Coach Kuligowski wasn’t kept, but ultimately these were decisions made to best promote a cohesive working atmosphere for Odom and his staff.

As we look to the new guys in coordinator positions, and see how hold-overs are going to fair, you have to say (or I do anyway) that the staff looks good. It really feels like every decision is being made with a very calculated approach at this point. Recruiting is the name of the game, and I think the first thing you can say when you look at the guys around Odom, is they should be able to recruit.

We’ll await the next wave of announcements, which should be exciting to see unfold. But as of now, I’d classify what’s going on post-Pinkel as a win.