Missouri Athletics: AD Jim Sterk weighs in on move to SEC West
Auburn’s annual plea to leave the SEC West for the East sparked enough interest that Missouri’s Athletic Director Jim Sterk weighed in with his opinion on Tuesday.
In short, Sterk has no desire to see Missouri leave its place in the East. There are decent arguments on either side of the debate for re-aligning the SEC, but on the other hand, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” also comes to mind. Hopefully we can put this one to bed now, for at least another year.
"I think we’re fine and like where we are at. There’s been no discussion within the conference and with the commissioner about anything different. Until that point, I’m not going to speculate. But I can say we like where we are at. We’ve got schedules out until 2020 in football, so it’s something that would take a lot."
I also like where the Tigers are. While seeing annual matchups against the likes of Alabama and LSU might play favorably toward head coach Barry Odom’s recruiting efforts, it would also be discouraging for a team that is trying to regain its confidence in the conference.
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While the Tigers seek a replacement for departed defensive end Charles Harris, Edward Aschoff of ESPN predicts that the answer to Mizzou’s woes at the position is already on the roster.
"DE Marcell Frazier, Missouri: Death, taxes and a Mizzou defensive lineman being near the top of the SEC stat chart. Frazier recorded 6.5 of his 7.5 sacks in the last three games of the season in 2016, so he’s a guy with a lot of 2017 momentum. What should help him even more is Mizzou moving from that crummy read-and-react style up front."
Frazier produced well for Mizzou in 2016, and like Edward Aschoff noted, he’s a guy with a lot of momentum heading into the 2017 season. Ahead of Frazier is No. 2 Marquis Haynes of Ole Miss, and No. 1 Arden Key of LSU.
Recent Missouri graduate, quarterback Marvin Zanders, is reportedly considering continuing his football career at Vanderbilt. While other unnamed sources call the claim into question, it is an interesting prospect to consider.
With all due respect to the reports out there, sources at Vanderbilt have no idea where the Marvin Zanders news is coming from (1/2)
— Jesse Johnson (@JesseWJohnsonVU) June 14, 2017
On Monday, former Mizzou wide receiver Jeremy Maclin signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Now, one seafood business is on the hook to provide Maclin with two years of free crab cakes. Not a bad deal, if you ask me, but I love crab cakes.
Baseball
On Monday, former Tigers pitcher Tanner Houck was taken in the first round of the MLB Draft by Boston, at No. 24. On Tuesday, no Missouri baseball players were selected.
Next: Mizzou snags DT Jordan Elliott
The good news for Mizzou, is that anyone not selected should return next season, which will give the Tigers added experience and depth.