Following his guilty plea to a reduced charge, Missouri Tigers head coach Barry Odom reinstated defensive end Tre Williams to the Tigers’ roster.
In late December 2018, Williams was the alleged perpetrator of assault against an ex-girlfriend. While there seemed to be enough evidence to convict Williams of the felony offense, his attorney was able to negotiate a plea to a misdemeanor charge of Disturbing the Peace, instead of the felony assault charge, which would have barred Williams’ return, permanently.
After Williams was initially charged, Odom suspended the defensive end, which caused him to miss the Tigers’ appearance in the Liberty Bowl, and the team’s preseason workouts and many practices.
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Being a former player, and clearly the proverbial “players’ coach” himself, Odom still has an image to maintain, as the face of the Tigers’ football program. However, we all know he also is happy to be able to welcome Williams back to the team, as he continues working to rebirth “D-Line Zou.”
As of Tuesday’s release of the 2019-20 depth chart, Williams was listed as the No. 2 defensive end on the roster. Williams, who enters his junior season at Missouri, will have some work to do. Williams’ reinstatement to the team means the Tigers will retain experience to its already established depth at the position.
In 2018, the defensive end’s body of work included 2.5 sacks and five tackles for loss. Considering Missouri’s more favorable schedule, I anticipate Williams’ production to increase favorably.
This year, Williams will continue to add to Missouri’s body of work from last year, in which it posted a respectable 27 sacks for 173 yards’ loss, seven forced fumbles, and 10 interceptions.