Pinkel has also focused on player development, and that means year-around work for the program. Not long after Pinkel took over, he hired Jeff Fish from the Kansas City Chiefs to be the Tigers’ new strength and conditioning coach.
After an OK from athletics director Michael Alden, Pinkel purchased $250,000 worth of state-of-the-art weight room equipment. Soon, the Tigers were leaner and meaner -- none more than running back Zack Abron, who quickly dropped 20 pounds, then showed drastic improvement on the field in the 2001 season.
Pinkel brings a passion for football and a passion for winning to the program. It was apparent during his previous stop at Toledo, where he became the program’s winningest coach with a career record of 73-37-3. In his last six seasons, the Rockets were 50-18-1. Three of those teams played in the postseason. Pinkel won three Mid-American Conference West titles, and his 1995 team won the MAC championship and beat Nevada in overtime in the Las Vegas Bowl. The ’95 Rockets finished 11-0-1.
In his 10 seasons at Toledo, Pinkel’s teams finished in the top three of the MAC eight times. Before his head-coaching debut at Toledo, Pinkel worked for 12 seasons under Don James at Washington, serving as offensive coordinator for six seasons (1984-90).
Pinkel stresses a balanced offense, and he got just that in the 2001 season. The Tigers rushed for 1,841 yards and passed for 1,895 yards.
The Tigers feature an attacking defense under Pinkel. In his 10 years at Toledo, the Rockets twice led the nation in turnover margin. The 2000 Toledo defense ranked third nationally in overall defense.
QUARTERBACKS
When spring practice started, the Tigers’ quarterback job was wide open -- just like most positions on the team.
Senior Kirk Farmer was slotted as the starter ahead of red-shirt freshmen Brad Smith and Santino Riccio.
Farmer (6-4, 215) started nine games last season, completing 47.4 percent of his passes for 1,567 yards and 13 touchdowns. He completed 135-of-285 passes and was intercepted only six times. He was the team’s second-leading rusher with 417 yards gained and 379 net yards.
Farmer had the team’s best rushing average per carry (6.4).
Smith (6-3, 200) has outstanding speed and a strong arm. Last season, he split time with Riccio (6-2, 200) on the scout team, and the two will battle for the backup’s job in the fall.
At Chaney High in Youngstown, Ohio, Smith was a two-time all-state player and All-City Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for more than 2,700 yards and 34 touchdowns and rushed for 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career.
Riccio, who goes by "Sonny," has a strong arm and quick feet and had little trouble grasping the system last season. He was also an outstanding baseball player in high school, but his forte was football. As a senior at Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, Pa., Riccio threw for 1,353 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 601 yards and eight touchdowns.
Smith completed 12-of-21 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in the spring game. He threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Justin Gage.
Riccio was 6-of-21 for 30 yards and was intercepted twice.
RUNNING BACKS
Abron (5-10, 225), a junior, will be the feature back in the Tigers’ offense after a solid sophomore season.
Abron, chosen to the All-Big 12 third team by the league’s coaches, was probably the most improved player on the team last season. He led the Tigers in rushing with 783 yards, which ranked 10th in the league. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry, fourth best in the Big 12, and led the Tigers with six rushing touchdowns.
He had five 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 147 yards on 27 carries against Iowa State. He also had 100-yard games against Kansas, Texas (which ranked fourth in the country in rush defense), Kansas State and Southwest Texas State. Against Colorado, Abron had rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries when he sprained an ankle midway through the second quarter and didn’t return.
Sophomore Tyrone Roberson (5-10, 190) will be the backup tailback behind Abron. Last season, Roberson was the team’s fourth-leading rusher with 172 yards in eight games. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Senior Justin Gage (6-4, 210) returns as the top receiver for the Tigers after an outstanding junior year. He was chosen to the All-Big 12 first team by the league’s coaches and by the Associated Press.
Gage had 74 catches for 920 yards and five touchdowns, ranking 13th nationally in catches per game with 6.8. His 74 catches were one shy of the school record and his 920 receiving yards are fourth best in the program’s history.
With 118 career catches, Gage ranks fourth all-time at Missouri.
In the victory over Baylor, Gage had a phenomenal game -- 13 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns. His 236 receiving yards ranked second in the Big 12 in yardage per game for a receiver.
There will be plenty of competition for the other wide receivers jobs. At least seven players are in the hunt.
Junior Marcus James (5-8, 170) and sophomore Thomas Omboga (6-2, 190) had considerable playing time last season and were slotted as starters in the spring.
Ombaga was third on the team in receiving last year with 15 catches for 158 yards and one touchdown. He played in 10 games and started four.
James played in all 11 games with six starts and had six catches for 38 yards.
Three red-shirt freshmen will also contend for work. Chris Crosby (6-3, 200) and Sean Coffey (6-6, 220) have good size and are athletic, while A.B. Britt (6-2, 180) has good speed.
Senior Ben Fredrickson (6-4, 255) should assume the starting job at tight end vacated by Dwayne Blakley, who was second on the team in catches with 34. Fredrickson played in all 11 games last season and had eight catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
OFFENSIVE LINE
There were some big gaps left by the departures of three linemen who earned All-Big 12 honors last season -- Justin Bland, Aaron Crittendon and Mike Hayes.
The two returning starters are Ricker (6-4, 295), a junior center, and junior tackle Rob Droege (6-6, 290).
Ricker was chosen to the coaches’ All-Big 12 third team and enters the season as one of 21 semifinalists for the Rimington Award for the best collegiate center. He has started 22 straight games and was part of an offensive line that gave up just six sacks last season, the lowest total in the Big 12.
Droege was one of the most improved players on the team last year and started eight games, including the last five when Adrian Cole went down with an injury.
Junior Cliff Young (6-2, 295) was the No. 1 weak guard alongside Droege in the spring lineup. At strong guard, sophomore Joe Gianino (6-3, 285) was the starter in the spring with sophomore Tony Clinker (6-4, 290) starting at strong tackle.
Senior Wes Wilson (6-3, 300) was the backup for Gianino and sophomore Scott Paffrath (6-5, 290) was the backup at strong tackle. Red-shirt freshman Tony Palker (6-3, 300) will also contend for the job at strong guard.
KICKERS
One big concern during the spring was the Tigers’ kicking game.
Red-shirt freshman Ben Lambert (6-3, 190) takes over as place-kicker for Brad Hammerich, who made 11-of-16 field-goal attempts last season.
It looks like the job is Lambert’s to lose, but several walk-ons will try to push him.
Todd Gohsler (6-1, 195), a junior from Mesa (Calif.) College, should give Lambert some competition. Gohsler was 9-of-15 on field-goal attempts last season and 34-of-35 on PAT kicks.
DEFENSIVE LINE
When the 2001 season started, the defensive line was an inexperienced bunch, but that won’t be the case this season.
Senior Keith Wright (6-2, 275), chosen to the coaches’ All-Big 12 second team, returns at defensive tackle after making 68 tackles last season, fifth-best on the team. Wright had 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and one interception. He also blocked a punt.
Against Kansas, Wright had a career-high 10 tackles, including four tackles for loss and one sack. He tied that career high with 10 tackles in the season finale against Michigan State. He spent the 2000 season working with the scout team after transferring from Sacramento City College, where he was a NJCAA All-American.
Wright can play either defensive end or tackle. In the spring, he was slotted as the starting end.
Senior Antwaun Bynum (6-2, 245) will start at the other defensive end. Bynum moved from linebacker to defensive end last season and had a good year, finishing with 54 tackles and the team-high 16 tackles for loss and team-high seven sacks. He was chosen to the coaches’ All-Big 12 honorable mention team.
The seven sacks tied Bynum for third place on the single-season list at Missouri. His four sacks against Oklahoma State also tied a school single-game record. He had a career-high 14 tackles against Oklahoma State, including six tackles for losses.
Junior college transfer Atiyyah Ellison (6-4, 290) could be the starter at tackle in the fall, but was slotted behind sophomore Phil Pitts (6-1, 275) in the spring.
Ellison, only a sophomore, has great size and athleticism.
Senior Cedric Harden (6-3, 305) was slotted as the starting nose tackle in the spring. With good speed and size, Harden has been a mainstay on the defensive line for three seasons. A year ago, Harden started eight games and had had 67 tackles, including 11 for losses, and two sacks.
LINEBACKERS
Senior linebacker Sean Doyle (6-0, 235) returns after leading the Big 12 in tackles with 131 and earning All-Big 12 honors from the Dallas Morning News. He was chosen to the coaches’ honorable mention team.
Doyle’s 131 tackles were the eighth highest in a season at Missouri and he enters the 2002 season with 245 career tackles. In eight of 11 games last season Doyle had double-digit tackles, and he twice tied a career-high in tackles with 17 against Bowling Green and Nebraska. He had 16 against Iowa State and had 13 solo tackles against Nebraska and Iowa State. Against Oklahoma State, Doyle had 11 tackles and a forced fumble. He finished with five tackles for loss.
Sophomore James Kinney (6-0, 230) also played a significant role last season, appearing in 10 games and starting two. He had 27 tackles, including two for loss, and two sacks. Kinney was also a special teams standout.
Red-shirt freshman Brandon Smith (6-2, 215) was slotted as Kinney’s backup in the spring. Red-shirt freshmen Elgin Childress (6-2, 220) and Ryan Coyne (6-1, 220) were also slotted behind Kinney.
Sophomore Henry Sweat (6-0, 230) and red-shirt freshman Derrick Ming (5-11, 230) were set behind Doyle at the other linebacker spot.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
In the spring, Pinkel grouped all his defensive backs together and tried to fit them into the best spots. The Tigers play a five-defensive back set.
One of those players will definitely be senior outside safety Tauras Ferguson (5-11, 205), chosen to the All-Big 12 honorable mention team. He was the starter at rover back in the spring. Last season, Ferguson was third on the team in tackles with 71 and had six tackles for loss, two sacks and recovered two fumbles.
Junior Marcus Caldwell (6-0, 200) and red-shirt freshman Quincy Wade (5-9, 175) were Ferguson’s backups at the rover spot in the spring.
Sophomore Kevin Johnson (6-1, 195) split time between the whip safety and free safety last season and was the starter at whip safety in the spring. Johnson made great improvement last season and is a smart defender with good football instincts.
Caldwell and senior Gary Anthony (6-0, 200) could be the outside safeties. Both have significant experience.
Wade and two other red-shirt freshmen , Justin Scott (6-1, 200) and Orlando Gooden (6-1, 210), will push the veteran players in the fall. All are very good athletes and improved greatly in the off-season.
At free safety, sophomore Marcus King (5-11, 185) is a frontrunner after playing on special teams last year and practicing at cornerback. King has good size and speed.
"Good athletes are critical in this defensive structure," Pinkel said.
There is a lot of experience at cornerback, starting with seniors Antoine Duncan (5-10, 185) and R.J. Jones (6-0, 165). Both had two interceptions and are excellent cover corners. They will be pushed by junior Michael Harden (5-11, 180), sophomore Calvin Washington (6-1, 190) and red-shirt freshman A.J. Kincade (5-11, 180).
Junior Terrence Curry (5-9, 175) returns from a knee injury that sidelined him for the 2001 season. He won’t be 100 percent until fall practice.
PUNTERS
Gohsler will battle sophomore Brock Harvey (6-1, 200) for the starting punter’s job this year.
Harvey was inconsistent last season but worked hard in the off-season and seemed to have made progress. He averaged 39.5 yards on 42 punts last season. He had seven punts inside the 20.
Gohsler averaged 39.5 yards per punt last season at Mesa (Calif.) College, but was one of the best junior college punters in the state as a freshman when he averaged 42.6 yards per punt.
SPECIAL TEAMS
This is one area of huge concern for Pinkel and his staff.
Last season, the Tigers ranked last in the Big 12 in net punting, averaging 30.5 yards per punt.
Lambert, the red-shirt freshman, could be the starting place-kicker, and he has no game experience in college. Gohsler could vie for the job.
One of the three quarterbacks will be the holder, while sophomores Strom and Tarpoff and junior Scott Sells (6-5, 285) will compete for the long snapper job.
James, the wideout, returns as the starting punt returner. He averaged 9.7 yards on 19 returns last season. James was also the top kick returner, averaging 18.4 yards on 23 returns.
Roberson and Jackson, also receivers, both returned seven kicks last season. Roberson had a team-high 23.3 average per return, while Jackson averaged 18.9 yards per return.
RECRUITING CLASS
Pinkel’s 2002 class of recruits was rated No. 28 in the country by Rivals.com. One recruiting Web site, MoKan.com, reported that the Tigers landed six of the top 10 players in Missouri.
Of the 22 recruits signed on Nov. 6, 16 will be freshmen in the fall of 2002, and many of them will be red-shirted. The other six were junior college players, and two of them, kicker Gohsler of Mesa College and defensive lineman Ellison of Coffey (Kansas) Community College, enrolled at Missouri for the spring semester and practiced in the spring.
Gohsler and Ellison will likely play key roles for the Tigers in the 2002 season.
Most of the recruits played both ways in high school, and Pinkel will find the position best suited for them in the fall. Three players were listed as quarterbacks/athletes -- Brandon Coleman (6-4, 205) of North Miami High School, Josh Hibbets (6-2, 185) of Enid (Okla.) High School and David Overstreet (6-1, 190) of W.W. Samuel High School in Dallas.
Coleman threw for 1,461 yards and 10 touchdowns last season while rushing for 735 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, he threw for 1,617 yard and 15 touchdowns.
Hibbets is a great athlete and was rated one of the top 30 dual-purpose quarterbacks by Rivals.com. He played wide receiver as a junior and moved to quarterback for his senior year of high school.
Overstreet brings even better credentials. He was rated among the top 35 dual-purpose quarterbacks by Rivals.com and was among the top 100 players in Texas. He has been clocked at 4.36 in the 40.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Not long after the 2001 season ended, Pinkel began charting his plans for the off-season. It started in the weight room in February.
Pinkel says the Tigers needed to get stronger physically and get mentally tougher. He says the team made significant strides in both areas.
The Tigers entered spring practices with an open quarterback race and to no one’s surprise Farmer ended the spring No. 1. Farmer started nine games last season and put up decent numbers, but the Tigers’ passing game needs improvement. Farmer ranked 10th in the Big 12 in passing efficiency, and the team was ninth in passing offense, averaging 172.3 yards per game.
Abron was the most improved player on the team in 2001, and he seems poised for even better days ahead. Gage leads the receivers, and although they don’t have an abundance of experience, there is no shortage of talent.
Three key players are gone from the offensive line, and Pinkel spent the spring looking for the best 10, regardless of position.
Missouri’s defensive line is better off this year than in 2001 when it entered with little game experience. It’s a solid group this year. Doyle and Kinney are talented linebackers, but their backups are relatively young.
Pinkel has plenty of athleticism in the secondary, which should be improved. Last year, the Tigers ranked last in the Big 12 in pass efficiency defense, and they were 10th in overall defense, allowing 399.2 yards per game.
