You know the saying in baseball? You can never have too many pitchers?
Well, I feel that way about offensive linemen in football. You can never have too many. You can always throw another plate of beef
on the grill. It’s just gonna add some more flavor to the party.
Apologies if I’ve used this analogy before. I think I might be hungry.
Mizzou locked down a big case of beef with the signing of Zack Owens, a former Mississippi State starting lineman, who signed with the Tigers during the portal window. Mizzou should have three returning starters on the line, but will surely be open to another SEC starter supplanting one of them if it makes the team stronger.
So what are the chances Owens comes to town and plants himself at the top of the depth chart? Let’s take a look.
Where He Fits
Owens is listed as a guard, and he split time on both the left and right as a redshirt sophomore at Mississippi State. In theory, the Tigers are set at the starting guard position with Dominick Giudice on the left and Curtis Peagler on the right. But some of the additions the Tigers made this offseason should give us pause. Josh Atkins from Arizona State is a out-and-out left tackle, suggesting the staff may look to move Cayden Green back inside. We saw indications of that late in the season, when Giudice started taking snaps at center to spell Connor Tollison. In either case, left guard likely isn’t up for grabs, so right guard would be the spot for Owens to aim for. Peagler wasn’t incredible in his first year as a starter, but he graded out better at 776 snaps compared to the 516 Owens had with the Bulldogs.
Like we often say when talking about transfers, Owens gives the staff another option with SEC experience. What if Josh Atkins doesn’t pan out at left tackle and Green needs to slide outside again? That opens up a slot for Owens on the interior. Or what if he finally found his form with the Bulldogs and is rounding into his best self at the right time? Whatever the case, Owens’ time in the SEC makes him a more viable option than the many youngsters that sat on the bench last season.
When He Plays
It’s not a guarantee that Owens will play right away — look at Johnny Williams IV last season as an example of how wrong we can be about offensive linemen — but there’s little chance Owens left a starting job in Starkville if he didn’t think he could hack it in Columbia. I’d count on seeing Owens early in the season as the line settles itself out.
What It Means
You’re surely getting sick of hearing about Mizzou’s need to bring in depth for the trenches, but that’s a lot of what this class was about. Owens is a piece of the puzzle, one that might prove key before it’s all said and done.
