PowerMizzou – Missouri Spring Football Position Preview: Linebackers

After producing its best season in nine years and a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, Missouri’s beeline toward a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoffs begins sometime in the next week or so when spring practice starts, with the Black and Gold spring game taking place on March 16.

Until then, we will preview the 2024 roster by doing position-by-position previews. Next, we’ll look at the linebackers.

The starters: The Tigers lost a lot of experience and leadership with team captains and starting linebacker duo Chad Bailey and Ty’Ron Hopper using their last of their eligibility.

However, those two dealt with injuries throughout last year and Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson stepped up in place of them, with the pair getting to start the last three games together

Newson played in 12 games and started the last three. He recorded only four tackles in in 33 snaps played in the first six games of the season. In the last six games with a more featured role in the lineup replacing Hopper, he racked up 47 tackles, six tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

He was also top two in tackles in all of his starts and was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 13 after recording 15 tackles, two tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries against Arkansas.

Hicks replaced Bailey as the MIKE and the transition was seamless for the most part.

He recorded 53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 13 games (nine starts).

Hicks and Newson’s play has garnered them both the right to enter spring ball as the starters even though the team got Miami transfer Corey Flagg Jr. in the portal.

The backups: Flagg played in 12 games a year ago and recorded 48 tackles, six tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He’s played in 11 or more games the last three seasons and has racked up at least 45 tackles and six tackles for loss in each of them.

Brayshawn Littlejohn redshirted last season, but his team thinks he has great potential. He’s a player they hope can work his way into the rotation.

After him, it’s Will Norris, who is a special teamer and four-star signee Nicholas Rodriguez and three-star signee Brian Huff. The former won’t be at spring ball but the latter will.

Storyline to watch for: Mizzou has three solid linebackers in Hicks, Newson and Flagg. So, how will they divvy up snaps among the three?

Does Missouri think Flagg is or can be an upgrade over Hicks? In 42 career games, only in a couple of them did Flagg line up as a WILL linebacker and not the MIKE.

Also, could Littlejohn make a case to break into the rotation?

PowerMizzou’s prediction: The starting nods go to Hicks and Newson, but expect Flagg and Littlejohn to get worked in with the first-team, too possibly. Hicks and Newson’s starting roles are probably safe as long as they continue to perform how they did to end the season.