Spring football update: 4/12

Two new (minor) injuries to report. Receiver Johnathon Johnson and safety Ronnell Perkins were both wearing red pullover jerseys on Tuesday, a result of a big collision involving the two during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Here is Barry Odom’s description:

“There was a play that both of them made on Saturday,” Odom said. “Johnson was running a dig, the ball was placed perfectly by the quarterback, and Ronnell played it about as well as a safety could play it, on his break. It was a big-time collision.

“I think Ronnell had a rib (injury), practiced some today, and then Johnathon was -- from head to toe, if you say, ‘Is this injured?’, it’s not injured but he’s pretty sore. Both those guys, hopefully we get a little more out of them on Thursday.”

Running back Ryan Williams (ankle/knee) returned from injury for at least the open warm-up part of practice on Tuesday. Safety Cam Hilton (hamstring) went from a full red jersey to a red pullover.

The on-going questions about defensive tackle Harold Brantley and offensive tackle Clay Rhodes remain unresolved. Odom was asked specifically if he believes Brantley will return.

“If he can finish the way that he needs to, academically, then absolutely,” Odom said. “With the time he was gone and some things he’s still working through, hours-wise -- when you get that old in college, there’s certain criteria that you’ve got to hit on the number of hours. We’re working with him daily to try to get that done.”

Odom hasn’t said anything specifically about Rhodes, but other people seem to indicate his return is not likely. Offensive guard Kevin Pendleton grouped Rhodes into an answer about players who have left the team.

“Clay, Malik, we want them to be happy and we want them to be comfortable with what they’re doing,” Pendleton said, after first mentioning Andy Bauer. “It’s unfortunate they’re not with us anymore, but that doesn’t stop anything, we’re still rolling, we’re still going.”

Offensive line coach Glen Elarbee was asked if he still speaks with Clay Rhodes.

“A little bit,” Elarbee said. “I’ll see some of those guys from time to time or whatnot. Again, they had to do what’s best for them and I understand that completely. It doesn’t mean we don’t love them or what them to be around us, but you have to take care of yourself and your family first.”

Elarbee said he was talking about both Rhodes and Malik Cuellar, who has officially the left the team. A reporter asked if those two would be “welcomed back.”

“Man, again, that one may be above my pay grade,” Elarbee said. “You’re probably asking the wrong guy.”

A different reporter followed up by asking if Elarbee’s expecting Rhodes to come back.

“I don’t know how to answer that one, to be honest with you,” Elarbee said.

For the first time this spring, the media was able to speak with the running backs and new running backs coach Cornell Ford. Every position group was given two days each to meet the media, but the running backs' first day coincided with Chase Abbington leaving the team.

They were subbed out for the tight ends, who the media was able to speak with three times this spring.

Ford made the move from coaching cornerbacks to the offensive side. It's his first time on that side of the ball since coaching receivers from 1996 to 2000 at Toledo. He has experience coaching running backs, though --he coached running backs, quarterbacks and receivers at Marietta College in Ohio from 1993-1995.

"The only real adjustment for me is that we don't huddle," Ford said. "Outside of that -- and the pace, our pace is a steady pace. Besides that, I think the transition's really smooth, guys have taken to our style of coaching. We're just trying to make them (take) steps one by one."

Right now, Ford has three scholarship running backs under his tutelage in junior Ish Witter, redshirt sophomore Trevon Walters and redshirt freshman Ryan Williams. Marquise Doherty was supposed to split time between football and baseball this spring, but he's been all-baseball instead.

(Odom still said he expects Doherty to be training with football this summer and into August.)

Another running back to watch out for, as PowerMizzou.com subscribers have heard, is walk-on Shaun Conway from McLuer South in St. Louis. Conway is known as 'Mighty Mouse,' according to tight end Jason Reese, and Ford said he's put himself in a position to contribute.

"I think he's made a lot of progress," Ford said. "He's really, really a quick football player. Has a little bit of quickness and a little bit of speed, as well. Biggest challenge is, he's not a big guy, so he's got to learn to play with pad level. He tends to stand up a little bit, so we're just trying to get his pads down a little bit. But he's running a lot more physical, as I think all the backs are, and I think that's made us a little better group."

Ford also said he's been impressed with Witter's work this spring. Witter was Missouri's leading rusher in 2015.

"He's made a big jump," Ford said. "A different player. I think he's committed himself to getting in better shape. His body fat percentage has gone down. He's a little quicker, and his pad level is where it needs to be now. When you looked at him last year, I thought he was on the ground a lot. You don't see him on the ground much this spring. He's made a lot of improvements."

Missouri's running backs on the roster share similar characteristics, fitting the usual mode of a scat-back that the Tigers have employed in recent years. Ford said, going forward, the only style of running back he wants are ones that will be successful.

"We're looking for guys that can run the football," Ford said. "I don't really care what size they are. As long as they're effective and they can get the ball north and south and be physical, that's more or less what I'm looking for.

"We just want guys that are effective."

-- Offensive lineman A.J. Harris said he's been working at right guard, left guard and center. However, he sprained his right wrist recently (he has a cast on it) which has prohibited him from working at center late in camp.

-- Cornell Ford said he stays in close contact with JUCO running back signee Natereace Strong. Asked if it's still looking like Strong will enroll late in the summer, Ford said, "We don't know. We'll see. We take it quarter or semester by semester, and we're hoping that things are done by the end of this semester. If they're not, then we've got a couple weeks in the summer time where we can try to make some progress. But right now, we're hoping for this spring, early June."

That would be faster than we at PowerMizzou.com were told. Strong enrolled at Hinds C.C. in January 2015, and was supposed to finish his coursework this August. That would fit two years of junior college into three full semesters (spring 2015, fall 2015, spring 2016) and two summer semesters (which usually consist of fewer hours).

-- I'll have a longer story on the offensive line, but Kevin Pendleton gave an update on his mother, who was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer a few months ago.

"She's doing very well," Pendleton said. "She's always been the stubborn type. She's going to do it her own way. That's been a fun challenge for me. I have seven siblings, so it's been fun dealing with that, but she's doing good. Good spirits, very confident, very passionate about it. It's funny. She's kind of like, 'Let's see if I can find a cure or something myself.' It's fun to see."

Pendleton said his mom was diagnosed with the most common form of breast cancer and said it was "the best diagnosis (they) could have hoped for." His mom, Barb, already had the tumor removed three and a half weeks ago and Pendleton said she's recovering well.

-- Safeties coach Ryan Walters was promoted to co-defensive coordinator this offseason; a reason for that was because the young coach was highly sought after: "Yeah, I had a couple offers to be a coordinator," Walters said. "So it was definitely attractive to stay, for one I wanted to stay, but for two, with the title, that made it an easier decision."