What to know about Missouri's tight end options before the 2022 season

Regardless of who wins the starting job, Missouri will be going with a new look at tight end this season, following the loss of most of the team’s production at that position from 2021. Following last year’s campaign, Daniel Parker transferred to Oklahoma and Niko Hea medically retired.

Parker finished the 2021 season with 12 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Hea scored two touchdowns and had 145 yards on 18 receptions.

The Tigers also lost Messiah Swinson, who transferred to Arizona State in December.

Now, Eli Drinkwitz will have a decision to make during fall camp. He has options, with seven tight ends currently on the roster.

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The early frontrunners for the job will likely be Tyler Stephens, who transferred in during the offseason, and Ryan Hoerstkamp, who saw some action late in his freshman campaign. However, those two will face competition from the rest of the roster, including freshman Max Whisner.

Here’s what to know about all seven of the tight ends currently on Missouri’s roster for the 2022 season, with fall camp set to begin in late July.

Kibet Chepyator

The graduate student saw action in nine games last season. He largely played on special teams and also saw time as a blocking tight end.

Tyler Stephens

Stephens joined the Tigers through the transfer portal in January. He spent the first three seasons of his college career at Buffalo.

His best season with the Bulls came in 2021 when he caught 15 passes, totaling 157 yards and a touchdown, which led all Buffalo tight ends. He redshirted his first season in 2019 and played sparingly in 2020.

Stephens went to Buffalo after playing his high school football at LaBrae High School in Ohio. He was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of high school.

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Shawn Hendershot

The sophomore came to Missouri as a walk-on from Blue Valley North in Kansas. He appeared once during his true freshman season, against Vanderbilt, but did not see the field in 2021.

Max Whisner

Whisner is the one true freshman tight end on Missouri’s 2022 roster. He comes to the Tigers from their home state, playing his prep football at Lee’s Summit.

He was ranked as a three-star prospect coming out of high school, and was rated as the nation’s 36th best tight end in the class of 2022 by 247Sports and 26th best by ESPN. He finished his senior season at Lee’s Summit with 407 yards and seven touchdowns on 25 receptions.

Whisner chose Missouri over offers that included Nebraska, Kansas and Arkansas.

Ryan Hoerstkamp

Hoerstkamp came to MU from in-state Washington High School in 2021 as a three-star recruit, spurning a chance to play at Alabama in the process. He also had offers from Arkansas, Kansas and Kentucky among others.

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He was praised coming out of high school for his skill at catching the ball, along with his athleticism and route-running ability.

He took a redshirt for his first year in Columbia, seeing action in four games. He started for the Tigers in the Armed Forces Bowl against Army and will be expected to compete for the first-team tight end role this season.

Damon Johanns

The Jefferson City native did not appear in his first season as a Tiger, taking a redshirt. He played high school football at Helias Catholic, helping lead the team to a state championship.

Gavin McKay

McKay, a redshirt freshman from Memphis University School in Tennessee, was rated as a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He joined Missouri over a list of offers that included Kansas and Indiana.

The 6-foot 3, 233-pound McKay did not appear during his first season in Columbia, taking a redshirt season.

Matt Stahl is the Missouri athletics beat reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @mattstahl97.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What to know about Missouri football's tight ends for the 2022 season