Mizzou's offensive line coach Marcus Johnson leaves for Purdue. Here's what it means for the Tigers

Missouri assistant coach Marcus Johnson talks to his offensive line during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in Columbia, Mo.
Missouri assistant coach Marcus Johnson talks to his offensive line during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in Columbia, Mo.
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Missouri football’s offensive line coach, Marcus Johnson, is heading elsewhere. Johnson, who also served as assistant head coach and run game coordinator, accepted a similar position at Purdue, where he rejoins former MU defensive coordinator and current Boilermaker head coach Ryan Walter.

In the news release announcing Johnson’s arrival, Walters praised his new assistant.

"It is exciting to be reunited with Marcus and bring him here to Purdue," Walters said in the release. "Marcus is a bulldog on the recruiting trail and commands attention as a coach. His experience as a player and now as a coach will immediately help our guys in the offensive line room. Marcus' character aligns with our program's core values."

Walters and Johnson were together on the 2020 Missouri staff. Walters will be in his first season as Purdue's head coach after serving as Illinois' defensive coordinator last season.

That 2020 season was Johnson's first on MU's staff. He took over assistant head coach and run game coordinator duties before the 2021 campaign.

Last season the Tigers averaged 158.7 rushing yards per game. Before coming to Columbia, Johnson worked as an offensive line coach at Mississippi State and Duke.

What it means for Missouri

The Tigers will now have to search for an offensive line coach before fall camp. The line has been a consistent source of concern lately, after struggling deeply last season.

MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz made it clear earlier in spring practice that he was still unhappy with where the unit was at, especially at center.

“We gotta improve,” Drinkwitz said on Wednesday. “Quite honestly, we haven’t been consistent enough snapping the football or consistent enough playing physical behind our pads with the correct pad level. So that’s a position that, we’ve got to even be open to moving other guys around to see who else can snap.”

The Tigers return four starters from last season on the offensive line. The center spot is a three-way battle currently, between Connor Tollison, who started last season, Bence Polgar and Drake Heismeyer.

The entire line had major issues throughout last season, after previously helping Tyler Badie lead the SEC in rushing yards in 2021. MU’s offense was hamstrung by the unit’s inability to keep quarterback Brady Cook upright and its frequent penalties hurt drives for an offense that struggled to score points.

Now, the rejuvenation of the line will be in someone else’s hands. During Missouri’s spring scrimmage on Saturday, without Johnson coaching, the players on the first team looked to be Tollison, along with Javon Foster, Xavier Delgado, Armond Membou and Marcellus Johnson.

Marcellus Johnson joined the team through the transfer portal this offseason, coming over from Eastern Michigan. His transition to the Tigers will now be guided by someone else.

The loss of Marcus Johnson also means most of the team’s offensive linemen will be playing for someone besides the coach who recruited them. According to 247Sports, Johnson was a lead recruiter for Tollison, Membou and Valen Erickson among others.

Whether or not that could lead to a transfer portal exodus is yet to be seen. The portal opens on April 15.

That time could also inject new players into the program. Before spring practice began, Drinkwitz didn’t rule out bringing in offensive linemen as transfers but said he’d prefer to use what the Tigers already have.

“I really don’t want to get into this every time we have an issue we just try to plug and play out of the portal, because then you lose that developmental factor,” Drinkwitz said on Feb. 27.  “If we have a belief in those guys, then that’s what we do, and we do have a belief in those guys. That doesn’t mean that if someone shows up in the portal that we believe can help us, it doesn’t mean we won’t take them. It’s just, for right now, we’re focused on these guys.”

Missouri will fully wrap up spring football this week. The Tigers open their season on Sept. 2 against South Dakota at Memorial Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football offensive line coach Marcus Johnson goes to Purdue