Storylines to watch as Mizzou football kicks off spring practice

Missouri football is back on the field, and so is the excitement the program brings on the heels of the best signing class in team history.

After two months' worth of talk, now MU will get to see the likes of Luther Burden and the rest of the Tigers in action.

Here are five storylines to watch as spring practice gets underway this week for Missouri Tigers football.

It all starts under center

With Connor Bazelak transferred to Indiana, Missouri will need to anoint a new starting quarterback.

Now, it comes down to Tyler Macon and Brady Cook. Cook earned the start in the bowl game, but Macon also started against Georgia in the regular season and also came in to seal a win after Bazelak was injured against Vanderbilt.

The coaching staff has been working with both as either No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback in some capacity, especially during the time when Bazelak was injured.

This competition won't be solved until fall camp, but spring ball will probably help one of the two stand out over the other. Especially with four-star freshman Sam Horn incoming in the fall.

More: How Mizzou football's defense is focused within this offseason

How fast can defensive transfers get acclimated?

This trend is worth following for two reasons. The first is the sheer number of transfers Missouri has taken on this winter, and the second is because MU still hasn't hired a defensive coordinator, at least officially.

Reports of Blake Baker's promotion remain, but nearly the entire defensive line was rebuilt around the likes of Jayden Jernigan, Ian Mathews and Tyrone Hopper. That doesn't begin to touch on the other transfers who figure to battle for starting spots now and in the fall.

Jernigan told reporters he came to MU to start, which he feels he's earned. Jernigan, as well as Hopper, also said the players currently in the program have gone out of their way to help the transfers get more acclimated with player-organized workouts and general welcomes to the program.

Those new faces have the entire spring to get more comfortable with Columbia, Missouri, as well as the Tigers' program.

Luther Burden's spot in the offense

Since he committed in October, the wait was on for the five-star receiver to arrive on campus. He even tweeted "i’m coming no worries …" after MU lost its bowl game to Army.

The excitement has been palpable, and now he's here. Burden will get his first chance to see where exactly he fits in head coach Eli Drinkwitz's offense.

Specifically where he fits will be an interesting study. Burden can play all over the field but finding either a niche for him on offense or just putting him in a receiver spot are all options. It just comes down to what Drinkwitz wants to do, and that starts in the coming weeks.

Burden's explosiveness and play-making ability are too great to just sit on the bench. One way or another, he'll be playing. It just comes down to how.

More: Here are five Mizzou athletes to keep your eye on in 2022

Position battles galore that need sorting

Wide receiver Barrett Banister pointed to the old saying "Iron sharpens iron" when talking about the incoming competition that each position will face in spring ball.

Banister's position is one that will see a healthy amount of that competition, too. The wide receivers, tight ends, defensive line, running back, linebacker and cornerback are specific positions where the most intense competitions should take place.

Competition at receiver and defensive line figure to be the most competitive.

Tauskie Dove, Dominic Lovett, Mookie Cooper, Chance Luper, JJ Hester, Burden and Banister will all be competing for playing time at receiver. That's a rare mix of experience, skills and youth mixed into one. Dove, Banister and Lovett are the top returning pass-catchers, with Luper not too far behind either.

The defensive line is a similar way, although most of the talent aiming to start is from the transfer portal.

Jernigan, Mathews and Hopper transfer in to compete with Isaiah McGuire, Robinson, Darius Robinson, Trajan Jeffcoat and Realus George. Not to mention incoming four-star freshman Marquis Gracial, who has a chance to add what Mekhi Wingo brought as a freshman, too.

At cornerback, the departures of Allie Green and Akayleb Evans hurt MU in terms of experience, but Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kris Abrams-Draine return, alongside DJ Jackson, who saw meaningful playing time last season, too.

The battle there might depend on if Drinkwitz plays Abrams-Draine at an outside corner position or at the nickel back position, where Abrams-Draine played exceptionally after his transition to defensive back from receiver.

Linebacker and tight end simply come down to transfers competing with players who have been in the program. Tyler Stephens will compete with Ryan Horsterkamp and Kibet Chepyator at tight end. At linebacker, Ty'Ron Hopper competes against Devin Nicholson and Chad Bailey.

The battle at running back will most likely define how the running game looks. Elijah Young and Nathaniel Peat are speedy backs, but Cody Schrader and Michael Cox are also sturdier backs that can be difficult to bring down. That position is in line for a makeover.

What will coach Eli Drinkwitz want after spring?

Spring practice will give Missouri a first glance at its newcomers, but it'll also give the coaching staff a chance to address whatever it might need.

This stems from what Drinkwitz said after signing day, where he and the coaches reserve their right to add any transfers at any position possible.

"We didn’t find one that fit,” Drinkwitz said on signing day about adding a transfer at quarterback. “If we get to the point where we feel like there is one, then we reserve the right, whether it’s at linebacker or quarterback, wide receiver, defensive end or anywhere."

This specifically stems from the rumors about Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels and his potential interest in MU.

This type of development won't be visible on the field. Instead, Drinkwitz and his staff will devise that strategy on their own.

"Our allegiance is to the university," Drinkwitz said on signing day. "To win."

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com, or 435 414-3261.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football kicks off spring practice; here's what to watch for