Nash, who recently transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton (Fla.) took unofficial visits to a number of SEC schools in recent weeks — Arkansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee — and boasted offers from Auburn, Florida, and South Carolina as well. But he took a shine to Mizzou a while back and secured his Tiger reservation pretty quickly.

Nash is listed at 6’2, 190 pounds, and as his highlight film makes pretty clear, he was faster than anyone trying to cover him last year.

A year at IMG should introduce him to stiffer competition, and theoretically an early commitment of this stature could lead to this year’s commitment list growing a little more quickly than last year’s. We’ll see. Regardless, WELCOME, SHAMAR.

Those were simple times. Now if my YouTube video doesn’t load up instantly, I’m about ready to throw my phone across the room. Don’t let Netflix buffer during the middle of an important scene—I might call Spectrum and cancel my cable service immediately (yes, I’m one of the few dinosaurs that still subscribes to cable). We don’t wait for anything anymore. We want everything fast and instantly.

Sports rarely work that way. Granted, I’m in the same boat as many of you. This Missouri season was incredibly frustrating to watch early on, and I maybe possibly have myself been guilty:

Ok. Alright. Chalk it up to me being a fan. But suddenly, miraculously, something has changed with Mizzou football. Maybe it was the schedule opening up, or the bye week coming at the right time, or the return of AJ Logan, but there is suddenly hope for this team.

This is what we expected to see for most of the year: an offense that can score from just about anywhere on the field, and an improving defense. This team has a legitimate shot to make a bowl game. Missouri is a 10-point favorite at home against Tennessee in what should be an incredibly fun weekend in Columbia. They can do it. I believe again, as should many of you. It’s going to be a fun November to track.

Missouri did what you are supposed to do last week: Florida was down, and Missouri kept them there. The Tigers broke Florida’s spirit and coasted down the stretch.

Can Missouri keep it up against further SEC competition? We will see. The expectation for the 2017 team was always to make a bowl game, and they’ve chosen a weird path, but it’s still very much possible. That’s a real sign of the progress for Odom and his staff.

Everybody makes a bowl game. There are forty bowl games. But given their start, making a bowl would show real fight and cohesion that I didn’t think they had earlier this season. It would’ve been very easy for Missouri to hold its head down and go through the motions of the rest of the season. It’s clear that they haven’t.

Barry Odom had gotten a Kim Anderson label, and to some extent it was earned. I didn’t like the post-game rant after the Auburn game. To me, it reeked of desperation from a man who felt his dream job was slipping away.

But Kim Anderson teams never showed the sign that Odom’s squad did this past Saturday. You were always waiting for Kim to give you some sign that he could be the solution and not part of the problem, and that sign never arrived.

For the first time this season, there’s some hope with this Missouri team, a feeling that your preseason expectations will be proven right. You couldn’t ask for a much better closing stretch of SEC games. Missouri’s bowl hopes are right there for the taking.

Gary Pinkel was 37-35 in his first six seasons at Missouri heading into 2007, with just one bowl win under his belt. Things didn’t just happen overnight, it took time and patience—maybe more time than people thought and maybe more patience than people had—but it eventually happened.

Barry Odom is probably not Gary Pinkel, but less than two seasons wasn’t enough time to show us that. A bowl game appearance will calm everyone down, fans can exhale a little bit, and there will be some momentum going into next season. And Odom would have earned it during college football’s most important month.

"Those who win in November will be remembered" was Pinkel’s favorite saying. We are three weeks away from seeing if Barry Odom can live up to that quote.

Carrington Harrison is a host for The Drive on 610 Sports in Kansas City. You can listen to C-dot daily from 2pm to 6pm here.

Back in June, I named two sophomore corners (DeMarkus Acy and Christian Holmes) among Missouri’s most important players. It is now just Acy. Head coach Barry Odom revealed that Holmes recently suffered a shoulder injury and will miss much or all of the 2017 season after undergoing surgery on it.

This technically has no impact on the starting lineup; by most indications, Cheadle had an excellent fall camp and was appearing likely to start opposite Acy. But Holmes was an obvious No. 3 on the list and was likely to see significant playing time. It is a serious blow to depth at the position.

Missouri also had junior Finis Stribling IV and redshirt freshman Jerod Alton at the position, along with true freshmen Terry Petry and Adam Sparks. Both Petry and Sparks are listed under 175 pounds (Sparks is 172, Petry 160) and might need to add strength before becoming regulars in the SEC.

It’s also possible that 6’1, 190-pound senior Anthony Hines could move back from safety to corner. Sophomore T.J. Warren might be another candidate, though he has bulked up (he’s listed at 5’11, 210) and moved to the nickel linebacker position.

Holmes is a true sophomore, so he will take a redshirt and will have three years of eligibility remaining. His future is still bright, but now all eyes are on other youngsters to see who can step up.

In other injury news, junior slot receiver Richaud Floyd remains in concussion protocol, senior tailback Ish Witter has a mild hamstring injury, junior Nate Strong is recovering from a knee injury, and freshman tight end Logan Christopherson has an ankle injury, which means a likely redshirt for him.

Oregon State commit Isaiah Miller is scheduled to come to town next weekend.

Isaiah Miller is a three-star running back from Baldwin High School in Jacksonville (Fla.). Miller committed to Oregon State back in June, but that hasn’t stopped the running back from taking multiple official visits. He has accumulated offers from Washington, Washington State, Syracuse, Rutgers, and USF, among others, and according to Andrew Nemec of The Oregonian and 247Sports, he plans on visiting Syracuse, Southern Miss, Rutgers, and Missouri.

Regarding his status as a future Beaver, however: "I'm pretty solid," Miller told Nemec. "I'm still going to take my officials and see everything for myself."

Josh Heupel traveled to Jacksonville on November 28, and on November 29, Oregon State safeties coach Derrick Odum payed Miller a visit. The Beaver coaching staff looks to lock down the recruit, but if he makes it to Columbia, that means he can still be swayed.

Caleb Perry, a two-star athlete from King’s High School in Seattle, plans on visiting Missouri this coming weekend.

Perry’s recruitment has been increasing recently — he’s picked up offers from Cincinnati, Portland State, Missouri, and Washington State in a matter of weeks.

Joe Jon Finley visited Perry on November 29, and the athlete received an offer from Missouri the next day.

Nathaniel Anderson is a 6’4, 250-pound JUCO defensive end currently playing at New Mexico Military Institute. Anderson holds offers from South Florida, San Diego State, Idaho, Kansas, and New Mexico, among others.

According to Scout, Anderson is set to take an official visit to Columbia on December 2.

Jordan Ulmer is a three-star safety from Bellevue High School in Bellevue, MI. Although Ulmer committed to Iowa State back on June 27, he plans on visiting Missouri on the weekend of December 3.

Ulmer is a 6’1, 185-pound safety and currently holds offers from Minnesota, Western Michigan, Toledo, Bowling Green, and Cincinnati, among others. According to Andy Hamilton of The Des Moines Register, interest in Ulmer heated up last summer as the safety had impressive showings at The Opening Regional Chicago and the Sound Mind, Sound Body camp in Detroit. The Cyclones reportedly offered Ulmer following evaluations at the Sound Mind, Sound Body camp.

Ulmer will be visiting Columbia around the same time as a few Tiger commits including Brother Rice offensive guard Larry Borom, and later in the week, receiver commit Elijah Gardiner out of Kemp, Texas.

Home Visits

Missouri defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross had an in-home visit with defensive back commit Josh Bledsoe from Dekaney, Texas.

OL Coach Glen Elarbee had a home visit with offensive line commit Case Cook out of Georgia.

Head coach Barry Odom made the trip to Indiana to make a home visit with offensive line commit Pompey Coleman. You might recall Coleman was broke his leg in the first game of his senior season, but it appears he’s on his way toward a full recovery.

Earlier this week, running back coach Cornell Ford was in Raleigh, North Carolina to visit prospect Larry Rountree.

From what we understand, Cornell Ford visited with East St. Louis yesterday, presumably to check up on blue-chip receiver Jeff Thomas; we discussed Thomas’ recruitment in a post earlier this week.

On Tuesday evening, Missouri head coach Barry Odom confirmed what had been suspected since the Tigers’ frustrating loss to Middle Tennessee: Linebacker Michael Scherer and defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. each tore their ACLs. Scherer tore his MCL as well.

The Missouri defense has been a massive disappointment in 2016, but Scherer was a bright spot. He had recorded 39.0 tackles (25 solo, 28 assisted), 3.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, an interception, and two pass breakups. His recent move to weakside linebacker appeared to create a bit more of a play-making presence for Mizzou. He was hurt very early in the MTSU game, and it was assumed at the time that the injury was a season- and career-ender.

The middle of the season can be the cruelest. Unless a senior gets hurt within the first few games of the season (and has his Ts crossed and Is dotted), any play can be the last of his career. Scherer went from bright spot to tragic figure in an instant.

Beckner, meanwhile, had only recently begun to show flashes of his freshman form. His 2015 season ended three games early when he tore up his knee in the win over BYU. Even while working his way back into top form, he was the Mizzou defensive line’s leading tackler with 20.0 (16 solo, eight assists), two for a loss. This means the former blue-chipper will have ended up missing about one-third of his first two seasons in uniform to knee injuries.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Terry Beckner Jr.

This confirmation means more opportunities for linebackers like Joey Burkett, Brandon Lee, Eric Beisel, and Trey Baldwin and a potential spot for freshman Markell Utsey in the rotation at tackle.

I guess the only good news is that starting cornerback John Gibson, who also left the MTSU game with a knee injury, didn’t tear anything. He practiced with the team today.

This week's topics of discussion:

• This week, Tramel and Rodney welcome special guest Jeff Parles
• Analyzing the match-up against Eastern Michigan:
• What does Mizzou’s dominate win versus Mizzou really mean?
• The growing pains of switching to a read and react defense
• How important is the Georgia game for Mizzou’s future?
• Mizzou-Georgia game predictions (Tramel guarantees a Mizzou victory)
• NFL Recap
• Sliding in the dm’s?

Tweet us questions that you would like us to answer, on future episodes, using #RockMRadio

News, notes and quotes from Missouri’s Monday press conference on 9/12.

Fresh off a five-catch, 115-yard, two total touchdown performance during Mizzou’s win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Johnathon Johnson returned to class Monday morning.

He received a text from one of the coaches to be on the lookout for an announcement regarding the SEC Freshman of the Week honor. Five minutes later, he checked Twitter and found his good news. Johnson was named the conference’s Freshman of the Week. Though it’s a positive and vindicating for his talents on Saturday, he views it as a small step forward.

“It was kind of a goal,” Johnson said. “I don’t just think too much of it.

“I’m looking forward to like becoming a Freshman All-American.”

Johnson only had one catch for six yards the week before at West Virginia. Before Saturday’s victory against the Eagles, he said he felt different during the day, but didn’t exactly know what made him feel that way.

“I guess something clicked like, ‘It’s time to go,’” Johnson said.

On his electrifying punt return, the coaches wanted him to fall on the football after he initially muffed it. Instead, Johnson trusted his abilities and was able to make a couple defenders miss on a juke move and blazed his way across the field en route to a 52-yard touchdown return, which was the Tigers’ first since Marcus Murphy took it to the house against Florida in 2014.

Though Johnson didn’t have much reaction to his award, Barry Odom brought it up in his opening statement to the media Monday.

“I’m happy for him and excited for our team to have that recognition,” Odom said. “I felt like last year he could have played for us but had the ankle injury, so seeing him come back and do some of the things that he’s already started to do this season, provides a great opportunity to our team.”

Johnson’s explosiveness has earned him the right to potentially start against Georgia this Saturday. Once again he’s listed as an “OR” starter along with Chris Black and Ray Wingo.

Speaking of Wingo, who also had a breakout performance Saturday, Johnson said that Wingo is faster than him and isn’t going to bother racing him to prove it.

“I wouldn’t race him,” Johnson said. “Before I hurt my ankle I would.

“I just always think I’m slow.”

Lock’s jersey is clean

It’s probably a good idea to wash it anyway before the next game, but there shouldn’t be any bits of turf in Drew Lock’s jersey.

Through two games, Lock has only been hit once. That’s impressive considering the offensive line had a total of three starts returning. The line has gelled together and has done a good job of protecting its quarterback.

So much so that Lock has been taking the unit out to dinner every Sunday. Last night, he took the line to Cheddar’s which, according to Paul Adams, has really good catfish. Lock said the total bill was “in the hundreds.” Though expensive, it’s clear that there’s a good relationship between Lock and his line. That only adds to the pride the line takes in protecting him.

“He’s reading defenses and his pocket awareness has improved,” Odom said. “There is a calm about him.”

Being able to drop back and make all of the throws is an obvious reason why he feels so calm.

A wiser player

Lock didn’t have a great game against Georgia last season. Well, no one on the offense really did. To be fair, that was his first start on the road and there’s not too many more raucous environments than Between the Hedges in Athens, Georgia.

He’s thought about that October night and acknowledges that he wasn’t at the best of his abilities then, but thinks the tough experience has prepared him to face the Bulldogs again this year.

“I was 18 playing at Athens with an offense I didn’t necessarily know,” Lock said. “This year, I’m only a year older but it feels like I’m a lot older.

“It was an eye-opener for me, which I needed it. I’ve said so many times that I’m glad that it could have happened last year so I can learn from it this year.”

450 yards and five touchdowns isn’t totally out of the question, but that kind of success will likely be more of a challenge to achieve this week. But coming off a near-record setting week, for Lock, there couldn’t be a better time to play one of the better teams in the SEC than right now.

He doesn’t plan on giving into those emotions. Not doing so will allow him to effectively do his job.

Feeling a little anxious for Saturday, Odom received a comforting visit from former coach Gary Pinkel. Odom wanted to pick his brain but Pinkel asked him a few questions as well. One question was what does Odom want his demeanor to be like come game time. Odom was able to answer.

“I’ve got to be me,” Odom said. “I need to be in control of the game but I’ve got to be myself.”

What that entails is showing a little bit of emotion. After being the defensive play caller from up in the box last year, he “might throw a few fist pumps” when he’s on the sidelines.

Though he was integral in the defense’s success a year ago, he’s allowing new defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross and co-coordinator Ryan Walters leeway with their duties. Same goes for offensive coordinator Josh Heupel.

“They don’t need me looking over their shoulder,” Odom said.

In addition to the game-to-game and week-to-week responsibilities, Odom envisions a big future for Missouri. There are two recruiting hot beds in his state, and when he combines that along with the hard work he asks of his players, Odom believes the sky is the limit.

“I think we got a championship-caliber program here,” Odom said.

He understands that it might not become that this year, but maintains that if his team is working to leave the program in a better place on a day-to-day basis, that can be accomplished.

Speaking of this year and this week, rather, few have picked Missouri to beat West Virginia on Saturday or to have a lot of success this fall. That might irritate some fans, but being the underdog is something that Odom welcomes and embraces.

“Yeah, I’ll be honest, I really like it,” Odom said. “I like the opportunity to prove people wrong.”

Odom has his first chance to do so on Saturday.

Missouri reveals its depth

Finally.

A public depth chart is now available for the Mizzou football team. There were a few surprises, but one that didn’t come as a shock was that Drew Lock will be the Tigers’ starting quarterback this Saturday.

Lock had been preparing like he would be the starter, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise for him.

“I truly believed I would be, just from the beginning of all this,” Lock said. “I made my stand last year to become the starting quarterback, I truly thought that I was out here competing in camp as the top guy, and that’s how I always thought it would be.”

Lock has yet to turn 20, but perhaps the biggest jump in his skillset has been his overall leadership. He’s not acting like one of the younger guys on the team, which played a big part in why Odom ultimately went with Lock to be his quarterback.

“We feel like Drew is experienced from last year,” Odom said. “His leadership skills are one of the best on the team.”

It sounds as if that solidifies him as the starter for the whole year, but Odom alluded to backup quarterback Marvin Zanders getting some time if he need be.

“Marvin has proven himself that he’s going to help us win football games,” Odom said.

Other changes that raised some eyebrows were at wide receiver. I figured a J’Mon Moore-Chris Black-Emanuel Hall look after Nate Brown went down with his ankle injury, but redshirt freshman Johnathon Johnson has secured a spot with the No. 1’s.

Johnson had a terrific fall camp last season and was all but a lock to see the field as a true freshman, but an ankle injury on a big play during a scrimmage sidelined him for the year. He’s clearly viewed as a big time playmaker, but I thought he’d be rotated in behind Black. Odom didn’t hide his excitement on what Johnson brings to the table.

“I may be most excited about Johnathon Johnson,” Odom said. “He’s embraced the opportunity to compete every day.”

Walking-on to #DLineZOU

Jordan Harold had to take a leap of faith to get to Missouri last fall. After spending a year in the program, it certainly has paid off so far. Not literally, as he has yet to be rewarded with a scholarship, but he will now find himself running with the first team on Saturday.

“That’s everything that I’ve been working for,” Harold said. “It was realistic to me at the time, but I’m here and it means the world to me.”

This shows that Harold isn’t a typical walk-on. He wasn’t handed the job because of a lack of depth. He earned it. Even without Freshman All-American Walter Brady, the Tigers still had Marcell Frazier, who started some games last year, a potential breakout star in Nate Howard and perhaps the gem of the 2016 class in Tre Williams. Harold beat out all of them. And he’ll have plenty of chances to earn his opponents’ respect starting opposite of Charles Harris.

“I think it’s about time,” Harris said of Harold winning the job. “That’s just his own hard work. He’s been working his butt off the entire year.”

The veteran has been a Division I AD for two decades in the west.

Harris asks Williams what his favorite pass rush move is,

“I like the bend and rip but uh... my favorite move is club swim.”

I think these two may have accidentally coined the hottest new nightclub on campus.

Charles Harris is a national treasure. Charles Harris is so good on camera he makes vanilla questions seem interesting. Charles Harris makes me excited for Missouri Football this fall.

According to the official MU Tigers website, Friday’s practice went perfectly and everything is awesome.

Following the individual drills, a spirited 7-on-7 took place on the west field while the D-Line and O-Line went 1-on-1 on the east field. Freshman WR Dimetrios Mason and junior WR J'Mon Moore each hauled in long TD passes in 7-on-7, the latter of which came on a perfect 40-yard strike from QB Drew Lock, right along the left sideline for the long score. Mason slipped past the defense on an inside post and hauled in a perfectly thrown ball by freshman QB Micah Wilson for his score.

The Tigers return Saturday to a practice that is open to the media and we’ll be on site to provide you more coverage.

He barely saw the field in 2015, but he could give Josh Heupel a different type of toy to play with in 2016.

Marvin Zanders

6’1, 185, So.

Jacksonville, FL

Oscar Gamble: Barry Odom has made a point to say that Marvin Zanders has looked better in practices and even mentioned him by name at Missouri’s availability at SEC Media Days a few weeks ago. It seems like a concerted effort to keep the talented play-maker invested and in Columbia.

The comparison I hear most about Zanders is a faster James Franklin or Brad Smith, neither of which should be considered negative. Being a dual-threat QB is pretty much the norm in modern college football and probably a natural fit in the type of offense new offensive coordinator Josh Heupel wants to run.

My concern about Zanders has always been about his accuracy on mid to long passes as they tend to flutter and sail. That kind of issue tends to lead to a lack of confidence from the coaches and stalled drives for the offense. Now, we’ve heard that Zanders has made strides and Missouri may use him this fall, which sounds great on paper - but in practiced has seen limited success.

davidcmorrison: The fact that coaches have even given lip service to Zanders improving and seeing the field is a big step forward for him.

In the past, Zanders discussion had been relegated to the realm of “open” quarterback competitions that were about as open to Zanders as Quinton’s is to downtown Columbia (still salty...) and a wink-nudge type deal that just maybeeeee Missouri had a little something up its sleeve to get him involved.

It did not. Unless you count three zone-read handoffs against Mississippi State that Gary Pinkel somewhat confusingly said were designed for the suspended-unsuspended-suspended Maty Mauk.

Heupel’s a new coordinator who needs to try new things in order to improve upon this offense. He’s also a coordinator that has not been shy about using multiple quarterbacks (Landry Jones and Blake Bell anyone? How about Chuckie Keeton and Kent Myers?) in the past. Couple that with the fact that, with Mauk gone, Zanders has a marketable skill that is significantly better than anyone else on the roster: his legs.

If Zanders is ever getting a chance to prove himself at Missouri, this is the year.

Sam Snelling: I’ll be honest in saying that I love a dual-threat quarterback. I loved Brad Smith, I loved James Franklin, and I loved Chase Daniel (with his underrated running ability). I think Lock is similar to Chase in that he’s an underrated athlete and will be able to use his legs more than you might expect.

But I’m excited about the prospect of seeing more of Marvin Zanders this season. His ability to breakaway from defenders is something we really haven’t seen since Smith. I don’t know how much Odom and Heupel plan on using him, but I do think it would be a great move to get him in early and get him some confidence to know that he’ll be expected to contribute.

TheRonDavis: I think Mizzou fans were begging to try something else last year. It might have been good for Lock to fight through a year of adversity, but Zanders could have made a play or two that could have at least excited the offense.

We have no idea what to expect from him in a game, but Barry Odom spoke highly of him as a quarterback at SEC Media Days. If his growth as a quarterback, not necessarily an athlete, is there, he should at least get a series or two per half. If Zanders is in the game and the defense can respect his ability to throw, that can open up endless possibilities for Odom and staff.

Bill C.: I'm still confused by those Mississippi State carries. If it was a true zone read, in which he had the option of keeping the ball, then I think he made the wrong read every time. He had room to tuck and run and did not.

Might that mean that the runs were designed to go to the running back? And if THAT's the case, then ... what the heck was he even doing in the game?

It was strange, is what I'm saying.

Zanders has been a spring game all-star a couple of different times, and if the coaches are correct that his passing and command of an offense are coming along, then that's pretty exciting. As David mentioned above, Heupel has proven willing to adapt and empty the toolbox when he's had QBs with different skill sets. Lock is almost certainly the starter, but a short-yardage or red zone package with Zanders is intriguing. If, you know, he actually tucks and runs sometimes.