Missouri Tigers Dismiss DE Marcus Loud from Football Program
It was announced on Wednesday afternoon that the Missouri Tigers have dismissed redshirt sophomore defensive end Marcus Loud from the football program for an unspecified violation of team policies.
Loud, a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder from Houston, Texas, was projected to be one of the Tigers’ starting defensive ends in 2015, teaming with fellow redshirt sophomore Charles Harris. The odds would have been significantly in Loud’s favor, as the Tigers’ past four starting defensive ends (Kony Ealy, Michael Sam, Shane Ray, and Markus Golden) have been selected in the NFL Draft.
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After losing both Ray and Golden following one-year stints as starters, the Tigers were really counting on Loud to fill a hole this year. With Loud out of the picture, candidates to start at defensive end could include redshirt freshmen Rocel McWilliams and Spencer Williams or junior college transfer Marcell Frazier. Though he’ll be new in the system this fall, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Frazier might be the best fit, as he was the Tigers’ fourth-best recruit this spring according to ESPN.com. Walk-ons Walter Brady, Justin Grava, Eddie Serrano, Jeffrey Cathey, and Christopher Kurtz were also listed on the spring depth chart at end.
With new defensive coordinator Barry Odom having run a 3-4 system in his previous job at Memphis and the team possessing a wealth of talent at defensive tackle with Harold Brantley, Josh Augusta, Ricky Hatley, and possibly incoming freshman Terry Beckner Jr., it’s certainly possible that the Tigers could incorporate more unbalanced 3-4 looks into their defensive scheme. That way, they could line the 6-foot-4, 335-pound Augusta up at his most natural position of nose tackle, with two among the remaining players listed above serving as 5-technique tackles. That still might lead to a deficiency at the edge rusher position, but a lighter player like the 6-foot-2, 240-pound McWilliams would likely be a better fit in a stand-up role.
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