Missouri Tigers Football Countdown: 47 Days Until Cale Garrett

There’s only 47 days left until the Missouri Tigers kick off their 2016 season at West Virginia, so today we honor number 47 for the Tigers, linebacker Cale Garrett.

The Missouri Tigers are going to have plenty of linebacker depth in 2016–it’s quite arguably their deepest position group on the roster this year–so it’s going to be an uphill battle for a true freshman to earn playing time at the position. If one is going to do so, it will likely be true freshman Trey Baldwin, who joined the Tigers as an early enrollee and participated in spring practices.

The Tigers definitely have an exciting player on their hands, though, in their other freshman addition, Cale Garrett. Garrett, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder from Kearney, Missouri, was ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals. He had originally committed to the United States Naval Academy before switching course and deciding to attend Mizzou in late January.

A well-built player with a quick first step, Garrett was referred to as a “Michael Scherer-type” player by Andy Hill, the coach that oversaw his recruitment. That’s high praise considering that Scherer has been the anchor of the Tigers’ defense for the past two years and was just named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list.

Next: Five Freshmen Who Could See Action for Mizzou in 2016

It’s not likely that Garrett is going to get on the field this year, as the Tigers have plenty of linebackers and can afford to redshirt him and get him acclimated to the program. With Scherer and Donavin Newsom entering their final years, though, Garrett is a guy that could put himself in position to battle for a starting job next year if he makes a good impression throughout 2016.