Missouri Tigers Football Countdown: 38 Days Until Eric Beisel

There’s only 38 days left until the Missouri Tigers kick off their 2016 season at West Virginia, so today we honor number 38 for the Tigers, linebacker Eric Beisel.

It’s arguable that the linebacker position is the Missouri Tigers’ deepest heading into this year’s fall camp. While redshirt junior Eric Beisel might not be at the forefront of what the Tigers are doing defensively right now, he’s established himself as an important part of the team heading into his fourth season in the program.

Beisel, who was a three-star prospect coming out of Rockwood Summit high school in St. Louis, played a role on Mizzou’s kickoff team for the second straight season during 2015, playing in all 12 games and recording three tackles. Because the Tigers’ second and third teams didn’t see nearly as much action last year as in prior years (and frankly, because Beisel was passed up on the depth chart), he didn’t see as much action from scrimmage as he had in 2014, when he collected 19 tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss.

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

At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Beisel is one of the most physically-built players among Mizzou’s linebacker corps. While he’s certainly shown that he’s capable of contributing on special teams, it remains to be seen whether Beisel has the speed and athleticism to be a consistent contributor from scrimmage. If he’s to do so, he’ll have to outplay some intriguing young talents such as Brandon Lee, Terez Hall, Joey Burkett, and/or Trey Baldwin to make his way onto the two-deep depth chart. With Mizzou’s middle linebacker job up for grabs next fall once Michael Scherer departs, perhaps it’ll be an opportunity for Beisel to establish himself.