Mizzou football loses Josh Heupel to Central Florida

Mizzou football offensive coordinator Josh Heupel has been hired as Central Florida’s next head coach. This leaves Mizzou’s offense in a rough spot moving forward.

The late season surge that we saw from Mizzou football in 2017 had a whole lot to do with the offensive side of the ball. The big play offense of the Missouri Tigers is what allowed them to be dangerous at all times this past year. Now a big factor in that offense will be gone in 2018 as Offensive Coordinator Josh Heupel is headed to Central Florida.

The big, and largely unexpected, news comes down as the Missouri Tigers get ready to take on the Texas Longhorns in the Texas Bowl on December 27th. This will be a big blow to the Tigers as Josh Heupel’s offense was definitely the strength of the team, and a huge recruiting point. Mizzou will be an entirely different team without him.

This will also be a huge burden for Head Coach Barry Odom. The Tigers head man will now have to replace both coordinator positions this offseason, after Odom fired Defensive Coordinator DeMontie Cross early on in the season. Having to replace two high-profile positions like that will be a big obstacle for a team that just found some momentum.

Drew Lock May Go Pro

Another big area of impact for this move will be with Mizzou football’s star quarterback Drew Lock. The junior passer has a big decision to make regarding his future in football. Lock has put up great numbers this year, and should be a decent draft prospect. At the same time, many scouts believe he still has a lot to work on.

With the Tigers offensive coordinator leaving the program, it now might make a lot more sense for Drew Lock to pursue the NFL rather than play another year in Columbia. Having to learn a new system for his senior season is not an optimal situation for a young man with professional aspirations.

Related Story: Mizzou: Drew Lock Sets SEC Records With Performance

Drew Lock was already set to lose top rusher Ish Witter and top receiver J’Mon Moore after this season. Losing his offensive coordinator as well is something that cannot be overlooked in a decision like this. Don’t be surprised if Lock decides he is better off making the jump to the NFL now.

Who Replaces Josh Heupel?

Of course, any decisions regarding the future of Mizzou football and the offense will likely come down to who takes over the job. The next offensive coordinator for the Tigers is going to have some big shoes to fill. With the current coaching carousel that is already going on now, it’s tough to say just who will even be available for the job.

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As far as in-house candidates go, the Tigers will likely consider Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers Coach Andy Hill and Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Cornell Ford. Unfortunately, neither man has any experience as an Offensive Coordinator, which makes both candidates less than ideal.

Regarding potential outside candidates, well there really is no way to get into that. There are tons of qualified coaches out there. However, finding a good fit for the Mizzou program will be tough. It is also unlikely that the Tigers are able to find a guy that can keep Josh Heupel’s system in tact, or at least moderately unchanged.

Mizzou football is going to look very different in 2018. We’ll see if that’s for better or worse.

This is definitely a big loss for Mizzou football. The offense under Josh Heupel was absolutely a strength for this program, both on the field and in recruiting. The Tigers finally found some momentum this year, and this definitely takes some of the wind out of their sails. Hopefully they can overcome this obstacle.