COLUMBIA, Mo. — Blake Baker is circling back to the beginning.
Missouri’s defensive coordinator strikes an optimistic tone when he analyzes the progress his outfit has made since the spring. Since he took command of the playbook, the Tigers’ practices have involved a lot of learning to swim where their feet can’t touch the floor — learning “the what,” as Baker would call it, through repetitions.
The depth chart is beginning to look more impenetrable at some positions than others, and Baker said he is “inching” toward finalizing his top 22—or two best starting 11s. But before that is finalized, the Tigers will carry on battling to climb rungs.