COLUMBIA, Mo. — One of the most contested preseason competitions on the Missouri football team finds a couple sophomores vying for one of the most crucial positions on the defense.
It’s Martez Manuel versus Stacy Brown for the strong safety job, a hybrid position in Ryan Walters’ 4-2-5 base defense that requires a little bit of everything.
Don’t expect Manuel to flinch at a little competition.
The hometown, second-year safety was thrust into the starting lineup a year ago at Kentucky, and while his contributions for the season count as a small sample size, for a freshman, he showed promise.