Unexpected Contributions: Ziggy Hood and Jon Gissinger Could Be Key For Mizzou

Special to Bleacher Report

In 2007 the Missouri Tigers had one of the greatest seasons in school history. It was a season that MU students, alumni, fans and even players have described as nothing short of magical.

The success of ’07 however, would not have been possible without the emergence of several players who made critical unexpected contributions throughout the season. Last year few people outside of Columbia had ever even heard the names Jeremy Maclin, William Moore or Pig Brown but now those names are familiar to college football fans around the country. If the Tigers are to remain in the national spotlight they will need a new batch of players to give them the same kind of pleasant surprises this fall.

There’s no sense discussing the impact that Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Maclin and Moore will have on Mizzou’s season. If those guys are healthy they’ll be All-Big 12 players and a couple of them will likely be All-Americans.

But there are two players, one on offense and one on defense, that I want to discuss who are relatively unknown to most college football fans and have the potential to help the Tigers reach even greater heights next season.

For the past three seasons Gary Pinkel’s high octane offense has featured a two-headed beast at tight end in Coffman and Martin Rucker. With Rucker graduated, MU is anticipating the arrival of the No. 5-ranked (according to scout.com) freshman tight end, Andrew Jones.

But it is another tight end that I expect to lining up with Coffman next year and his name is Jon Gissinger. Playing has been hard to come by for the junior who has been relegated to special teams the past two years. But that’s not necessarily anything Gissinger could help. If he would have beat out Rucker or Coffman for a starting role then you’d be looking at the best tight end in college football.

But while Gissinger doesn’t have the size or athleticism of Rucker or Coffman, he does have a great set of hands and, if the Black and Gold game is any indication, has already developed some chemistry with Daniel. Gissinger didn’t drop a pass and led the Tigers in receiving during the spring game, catching six balls for 57 yards. He also appeared to be getting open all day long.

Gissinger’s probably not an All-Conference type of player but appears to be in the Tommy Saunders (senior MU wide receiver) mold in that he is a good route runner who may not wow with his ability but will make you marvel at his consistency.

On the defensive side of the ball d-lineman Ziggy Hood is not quite the unknown that Gissinger is but Hood has a chance to make the same kind of leap in his senior season that Pig Brown and William Moore made from ’06 to ’07.

Hood earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors last season but his performance in the Cotton Bowl has led many of the MU coaches to suggest that bigger things could be in store for Ziggy.

Hood annihilated the Arkansas offensive lineman and collected 6 tackles and 1.5 sacks. If Gissinger’s ceiling is solid contributor with remarkable consistency then Ziggy could be a potential All-American candidate. And that could potentially make Mizzou’s defense the second best unit in the Big 12 (behind Oklahoma).

And if that happens then the Tigers could potentially be the 2008 National Champions.

Welcome to the Big Time

This past weekend was a good one for several Tigers as 9 former weekend warriors have either landed with an NFL team or are close to doing so.

Will Franklin and Martin Rucker were drafted in the fourth round by the Chiefs and Browns respectively while Tony Temple and Darnell Terrell signed free agent contracts also with the Browns. Lorenzo Williams, Adam Spieker and and Tyler Luellen all signed free agent contracts with the Ravens while Greg Bracey signed with the Chargers and Pig Brown is reportedly close to signing with the Chiefs. Defensive lineman Charles Gaines is also reportedly trying to land with a team.

I'll pass along a few interesting draft links before doing my best Mel Kiper impression and analyzing each Tiger's chances at making at the next level:

• Dave Matter gives a great breakdown in his blog on the situation that each player will be facing heading into training camp. He also says that an inside source at ESPN told him that Kiper will be releasing a mock draft soon that will have Willy-MO ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect.

• Adam Teicher wrote a nice article on the Helicopter in Sunday's KC Star.

• Also a Q and A with Franklin from kcchiefs.com

• The Cleveland Plain Dealer explains the circumstances that led to their surprise pick of T-Ruck.

• Not a draft related story but Max Scherzer was called up to the Big Leagues on Sunday.

Now, what are the chances of these guys sticking with the teams they've signed with?

Martin Rucker: I was astonished by how many tight ends went before T-Ruck. I'll be honest, I don't know enough about football to really judge how good of a blocker he has and I know that was kind of a knock on him and I'm sure a lot of scouts attributed a large portion of his receiving stats to the system he played in. But this guy is not a product of his system. He's an hombre and anyone who saw him play much over the past four years will tell you the same thing. I'm convinced he's going to be a pro bowler. I also think he'll fit in well in Cleveland. He's in a very similar situation that he was in at Mizzou with a high octane offense and another talented tight end in Kellen Winslow, Jr. lining up across from him (the Browns also plan on using a lot of two tight end sets just like MU did). Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 80/20

William Franklin: In addition to being a Mizzou fanatic I also love the Kansas City Football Chiefs and although I'm no scout I can tell you with absolute certainty that Franklin is already a better receiver than Sammy Parker is (who the Chiefs have been starting as their No. 2 or No. 3 receiver for the past several seasons). The only guys Franklin has to beat out to be the No. 2 guy across from Dwayne Bowe are Jeff Webb and maybe Devard Darling. The Chiefs offense is still nothing to really write home about but Franklin is virtually guaranteed playing time and he has the tools to be a solid No. 2. He's got speed that's comparable to J-Mac's and, as he proved at Colorado last season, can make some spectacular catches. I think he makes a solid pro. Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 70/30

Tony Temple: Another guy who's going to be extremely undersized. And as great as Tony was in the Cotton and Sun Bowls and against Kansas and A&M last year, he was still inconsistent throughout his career and has a long history of injuries. He did land on a Baltimore team that doesn't have much depth behind Jamal Lewis. I think the consensus is that if T. Temple is going to make it in the NFL it's going to be as a third down back. In his final two seasons at MU, after injuries had robbed him of a lot of his physical skills that he displayed in high school, I thought he began to resemble Priest Holmes a bit in the fact that he's a very patient runner that waits for his blockers and has excellent field vision. I think he has a decent chance of being a serviceable backup for 5+ years. Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 50/50

Lorenzo Williams: I'm not so sure about Zo. He was a very good Big 12 d-lineman but I don't think he's a starter at the next level. He's got all the intangibles but is going to be undersized when going up against guys like Olin Kreutz and Steve Hutchinson. He is VERY strong though despite his lack of size. Regardless, I don't see him lasting more than 5 years. Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 40/60

Darnell Terrell: Terrell worked out at receiver for scouts so he has a lot of athleticism but Terrell really struggled last year. There's a reason Castine Bridges overtook Terrell's starting position toward the end of the season. I remember reading that in the Big 12 Championship Sam Bradford was specifically targeting Terrell. He might be better suited to play safety at the next level but I still don't like his chances. Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 20/80

Pig Brown: I don't see Pig being a star in the NFL but with his heart and determination I can't imagine him not sticking around for several years. He may not make a team this season but you know he's not going to quit. And who doesn't think Pig could make a phenomenal special teams player if nothing else? Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 60/40

Greg Bracey: I have to admit, being one of the founders of the Greg Bracey Fan Club, I'm a little biased on this one, but I think Bracey's got a better chance of making it than a lot of people think. He was the second fastest guy on the team behind J-Mac (fastest according to him) and made a couple very tough catches during his career despite limited opportunities. That said, you can't like the odds of someone making an NFL roster who caught less than 10 passes in his career. Chances of succeeding in the NFL? 20/80

Adam Spieker/Tyler Luellen: As I said in my analysis on T-Ruck, I don't know enough about the game to really tell how good guys are at blocking but for what it's worth our offensive line has been really good the past couple years. Chase has rarely been pressured and I don't recall too many bad snaps by Spieker. Chances of succeeding in the NFL? ???