COLUMBIA -- While Missouri brings back 10 of 11 starters on offense from last season, the depth behind the starters is especially concerning for head coach Barry Odom.
Look no further than wide receiver.
The Tigers lost J'Mon Moore and Dominic Collins to graduation and junior college transfer Harry Ballard is currently away from the team for personal reasons. Last week, junior slot receiver and punt returner Richaud Floyd broke a bone in his right leg, which will sideline him for four to six weeks.
With Missouri badly in need of contributors, Odom said the Tigers expect to lean on freshman wide receivers Khmari Thompson, Tauskie Dove, Jalen Knox, Kam Scott and Raytown product Dominic Gicinto to play immediately.
Knox, Gicinto and Scott all have the chance to play on special teams, as well, with Floyd's injury opening up a spot at punt return and Missouri still searching for someone consistent at kick return.
"Across the board, they can all play early," senior wideout Emanuel Hall said.
"This is the best freshman wide receiver group in a long time. Probably since I've been here. They're all very mature and they're all very experienced route runners."
Wide receivers coach A.J. Ofodile said all five freshman wideouts have shown "big play potential" throughout fall camp, but all of them are in different places.
Gicinto, who enrolled for the spring semester, "has a leg up" on the rest of the group because of his knowledge of the playbook and playmaking ability. At the start of fall camp, Gicinto was the lone true freshman to appear on the team's depth chart.
"I forget that Dom is a true freshman," Ofodile said. "He feels a lot like a sophomore. He's definitely playing very veteran right now relative to being a true freshman."
Dove, who was a very late commitment for Missouri and joined the team in July, came in a bit behind the rest of the group. But he has since caught up.
Having to contribute early is no surprise to the freshmen, even with Ballard's absence and Floyd's injury.
Knox said one of his first visits to campus was for the 2017 spring game. He remembers Andy Hill, the Tigers' wide receivers coach at time, telling him Mizzou would need help immediately in a few years.
"He told me the roster was shrinking at receiver," Knox said.
A 6-foot receiver from Texas, Knox said he's very similar as receiver to Hall, who uses his speed to burn cornerbacks and take the top off opposing defenses.
Thompson thinks the freshmen have benefited from being around each other: They're all in the same situation. They're all new to college football and they're all expected to help right away.
"It's been a tremendous help," he said. "We all help each other with the playbook."
Missouri still has one more scrimmage before its season opener against Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 1, which will help determine the final depth chart from fall camp.
Even if all five wideouts don't play this season, Ofodile feels confident that Missouri has hit on all of them, given that they have already achieved what they were recruited to do, so far.
"We went out and signed a lot of guys who we thought would be in the mix to compete at this point," he said. "They've done that."