Alex Ross

The former Oklahoma Sooner came to Missouri as a grad transfer this season and he should finally get his first shot at being a featured back. Buried on the depth chart behind Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon last season, Ross only got 32 carries on the year; however, he made the most of his limited opportunities by averaging 5.4 yards per carry. His outlook looks much brighter at Missouri now that he’s the most experienced back on the roster with very few roadblocks standing in his way. 2015 leading rusher Russell Hansbrough is gone and sophomore quarterback Drew Lock is still very much a work in progress, so new head coach may need to lean on Ross to help fortify the offense and keep the chains moving. At 6-1, 221, Ross has the bruising running style that will hold up well against SEC competition. One legitimate knock on Ross is his ability as a pass catcher out of the backfield; he had a total of 11 catches in his three-year career at OU. While some of that has to do with Mixon’s presence, it’s still clearly something that may prevent him from being a three-down back. Still, Ross will be the featured back in Columbia this fall and with that, he should push for his first 1,000 yard season.