Missouri Football: Breaking Down Highs and Lows of Tigers 2012 Offseason so Far

The Missouri Tigers football team has seen plenty of highs and lows this offseason as they prepare to enter the SEC.

From getting Dorial Green-Beckham to an injury to James Franklin, Missouri’s offseason has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride.

Fortunately for Tiger fans, there have been more highs than lows this offseason, and the lows haven’t been terribly devastating.

Let’s take a look at some of the highs and a couple of the lows the Tigers have experienced this offseason.

Low: James Franklin's Shoulder Injury

Franklin suffered a sprained throwing shoulder during a practice in March.

That injury kept Franklin out of Missouri’s spring game on April 14, and limited his ability to improve this offseason.

Heading into a new conference, having an improved Franklin will be key to the Tigers’ success in 2012.

If he struggles at the start of the season and isn’t fully healthy, Missouri could dig themselves into a hole it can’t get out of.

Low: 2012 NFL Draft

The 2012 NFL draft marked the first time since 2008 that the Tigers did not have a player selected in the first round.

In fact, only one Mizzou player was lucky enough to hear his name get called at all.

That player was tight end Michael Egnew, who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round.

On one hand, that means the Tigers return most of their talent from the 2011 season. But on the other hand, that means the Tigers aren’t consistently producing the high level of talent like future rivals Alabama and LSU produce on a yearly basis.

High: Landing Dorial Green-Beckham

The Tigers needed to make a splash on the recruiting trail this offseason if they wanted to enter the SEC with a chance of being competitive.

And make a splash is exactly what they did, landing Dorial Green-Beckham, the top wide receiver in the country.

Signing DGB was extra important because it kept him away from Arkansas, Missouri’s new cross-division rival.

Now, the Tigers add DGB to a wide receiving corps that already features T.J. Moe (pictured here) and L’Damian Washington and has a chance to be the best group of receivers in the SEC.

High: New Uniforms and Stadium Renovations

This offseason saw a lot of changes in the equipment and facilities used by the Tigers.

The new uniforms are sharp and will give the Tigers plenty of cred with future recruits.

Meanwhile, the renovated stadium will bring Missouri up to SEC standards and allow the Tigers to have more fans attend their games.

Missouri football will be an entirely new experience in 2012, and that’s a good thing.

High: Joining the SEC

On July 1, 2012, the Missouri Tigers officially left the Big 12 conference to join the SEC.

In the long run, this will be a great move for the Tigers athletically.

If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Being in the SEC will give Missouri a chance to do exactly that.

It will take them a few years to get to an elite level in the SEC, but there’s no reason they can’t be competitive and make some noise this year and in the near future.