Tag: Mizzou

Saints head coach candidate Kellen Moore hints at potential staff addition

Saints head coach candidate Kellen Moore hinted at a potential staff addition. His Mizzou OC brother may ‘have a lot of really good opportunities’ very soon:

With Kellen Moore likely becoming the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints, many have wondered what a Moore-led staff would look like.

During yesterday’s media availability, Moore was asked about his younger brother Kirby who just finished his second season as the offensive coordinator for the Missouri Tigers. Kellen Moore had some high praise for his brother’s accomplishments while noting the potential for more opportunities in the near future.

If hired by New Orleans, Moore will be expected to put his coaching staff together immediately. Already behind schedule with hires being announced around the league by the day, it becomes increasingly likely that Moore will look to bring in more familiar faces. Potentially moreso than those with league experience and a strong resume. This is not to say that those options aren’t still out there, but as the last coach hired from this year’s cycle, those options become limited.

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Could Kellen Moore bring his brother, Mizzou OC, with him to the Saints?

Could Kellen Moore bring his brother, Kirby, with him to the New Orleans Saints? At the least, he should ask for an inside scoop on Mizzou’s NFL draft prospects:

The New Orleans Saints are not yet officially allowed to hire Kellen Moore as their next head coach, but it is heavily favored to be happening after the Super Bowl. With Moore in mind, some connections can start to be made with coaches that could make sense has potential staff hires.

Our own John Sigler floated an intriguing name on Friday night in Missouri Tigers offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirby Moore, Kellen’s younger brother. While the two have not coached together yet, they were able to play together on the Boise State Broncos back in their college days.

Sigler also mentioned that even if he doesn’t come coach with the Saints, the younger Moore could share some insight on a couple of top 2025 NFL draft prospects in wide receiver Luther Burden III and right tackle Armand Membou. Both of them are expected to be drafted in this year’s first round.

Burden has been floated as an option for New Orleans with the ninth overall selection in a lot of mock drafts. His working relationship with Moore has been interesting. The wideout had a career year in the first season under Moore’s play-calling and tutelage, but their second campaign together was much less successful.

“He does a good job at the top ends of his routes and hand-eye coordination,” Moore said of his 5-foot-11, 205-pound receiver to Chris Kwiecinksi of Columbia Daily Tribune back in 2023. He continued, “He made some tough catches over the middle. He’s a bigger slot and sometimes people play smaller slots, but I would argue when you have a bigger slot, he has more catch radius and the quarterback could see him.”

Membou has been more of a flat-out success under Moore. The 6-foot-3, 325 pounder earned a second-team All-SEC nod this past season and was widely considered to be one of the top offensive linemen in the country.

“It’s probably a combination of athletic ability and determination and drive,” Moore told Kwiecinski for The Kansas City Star. “There’s not one thing, right? There’s a number of things that make him who he is. And he just works really hard in the meeting room and on the practice field.”

Moore has also spoken about the relationship he has with his brother, specifically in a football sense.

“There’s definitely some normal life stuff and everything, but I’d be naive to not pick up the phone when I’ve got a question about a concept or something that he’s doing offensively or how we’re coaching something. So, it is what it is. My dad coached high school football for a long time. It’s how our family kind of operates. There are a lot of football conversations,” said the younger brother per MizzouToday’s Jarod Hamilton.

No matter how the search for Kellen’s coaches unfolds in the coming weeks, his relationship with Kirby could have a big impact on the Saints’ 2025 offseason.

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Ex-Mizzou stars may not play in Chiefs’ Week 18 matchup vs. Broncos

Ex-Mizzou stars Nick Bolton and Tyler Badie may not see the field during the Kansas City #Chiefs’ Week 18 matchup against the Denver #Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos will face off in a highly anticipated regular-season finale at Mile High Stadium on January 5.

Kansas City is expected to rest its starters for the Week 18 matchup after locking up the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed on Christmas Day, but the Broncos are still endeavoring to punch their ticket to the postseason with a win over the defending Super Bowl champions.

Both teams host legendary Missouri Tigers stars on their rosters, but Mizzou fans may not get to see them on the field when the Chiefs face off against Denver on Sunday.

Veteran linebacker Nick Bolton, who played for the Tigers from 2018 until 2020, was listed on Kansas City’s injury report after missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a coaching decision. Though he was a full participant in drills on Friday, he was officially designated as doubtful for Week 18.

Third-year running back Tyler Badie, who made a name for himself as Mizzou’s leading rusher in 2021, was listed on the Broncos’ injury report due to his back and is officially designated as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Dru Smith Q&A: ‘There were plenty of days of frustration’

Dru Smith, a two-way guard for the Miami Heat, is rumored to be soon converted to a standard multi-year contract after the team traded Thomas Bryant creating cap flexibility. At 6-foot-3, Smith has impacted coach Erik Spoelstra’s rotation with his …

Dru Smith, a two-way guard for the Miami Heat, is rumored to be soon converted to a standard multi-year contract after the team traded Thomas Bryant creating cap flexibility.

At 6-foot-3, Smith has impacted coach Erik Spoelstra‘s rotation with his defensive energy, a knack for hitting open looks, and ability to play on-or-off ball. After an impressive college career at Evansville and Missouri, he has spent the past four years bouncing between the NBA and the G League with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (and briefly with the Long Island Nets), where he was consistently a standout performer.

In an interview with HoopsHype, Smith shared how he has been navigating his career obstacles like recovering from a torn ACL, making the most out of every chance he gets and more.

Where the New Orleans Saints were scouting 2025 draft prospects this week

Where were the New Orleans Saints scouting 2025 draft prospects this week? Their scouts were spotted at a couple of high-profile matchups:

Where were the New Orleans Saints scouting during this week’s college football games? Their scouting department is spread out nationwide catching  games and filling out reports on 2025 NFL draft prospects, but we only know where they are when it’s reported. This week’s news had them at several high-profile matchups.

Per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Eli Hoff, the Saints were one of six teams scouting Mizzou’s game with Auburn. It’s at least the second time this season they were watching Missouri live, and the school’s best prospect is wide receiver Luther Burden III, a likely top-10 pick in the 2025 draft class. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound wideout totaled 6 receptions for 49 yards against Auburn and is up to 168 catches, 2,034 yards, and 19 touchdowns in his career. He’s also gained 209 rushing yards and scored four times on just 30 carries as a runner.

But that’s not all. The Saints joined half the league in scouting all of the early-round prospects competing in Texas-Georgia on Saturday night, a game the Bulldogs won handily. Quarterbacks Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers have both also earned top-10 buzz, but they took a step back against the future NFL players on each other’s defenses. Beck was intercepted three times and Ewers was briefly benched in favor of Arch Manning after throwing an interception and taking several sacks.

This may not be the year to look for a quarterback early on. The Saints need help at multiple positions, and it could be worth taking the best player available if they hold onto their position with a top-10 pick. We’re waiting for the rest of Week 7’s games to resolve, but Sunday morning’s Jacksonville Jaguars win put the Saints at No. 6 overall.

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Saints among 10 teams with scouts at Texas A&M vs. Missouri

The New Orleans Saints were among 10 teams with scouts at Texas A&M’s game with Missouri on Saturday. Who could they have been scouting?

There’s always a strong contingent of NFL scouts at Kyle Field, but the New Orleans Saints were in that number for Saturday’s matchup between Texas A&M and Missouri, per Joey Van Zummeren at Missouri Tigers on SI. Which 2025 draft prospects could the Saints have their eye on?

Defensive end/outside linebacker Nic Scourton is the top prospect for the Aggies, and he has the size the Saints covet at a listed 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds. Before transferring from Purdue he led the Big 10 in sacks (10) in 2023, and he’s seen as a sure thing for the first round. His teammates along the defensive interior, Shemar Stewart and Shemar Turner, are also likely to be picked early next year, and quarterback Conner Weigman is high on some draft boards, too.

But the best prospect in the game was wide receiver Luther Burden. A potential first overall pick in his own right, Burden broke out with 85 receptions for 1,212 yards and scored 9 touchdowns last year, and he’s since picked up where he left off with four scores in as many games. Right tackle  Armand Membou has an NFL future, too, and his matchup with Scourton could do a lot to impact his draft stock.

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Notre Dame Football: Drew Pyne Through the Years

Photos of former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne as he now heads to Missouri to continue his college football career.

It’s been quite the ride for former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne.

Pyne committed to the Fighting Irish back in April of 2018 before enrolling and being a part of the 2020 team that wound making the College Football Playoff.

Pyne helped save the day against Wisconsin in the 2021 game at Soldier Field and after an injury to Tyler Buchner, started the final 10 games of the 2022 regular season that saw the Irish go 8-4.

After that regular season he transferred however, spending last fall at Arizona State.  He re-enrolled at Notre Dame this semester to take classes and reports have him on the move again as he’s headed to Missouri to continue his football career.

Below are some of the best photos of Drew Pyne during his time at Notre Dame from 2020-2022 when he threw for 2,257 yards and 24 touchdowns in 17 games.

Despite Razorbacks’ win at Mizzou, social media still focused on rumors

Social media not so harsh after Arkansas gets needed win at Missouri.

It wasn’t exactly all positive vibes coming from social media after Arkansas’ basketball victory Wednesday night. But, at least, the feedback provided less jabs than usual at the struggling program,

Although it was against a winless conference team, the Razorbacks (11-10, 2-6 SEC) looked much more motivated on the road in the 91-84 win over Missouri (8-13, 0-8 SEC). The win also stopped a three-game losing streak.

Even with the positive outcome of the game, most of the scuttlebutt continuing to surface on social media remained focused on the rumor mill that has been churning around the program, about some off-the-court issues with the team and a few players.

The Razorbacks seemed to have blocked out the noise, which has apparently been affecting the program of late, and jumped to a quick lead that they never relinquished.

Makhi Mitchell celebrated his 24th birthday on the court with a stellar performance for the Hogs, chalking up 19 points and 14 rebounds, for his second consecutive double-double.

Here are some of the posts that appeared on X, following the game:

Ohio State flops in Cotton Bowl as Lou Holtz again trends on social media

Pssst – Lou was right.

Lou Holtz may be just a week shy of his 87th birthday but that doesn’t mean the legendary former head football coach at Notre Dame doesn’t still see the game well.

Holtz made comments about Ohio State not being physical enough during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” the day before Notre Dame battled the Buckeyes in September.  Notre Dame didn’t win the game, but that doesn’t mean what Holtz said wasn’t true.

Holtz mentioned Ohio State had a bunch of wins under Ryan Day, but that the common theme in each of their losses under their head coach was the team was out-physicaled.

That was once again the case in Friday night’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl as the Buckeyes fell to Missouri, 14-3.

Ohio State’s defense played well, but the biggest difference in the game came late. Ohio State ran for 97 yards all night. Missouri gained 94 yards on 17 rush attempts in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.

Out-physicaled in money time again.

Oh, and social media had a field (Ryan) Day on the Buckeyes head coach while referencing Lou Holtz. Check out some of the best below.

Kirby Moore signs contract extension at Missouri

Seems like you can cross him off the list…

One offensive coordinator who has gained a ton of national respect in the last two seasons is Kirby Moore.  2023 was Moore’s first at Missouri as he helped the Tigers to a 10-2 regular season and berth in the Cotton Bowl to take on Ohio State.

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we named him as a possibility to be Notre Dame’s next offensive coordinator.

As of Thursday night that doesn’t seem to be the case as Moore has signed a contract extension at Missouri.

Terms were not yet disclosed and stranger things have certainly happened but it would appear that Moore isn’t leaving Columbia, Missouri this off-season.

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