How Keagen Trost, Johnny Williams IV Are Adjusting to Mizzou

What could be two of Missouri's most important offensive players are quickly learning their places in Columbia.

Sep 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Missouri Tigers helmet against the Buffalo Bulls during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The offensive line is still getting sorted out for the Missouri Tigers. That's no secret.

In the middle of all of that are two transfers on the outside part of the offensive line looking to get acclimated to the system, culture and style that the Tigers offer on offense.

Wake Forest transfer Keagen Trost, who'll slot in at right tackle, and Johnny Williams IV, a contender for the starting left tackle position, are both quickly becoming more comfortable in Missouri, in both a football sense and a home sense.

"Since I got here, it's a different system running more outside zone," Trost said on July 27. "It's been an adjustment period, but I was able to show more of my skills."

As a player and a position group, the offensive line can be the hardest to find group cohesion in. With fall camp here and heating up, the Missouri offensive line, including Trost, is taking more steps toward that cohesion improving.

"Anytime you have new people joining the offensive line, it's always a concern or question [about] how they'll play well beside each other," Trost said. "I feel like spring ball and then OTAs in the summer, summer ball was a good step for us to show how we can play with each other."

Williams has noticed some of those improvements as a group more than anything. Those neccesary steps forward aren't always on the football field, either.

"We've just been growing as a group. We're close," Williams said. "We hang out a lot, we do a lot of things outside of the stadium."

The pair of new tackles has been around long enough now to know where things stand when it comes to the talent of the group as a whole. Despite being an area with plenty of uncertainties and even some concerns, a sense of optimism is rising from those a part of it.

"I'm confident in the guys that we have," Trost said. "We have good players and then the confidence will grow the more we play beside each other and go through fall camp."

The transfer process isn't always easy, even for a player like Trost, who's played at three schools in his entire seven-year career. Trost started at Morgan State and then made a move to Indiana State, where he played for four seasons. He played for the Demon Deacons for two.

He has gone through the process before, but things are going well early on as a Missouri Tiger.

"Transferring schools, you're always unsure how [you] fit in the group, how will things go," Trost said. "But the longer I've been here, the more l feel like I've gotten closer with everybody."

The adjustment for Williams is also going well, including when it comes to individual improvement. He's putting in the hard work neccesary for growth, but the talent around him has played a helping hand in that.

"I'm just focused on individual improvement to get myself better," Williams said. "At the same time. It's them helping me and me helping them get better, as well."

Williams is currently battling returning junior Jayven Richardson for the starting left tackle spot. This could be a competition that extends all the way through fall camp, depending on each player's performance throughout.

Even with the position battle and two other new starters on the offensive line, that sense of optimism about the group's potential is one that's shared across the room and the coaching staff. One of Missouri's longest-tenured players and most impactful players is seeing it together from his perspective.

The coming together of the room, similar to what Williams said, is a process that doesn't always occur while they are playing or practicing with one another.

"As the season goes on, we spend a lot of time with each other," Center Connor Tollison said. "So I feel like it's good to have those bonds as not just player to player, but as a whole group."

The unit as a whole is one full of hard workers and dedicated players. For guys like Williams and Trost who weren't members of the system until a few months ago, the work required to adjust is more of a challenge.

"They've worked extremely hard this summer. I think they've been a lot more motivated, to say the least," offensive line coach Brandon Jones said. "But their consistency, their work ethic, their post-workout workouts that they do, they do a lot of stuff on Saturdays, whether I'm here or not."

We might not know what the starting offensive line looks like yet in its totality, but the steps toward that decision being made are occurring. At the same time, Trost and Williams are quickly being comfortable in the Missouri offense, which is a very important part of that process coming together.