Why Linebacker Corey Flagg Stayed Committed to Missouri Football Despite D.C. Move

There was a moment of worry in Corey Flagg’s mind.

Flagg’s recruitment to the Missouri football team began with a connection to Blake Baker. The University of Missouri defensive coordinator recruited and coached Flagg while he was an assistant at Miami. Both the linebacker and the coach are from Houston, Texas.

So after entering the transfer portal and hearing about Missouri, Flagg opted to reunite with a familiar face and committed to the Tigers on Dec. 21, 2023.

That same day, rumors circulated that Baker had signed a lucrative new contract with Missouri, and Corey’s younger brother, safety Caleb Flagg, had committed to Mizzou as Houston Christian’s preferred opener. Shortly thereafter, the Tigers defeated Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and finished the season as a consensus top-10 team.

And then, a surprise…

Baker left Missouri to take the open DC job on Brian Kelly’s staff at LSU on Jan. 5.

Flagg held no ill will toward the coach. He knew Baker’s family had ties to the area and appreciated everything he had done for him during their time in Miami, he said.

But he told local media on Friday that he had some questions and concerns about his recent choice of portal.

“I mean, there was definitely some uncertainty,” Flagg said, “because he was the guy I was talking to in the portal process.”

That was until Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz and linebackers coach DJ Smith, who helped recruit Flagg, stepped in with a story.

The story of Cody Schrader.

“They (Drinkwitz and Smith) just told me they were given the opportunity to compete. That’s just their culture. I mean, the biggest example he gave me was Cody — Cody Schrader,” Flagg said, referring to MU’s famed running back. … “He came in as a walk-on, he left as one of the best running backs in the SEC, you know?

“So he gave everybody an opportunity to compete, to start somewhere. And that’s what I love about playing here, I love about being Coach Drink.”

Fortunately, because the linebacker competition is one of the most active open battles of Missouri’s fall camp.

The Tigers lost third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper to the Green Bay Packers in April, and longtime contributor Chad Bailey was no longer eligible. Several depth players at linebacker left MU via the portal.

Mizzou welcomed three transfers this offseason: Khalil Jacobs from South Alabama, following new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon from one school to another; Jeremiah Beasley as a freshman from Michigan; and Flagg.

Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson, the Tigers’ Cotton Bowl starters after injuries, are back and appear ready to play prominent roles in Batoon’s defense.

But Mizzou needed more.

He needed depth, yes, but more importantly he needed competition at the top of his squad – someone to fight for as a starter.

The coaching staff was upfront about it with Flagg. Schrader’s story was relevant.

All this touched me.

“It was a big thing to trust Coach Drink, Coach DJ (Smith) and the staff here,” Flagg said. “And since then, everything they said they were going to do, they’ve done it. They gave us the opportunity to compete, and we’ve competed.”

Perhaps the linebacker’s biggest asset is his Power Conference experience. He played 43 games with Miami, including 23 as a starter, recording 179 total tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception.

Now the next leap is to do it against the SEC’s attacks as Mizzou looks to mount a run toward the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Fall camp will determine whether Flagg will start and how much of a presence he will have when Mizzou takes the field to open its season on Thursday, Aug. 29, against Murray State in Columbia. He was running with the second-team defense during practice Friday.

The first sign of adversity, which came shortly after his enlistment, did not discourage him.

The ongoing battle for representatives does not seem to have this effect either.

In fact, perhaps that is exactly why he stayed.

“I mean, when you look at life in general, man – in any facet, even in your guys’ profession (the media) – it’s always good to compete,” Flagg said. … “So even as a player, it’s the same thing.

“You know, if (Hicks) or (Newson) have a good day, it’ll make me want to come back and have another day of the same kind, you know, or have a better day than them. So competition always brings out the best in a person and an individual, not just in a ball game, but just in life.”

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This article was originally published on Columbia Daily Tribune: Why linebacker Corey Flagg stuck with Missouri football despite D.C. move