Portions of Missouri’s early spring practices have resembled a carnival because of giant, bright-yellow additions to the workout regimen.
The Tigers were a poor-tackling defense last season, so improving the ability to get ball-carriers on the ground has been an offseason point of emphasis.
At the suggestion of two new defensive coaches, Mizzou is incorporating tackling rings — oversized, doughnut-shaped pads that provide a moving target for defensive players to refine their tackling technique.
“It’s different, but I’ve seen a lot of videos of NFL players using them and different colleges using them,” junior linebacker Brandon Lee said.