COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥 Corey Batoon鈥檚 last stay 鈥檙ound these parts was a short one.
As the secondary and special teams coordinator at what was then called Central Missouri State, Batoon and his wife only lived in Missouri for six months in 1996. And in the time between that stint in Warrensburg and his move back to lead the Mizzou defense, a few things have changed.
鈥淲ell, yeah, that was a long time ago,鈥 Batoon said Tuesday in his first meeting with local reporters. 鈥淒rove through here and recruited 50度灰视频 at the time, so kind of knew Columbia and all that stuff. But obviously, this wasn鈥檛 what it looked like 27 years ago.鈥
He gazed around MU鈥檚 cushy defensive meeting room in the football team鈥檚 South End Zone complex as he spoke, clearly admiring where he鈥檚 wound up: as the defensive coordinator of a Missouri team that has its sights set on a spot in the College Football Playoff.
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And yes, the program has evolved a bit since the last time he was here. In 1996, the Tigers went 5-6 with a handful of lopsided losses to Big 12 foes 鈥 but a 42-25 win over Kansas. Now, Batoon is leading a team still enjoying the glimmer of an 11-win season, Cotton Bowl victory and top 10 finish.
Mizzou鈥檚 offerings are a considerable upgrade from his last stops, at South Alabama and Liberty. Batoon has been around the Southeastern Conference before, working at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016 鈥 the Rebels hosted both MU and SEMO in 2013 but never played in Missouri while he was coaching there.
But it鈥檚 not the shine of an SEC coordinator job that sold him on a move to Mizzou.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been just the people. I think that鈥檚 been the biggest thing,鈥 Batoon said. 鈥淵ou know, buildings are buildings, and facilities are facilities. Everybody in this league has nice stuff. But when you get inside the building, I think that鈥檚 what makes it different.鈥
Beyond his brief tenure at another in-state school, Batoon didn鈥檛 have a tie to MU 鈥 or even much of a connection to coach Eli Drinkwitz. The two met ahead of the 2012 football season, when Batoon was leaving the Arkansas State staff as Drinkwitz joined it.
They stayed in touch, occasionally bumping into each other within coaching circles. And after Blake Baker鈥檚 departure created an opening at defensive coordinator, Drinkwitz gave Batoon a call.
What quickly sold both on the arrangement was 鈥渁lignment鈥 鈥 the keyword of their pre-spring camp news conferences 鈥 among their ideas for how to approach playing defense.
鈥淭he mentality and the demeanor of each facet 鈥 whether it be offense, defense or special teams 鈥 it鈥檚 controlled by the head coach, and he wants that to look a certain way,鈥 Batoon said.
He shared Drinkwitz鈥檚 vision. That means the Tigers will continue to use a 4-2-5 base defense with four defensive linemen, two linebackers, two cornerbacks, two safeties and a STAR, or nickleback.
Part of Drinkwitz鈥檚 pitch to Batoon, though, was a chance to add his own twists to that system.
鈥淓verybody has their own fingerprints when they paint, right?鈥 Drinkwitz said. 鈥淪tyles. Cory鈥檚 going to call the game the way he stylistically sees it.鈥
Already among the expected shifts to how the Mizzou defense functions is the creation of a 鈥渏oker鈥 position 鈥 a tough-sounding defensive role with a tactical purpose. But beyond antagonizing Batman, what does the joker do in Batoon鈥檚 defense?
鈥淲e have more of a transition defensive end that goes to the field, and then we have a guy that鈥檚 more of a hybrid role,鈥 he said.
Batoon is referring to the concept of boundary and field players, a way to differentiate between which personnel goes on which side of a defensive formation. Boundary players line up on the side of the ball that is closer to a sideline while field players take the opposing wide section. If, from the defense鈥檚 perspective, the ball was spotted on the right hash marks, the right defensive end would be the field end, and the left side edge rusher would be the joker.
There鈥檚 still plenty to be worked out with the joker setup, and spring practices won鈥檛 really be the time for Mizzou to pin that down. The MU coaching staff openly gears spring camp toward individual development, leaving scheme work for the true preseason.
Batoon will still be watching the edge rushers for players he can cast as Mizzou鈥檚 joker.
鈥淵ou always play to your strengths, and so of these opportunities in the spring, you try to figure out who can do what and put them in those positions,鈥 Batoon said. 鈥淎nd so I think that having that opportunity at that position gives you some flexibility, maybe some guys that maybe aren鈥檛 size parameters what you want but maybe athletically can do some things, and if you have enough guys that can do that, then it makes sense to go down that road.鈥
As part of his settling-in process, Batoon has met individually with all of the Tigers鈥 defensive players, asking about their backgrounds and goals. It鈥檚 an approach that quickly acclimated offensive coordinator Kirby Moore into the locker room ahead of last season 鈥 and a way players have picked up on the vibe of Batoon, who hails from Hawaii and seemingly has the personality to match.
鈥淎 cool dude,鈥 linebacker Chuck Hicks said. 鈥淗e takes it a little more laid back, he鈥檚 going to talk to you a little bit differently. But get on the field with him, he wants the best from you. He鈥檚 pushing you, he鈥檚 running behind you on the field.鈥
鈥淗e鈥檚 a pretty chill guy,鈥 defensive tackle Kristian Williams said. 鈥淚ntelligent, most definitely that. He just knows ball, he loves ball. Just really trying to get around us and build relationships. And then on top of that, when it comes down to it inside the white lines, you know that he鈥檒l be about business. He鈥檒l raise his voice, you know, just be that guy.鈥
Establishing a rapport with defensive players is just the start for Batoon.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about figuring people out, building that trust,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ecause from trust comes respect, from respect, you can start building on that.鈥