Missouri's Finley connecting with Tiger players

Missouri tight end Jason Reese celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a game against Georgia earlier this month at Faurot Field.
Missouri tight end Jason Reese celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a game against Georgia earlier this month at Faurot Field.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - On first glance, Joe Jon Finley might appear older than he really is.

Missouri's tight ends coach has a thick, black beard, one that could add a few extra years to his look. Yet, underneath Finley's beard is the face of a 31-year-old man only four years removed from playing in the NFL.

"They see me, I got a young face," Finley said. "You can't see it because of the beard."

It was only eight years ago Finley graduated from Oklahoma.

As a Sooner, he caught 62 passes for 775 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent and bounced around three teams in the NFL from 2008-12 before going into coaching.

When first-year head coach Barry Odom was rounding out his coaching staff in January, Finley, who was an assistant at Baylor at the time, caught his eye.

"He's a tremendous teacher," Odom said. "I said about earlier, and he was a great player in college, that doesn't always make you a great coach. But he has transferred over into being an unbelievable coach, he's got a great football mind, he has concept and everything that we're trying to do. And he gets it."

It is the first time Finley has been a position coach at the collegiate level. Still, he is starting to make an impact with his players.

The trio of Sean Culkin, Jason Reese and Kendall Blanton have combined for 14 catches for 147 receiving yards and three touchdowns. They might not be the eye-popping numbers wide receiver J'Mon Moore has put up, but the group has given quarterback Drew Lock a security blanket underneath.

Reese and Blanton are on pace to set career-highs across the board. Culkin was a key piece to the offense until a foot injury limited his playing time. All three have contributed as blockers.

Off-the-field, however, might be where Finley is making the biggest impact.

Since Finley's playing days are not that far behind him, he still remembers what it is like to be in the shoes of his players.

"I relate to them," Finley said. "I listen to some of the music they listen to, I do the Facebook and Twitter and all that stuff. So just stuff like that helps me relate to the guys and I think they appreciate that."

Players also appreciate stories from his playing days, including one involving former Jefferson City Jay Justin Smith.

Finley and Smith were teammates during Finley's two seasons in San Francisco. On one of his first days, Finley got his "welcome to the NFL moment" from Smith.

"When I was a rookie he was playing linebacker at 295 pounds and he just knocked me straight on my butt," Finley said with a laugh. "It didn't hurt me physically near as much as it hurt me emotionally, it hurt my heart."

The story might be an embarrassing one for Finley, but it still helps him connect with his players.

"He's been in the NFL recently and sharing those small stories and just taking himself to the level of us and having that player-coach relationship is very important," Reese said. "It's nice having a really young coach, not from a football aspect but growing up and being a man."

He also backs up his praise for Finley.

Reese tells as many tight end recruits who will listen about how much he enjoys playing for Finley. Whether it is his stories from Finley's playing days, or being addressed by name and not by number, Reese wants recruits to know they could play for a coach who has their back at Missouri.

"He cares about our kids," Odom said of Finley, "and I think some of that is because it wasn't that long ago he was sitting in that locker room doing two-a-days, and he knows what they're going through.

"He's done an awesome job and I'm excited and proud that he's part of our staff."

Every day in the meeting room, Finley asks his players to just give them their best for him. Reese responded by saying he is a coach he would "go to war for."

"Coach Finley's one of the best just talking to you as a person," Reese said. "Coach Finley's awesome."