Mizzou's Eli Drinkwitz takes strategic approach at 2023 SEC football media days

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As Missouri embarks on a pivotal football season, the last of its kind in the Southeastern Conference before expansion enriches the talent once again in 2024, Eli Drinkwitz and his players have rallied around a motto this summer.
S.T.P.
Something to Prove.
How the Tigers define their offseason charge depends on whom you ask. For Drinkwitz, the team’s coach, it’s simple: A program that’s finished 5-5, 6-7 and 6-7 in three seasons under his watch is tired of talking about close calls and potential.
“There used to be a saying: ‘Talk’s cheap, (but) it takes money to buy whiskey,’” he said Monday on the opening day of SEC football media days. “That’s kind of my mindset with these guys. There’s no doubt that we have the ability to be great. But we’ve got to go prove it.”
As the SEC’s annual season kickoff event made its Nashville debut Monday, Drinkwitz arrived in Music City content to let the conference’s other headliners steal the stage. By his standards, just a few blocks down from downtown Nashville’s famous honky-tonks, Monday’s appearance was Drinkwitz Unplugged. He resisted his typical jabs and zingers and strategically opened his news conference live on SEC Network with a 1,979-word filibuster detailing his entire roster — down to the open competition for the long snapper duties.
“I tried to kill as much time as I possibly could so that I would not answer any question too crazy today and trend on Twitter,” he said. “Let’s see how we did.”
Mission accomplished.
Drinkwitz, who turned 40 in April, even avoided poking fun at the Tennessee Volunteers for their recently announced NCAA sanctions for 18 Level 1 recruiting violations.
Yes, it’s still talking season around college football, but for a fourth-year coach with an overall record on the wrong side of .500, even one of the sport’s most opinionated voices knows when to turn down the amplifier.
“We’ve got a lot of ability on our team, and we’ve got a lot of returning starters,” Drinkwitz said. “And there’s no doubt we have talent. But there’s a lot of questions on the games that we didn’t finish last year or the missed opportunities. It’s really not about talking about how much talent we have. ... Let’s go prove it on the field. Let’s go prove where we’re at in Year 4 of our program.”
A year after the Tigers suffered four losses by margins of no more than a touchdown, outside expectations will be measured for the 2023 edition, no matter how many starters return from last year’s most-improved defense in the conference. And until the Tigers break through with their first winning record since 2018, questions will linger about Drinkwitz’s long-term fitness to deliver consistent success in Columbia, despite last year’s contract extension that pushed his salary to $6 million and fattened his contract buyout.
He came to Nashville well aware of those questions and didn’t swat away inquiries about his job security.
Eli Drinkwitz: A look at the Mizzou football head coach
Here is a look at Missouri football head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, who was previously the Appalachian State football head coach.
“Honestly, I don’t think anybody puts more pressure on ourselves more than the players and coaches,” he said. “We want to win every game. We’re competitive. We all sign up to play for championships. That’s the goal every year. When that doesn’t occur, we feel pressure to perform. Obviously very appreciative of (the university) ... for extending the contract last year, but we all understand that it’s a game-to-game, year-to-year job.”
“I feel like we’re on the right track,” he added. “I think recruiting shows that. I think the talent on the field shows that. I think the way we’ve been in games shows that. But no different than our players (and) myself, we need to put that together with results on the field. We need to prove it.”
If Drinkwitz plans to return for next year’s SEC media days when it moves to Dallas as the league officially adds Oklahoma and Texas, it’s critical the Tigers fix their offense this fall — a challenge that starts along the line of scrimmage. Drinkwitz hopes new O-line coach Brandon Jones and transfer portal imports Cam’Ron Johnson at center and Marcellus Johnson at right tackle bolster a woeful 2022 front five.
“Last year, our quarterback was under pressure,” Drinkwitz said. “You look at our inability to complete balls vertically down the field, specifically in the bowl game, our quarterback pressure situation was ridiculous.”
QB focus
As for the quarterback, returning starter Brady Cook will take the first-team snaps when preseason camp begins next month, but he’ll have to hold off Miami transfer Jake Garcia and redshirt freshman Sam Horn in what Drinkwitz again insisted Monday will be “an open competition.”
Drinkwitz made it clear that offensive coordinator Kirby Moore wants to throw the ball down the field. He also said he might have called off last year’s preseason competition too early when he named Cook the starter a week into camp. On Monday, Drinkwitz said he’s open to playing multiple quarterbacks in the first two games of the season — against South Dakota and Middle Tennessee. But ...
“Whoever plays the best in fall camp is going to start,” he said.
Here is a look at Missouri football quarterback Brady Cook, who played high school football at St. Louis' Chaminade College Preparatory School.
Cook, a St. Louis native who’s 6-8 as Mizzou’s starter, is coming off January surgery on his throwing shoulder but looked strong this summer. Defensive lineman Darius Robinson, one of three players Drinkwitz brought to Nashville, lit up when asked about Cook’s offseason.
“Confidence,” he said. “He’s smiling, happy. He’s really enjoying himself and enjoying being around his teammates. He’s able to bring guys together. I see the receivers and quarterbacks throw every Saturday. Brady’s always leading the pack in conditioning. I think Brady’s just hungry. He’s very excited for this opportunity. And I’m excited to watch him as his teammate because I know the work he puts in. He’s from Missouri, so this means the absolute most to him.”
What about Horn? The former four-star prospect dazzled on the pitching mound for Mizzou’s baseball team this spring before the coaching staff shut him down when he experienced soreness in his pitching forearm. Horn played only one football series in one game last year, against New Mexico State, but Drinkwitz believes his flash of success in baseball increased his confidence and sharpened his focus as a two-sport athlete.
“It wasn’t just about the natural talent. Sam is a naturally talented young man,” Drinkwitz said. “It was about everything else off the field, whether it’s controlling his diet to making sure that his diabetes is under control, making sure that his weight was adjusted, making sure he’s getting sleep, making sure his grades are right.
“The best players have low-drama lives off the field. Sam is not a drama guy. Don’t make that assumption. ... But he has really had a great spring and tremendous summer.”
In other words, he’s got something to prove. He’s not alone.