Drinkwitz not joking about Mizzou's chances in 2025

ATLANTA — Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz had jokes at SEC Media Days.

“Y’all remind me a little bit of Disneyworld: tired, ready to go home, tired of coaches whining up here,” he told reporters on the final day of event. “With that, I know there’s a lot of burning questions in this room by the 14 of y’all that showed up. Just as a reminder, I’m not going to answer any questions about the Epstein files, the Radiation Belt, whether or not it was possible for Lee Harvey Oswald to get three shots off in seven seconds.”

What Drinkwitz doesn’t have are some key pieces from his 2024 team: quarterback Brady Cook, leading running back Nate Noel and left tackle Armand Membou, the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. In spite of a major overhaul to the roster as key contributors either transferred or went pro, Drinkwitz remains confident in a program that has won 21 games in the past two seasons.

“(We have) 38 new scholarship players. Twenty-one came from the transfer portal, 17 from high school. We built a roster to compete this season. We value production over potential,” he said. “We have 20 players on the defensive side of the ball who have started more than one game in their college career. We’ve got 12 players on offense who have multiple starts in their collegiate career. We have three on special teams.”

One position where he’ll definitely have a new starter is at quarterback, where redshirt sophomore Sam Horn is battling Penn State transfer Beau Pribula for the starting job. Horn, who is also a baseball player coming off of Tommy John surgery, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers but made it clear he intends to play football this fall.

“Obviously Sam Horn is a guy who has been in our system for a long time. Dual-threat player, plays baseball at a high level. Coming back from Tommy John surgery. Had an outstanding bowl prep, really good spring. Has really excelled in his maturation,” Drinkwitz said. “Beau came in with the right mindset. Nothing given, everything earned. Works extremely hard developing his craft. He’s a guy who spends a lot of extra time up there. Has a chip on his shoulder, the right kind of chip. Does a good job leadership-wise.”

The likely replacement for Noel is sophomore Ahmad Hardy, who rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns at 5.7 yards per clip last year at Louisiana-Monroe. Drinkwitz said the 5-10, 205-pound back has acclimated well to Columbia. 

“(I’m) Really excited about that young man,” Drinkwitz said. “He has great burst, understands the scheme and how to run it.”

The Tigers won 10 games last year, but in two of their three losses they were blown out. Texas A&M beat Missouri 41-10, while Alabama blanked then 34-0. With 11 upperclassmen transfers in a potential starting lineup, Drinkwitz recognizes that the Tigers can’t rest on any laurels.

“We have a ‘something to prove’ mindset. Whether you’re talking about our coaching staff, our players, we all have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” he said. “At the end of the day, two-minute drive, fourth quarter, that’s not what you’re thinking about. You think about your trust and belief in each other, doing your job at a higher level.”

Missouri 2025 schedule

Aug. 28: Central Arkansas

Step. 6: Kansas

Sept. 13: Louisiana

Sept. 20: South Carolina

Sept. 27: UMass

Oct. 11: Alabama

Oct. 18: @Auburn

Oct. 25: @Vanderbilt

Nov. 8: TEXAS A&M

Nov. 15: Mississippi State

Nov. 22: @Oklahoma

Nov. 29: @Arkansas 

Projected lineup

QB: #9, Beau Pribula (Gr.-TR.)

RB: #29, Ahmad Hardy (So.-TR.)

TE: #87, Brett Norfleet (Jr.)

WR (X): #2, Marquis Johnson (Jr.)

WR (Z): #0, Joshua Manning (Jr.)

WR (H): #3, Kevin Coleman Jr. (Sr.-TR.)

LT: #60, Johnny Williams IV (RS-so.-TR.)

LG: #70, Cayden Green (Jr.-TR.)

C: #55, Connor Tollison (Gr.)

RG: #56 Dominick Giuidice (Gr.-TR.)

RT: #79, Keagen Trost (Gr.-TR.)

DE: #9, Zion Young (Sr.-TR.)

DT: #7, Chris McClellan (Sr.-TR..)

DT: #10, Sterling Webb (Sr.-TR.)

JOKER: #8, Damon Wilson (Jr.-TR.)

MIKE: #40, Josiah Trotter (RS-So.-TR.)

WILL: #14, Triston Newson (Gr.-TR.)

NICKEL: #13, Daylan Carnell (Gr.)

CB: #0, Stephen Hall (Gr.-TR.)

SS: #1, Marvin Burks Jr. (Jr.)

FS: #6, Jalen Catalon (Gr.-TR.)

CB: Dreyden Norwood (RS-Sr.-TR.)