What Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz said at SEC Media Days

Here is a full transcript of what Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz said Monday at SEC Media Days. Starting with his breakout session, then his appearance on SEC Now and running through his time on the podium. The first question of the breakout session will begin in the middle of an answer. There was a slight delay in the recording. Breakout session Drinkwitz: “Daeden Hopkins, Jaden Jones at the edges position. Who can develop that ability to rush the passer and stuff the run? In the past five years, I think you could argue in the SEC defensively at the edge position, we’ve been as good as anybody. Isaiah McGruire, Darius Robinson, Johnny Walker, Zion Young, Damon Wilson. Now this year, it’s somebody new. So we gotte get the most out of that guy.” Question: What would you like to tell the fans at this juncture about your quarterback and then why did bring these three players? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I think Austin Simmons has done a really good job of acclimating to our opportunity and system. He’s got tremendous arm talent. I think they’re going to be really excited to watch him play the game. “You know, I brought these three players because they represent the University of Missouri really well. I think anytime you can bring a young man from the city of St. Louis like Jamal Roberts to represent the University of Missouri, it’s a special thing. Because St. Louis is one of the heartbeats of our state. And Jamal is one of the heartbeats of our program. A guy that had the opportunity and every opportunity to leave and transfer and make more money. But he chose to stay. And he didn’t choose to stay for free, but he did choose to stay, and to finish a legacy there. “And then you’ve got Cayden Green, who is another one of those places in Kansas City, Missouri. Lee Summit North, Lee Summit North, young man who is another heartbeat of our university. A guy who found his way home and then chose to come back and finish what he started here. Very proud of the young man that he is, and the young person that he’s becoming, and the player that he is becoming. “And then you got a guy like Nick Rod. Although he needs to button that top shirt, I don’t need to see that much lettuce, chest hair. But he has been a great leader. A guy who has been committed to us from from Fort Lauderdale, from St. Thomas Aquinas. And a guy who plays the position the right way. He’s very dependable. It’s got a heartbeat of our team, a captain, and a guy that I’m really excited to watch him play. He plays the game the right way. Question: Of course last year, we saw the electricity in the Kansas game at Faurot Field. This year, going on a Friday night to Lawrence in a stadium that’s maybe not quite finished. What are your thoughts on that game and kind of continuing the series from there? Drinkwitz: “Well, it’s going to be an excellent game. You know, obviously last year we had a stadium under construction, and now they have a stadium under construction, too. It’s just an unfortunate thing. But it still will be a great environment and a very difficult game. You know, for us, if there was a way to continue the game, I’m for it. “I think anytime we can play regional rivalries, I think it’s better for us from a recruiting standpoint. We still want to continue to make a strong push to recruit within a 400-mile radius of Columbia, Missouri. And in order to do that, you got to be competitive within the programs close. I think next year we’re playing Illinois, and after that, I’m not sure how it all play out. Probably depend on how the Cruz-Cantwell bill plays out.” Question: Nick Bolton is going into the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame. I wanted to see if you could talk about him as a player in person. Not just at Mizzou, but how you’ve seen him grow in Kansas City, now a two-time Super Bowl champion. Drinkwitz: “Nick Bolton, you know, from the first time I was ever watching him in practice to who he is now, there was no doubt he was a Hall of Famer. And just the way he carried himself from an approach on a daily basis to, to practice, an approach to how he practiced, how he carried himself in the film room, in the team room, in the locker room. He was always about the right things. And obviously that’s translated to his career in the pros. “And I think it was such an awesome way for for him to get inducted to be told by Andy Hill, who was, or sorry, Andy Reid, who was a former Missouri coach. It’s just been a really cool summer because I was also there when Andy Hill and Drew Lock, you know, mutually told themselves that they were both going in the Hall of Fame. “And what a what a really cool way to do that. So you talk about three men that have had a huge impact on our university and our program. And anytime you get to leave a legacy, which I think for a man, you know, that’s one of those things that you don’t really value until you get a little bit older. It’s the legacy that you leave. And Nick’s obviously leaving a great legacy. We’ve got his younger brother Jaden on our team or cousin, so it’s it’s a really cool deal.” Question: You mentioned Darris Smith a little bit ago. What about the improvements he’s continuing to make for you and the impact you think he’s going to make as an edge rusher for the Tigers? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I think Darris Smith has got has always had all the ability in the world. And just to continue to watch his maturity and growth has been great. He’s up to 265 pounds, and you’re talking about a guy that won the 200 in the state of Georgia. So he’s got a tremendous explosion. He plays the game physical and violent. And you know I think he had 4.5 sacks last year, too. So he’s got ability to stop the run, rush the passer, and we can’t wait to see his skill set come to fruition. It’s his turn now.” Question: One of your players came through earlier and mentioned about pickleball court, newly opened. So I’ve got two questions. One, tell me about your pickleball game, and two, your thoughts on Gus Malzan being on the CFP committee? Drinkwitz: “Pickleball is a very dangerous game. It was a game invented by orthopedic surgeons to create another generation. And if they would just use that money in third-party NIL, I could really get behind it. As far as Coach Malzahn on the CFP, I think it will only drive him back into coaching because as he evaluates all these teams, he’s going to think, ‘Man, I got to get one more shot at it.’ So I’m starting Coach Malzahn’s campaign for to be hired next year. So he’ll do a great job. He will. He’ll do a tremendous job.” Question: Coach I wanted to ask you about Curtis Luper and just wondered if you could expand on your guys’ relationship and working together at Mizzou. And just how vital he’s been to the running back room. Drinkwitz: “Yeah, Coach Luper’s and my relationship begins in 2010 when I was a GA at Auburn and I used to have to drive him to the airport and really do anything that he needed me to do, you know. And we’ve stayed in touch. You know, stayed in touch, and had the opportunity to hire him in 2020. He’s been there from the beginning. He’s seen the highs, the lows. I’m sure we get on each other’s nerves at times, but he’s Mr. Consistent. “He’s a guy that I can really count on. I know he’s going to handle our room. You look at the production of our room, whether you’re talking about Larry Rountree or Tyler Badie or Cody Schrader to Nate Noel to Ahmad Hardy to Jamal Roberts, he’s done an excellent job of getting production at that position. We’ve led that, we’ve had the SEC’s leading rusher three out of the last five years. We’ve had a Doke Walker finalist three out of the last five years. And I don’t think that’s been done by anybody else in the country or in the SEC. So, hats off to him in what he’s done” Question: Just curious your thoughts or what you remember from last year’s Texas A&M game and then hosting them twice in a row? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I mean Texas A&M was a tremendously talented football team last year that had put it all together in all three phases. I remember it really being a game-ish until that two-minute drive at the end where they forced the strip-sack fumble for a touchdown. And that’s really you know, I think our defense was keeping us in the game, but that kind of snapped the momentum with us. You know not being able to really move the ball, true freshman quarterback. “Fortunate for us in the scheduling side of it to get Texas A&M home two games, two years in a row. It’s kind of an unfortunate deal. We end up going to Arkansas two game, two years in a row. A&M comes to us two years in a row in order to balance out the schedule. It’s adapt and adjust, you know. But you know they’re going to be really, really good. I know they reloaded the offensive line in the transfer portal. They still got Marcel Reed, who I’ve always been a big fan of. And you know they’re going to be a really really difficult challenge for us, just like every other SEC team on our schedule” Question: You’re going into Year 7 as the head coach in this league. There’s more than a handful of coaches that are going into either first year as the head coach or first year at their respective program. What do you remember about Year 1 and what would current Eliah Drinkwitz go back and tell himself about Year 1 expectations and how to handle the SEC? Drinkwitz: Yeah, Year 1 for me, we did not have SEC media days. We were in the middle of COVID. We played in front of I don’t know 20,000 and we got a 10-game SEC schedule. So really I would inverse that. I would have the first-year head coach tell the seventh-year head coach, ‘Quit complaining about nine games, I had to play a 10-game SEC schedule.’ And it’s manageable and it’s doable, and don’t get caught up in in looking too far ahead. You know, there’s a way to win every game. You just got to find it, and that’s got to be the mentality and the approach that we take.” Question: What are your thoughts on facing Oklahoma now that last weekend of the regular season rather than Arkansas? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, that one surprised me. I didn’t know that that was how that was going to turn out. Not sure what what was the coordinated response or the reasoning for that. I’ve always enjoyed the rivalry with Arkansas. It’s more personal for me just because I’m from there and kind of made it into a fun thing. But you know, the SEC has the reasons. And I’m I’m sure if they wanted me to know it, they would tell me.” Drinkwitz: “So I’m a math person. Any time you have more than one variable in an equation, there’s no solution to it. And right now we currently have three variables in any type of solution. That’s an unlimited cap, it’s an unlimited transfer, and unlimited eligibility. And before anybody tells me that we have eligibility rules, I think they need to look within the league and see that we’ve had multiple years where multiple people have sued and won multiple years of eligibility. “So, anytime you have those three variables, you have no solution. And you’re going to have a continued inflation of liquidity within the market, and that’s unsustainable. I think our job is to protect and advocate for our student-athletes to become the best version of themselves. And in doing that, there has to be guardrails in what they’re given. Right now, there are no guardrails. And instead of there being people who can help guide them along the way, we’ve allowed a lot of unintended consequences and bad actors into athletics and into the people, into players’ lives, and I think that’s an unfortunate thing. “There’s going to be long-term consequences for these student-athletes as well as college universities, and we don’t see those right now. But it doesn’t mean they’re not coming. And so, I’m a proponent for getting some sort of solutions to those variables. But as long as there is a continued three variables that are unsolvable, there is no solution to the problem. And we can talk about media rights and lawsuits and all the different things at a macro level that we want, but at a micro level, those are the three biggest issues.” On SEC Now Drinkwitz: “I don’t know. I haven’t really got through all of Day 1. We’ll find out. It’s just been a little bit different deown here. I don’t know that I’ve seen the, quite the same energy that I have in some other places so far. Maybe it’s the lack of caffeine. Maybe it’s the travel. I don’t know. But we’ll see, we’ll see.” Question: You calling out Tampa a little bit? Just trying to fire it up a little later? Drinkwitz: “No, I just, I don’t know. We’ll see. Get the party started. I got some things that could get them started, but I don’t want them to get mad. I don’t want the commissioner getting mad at me. So we’re going to try to be real quiet here.” Question: How do you feel about nine games? Drinkwitz: “You know, it’s going to be a real challenge for everybody. But we all got to face it. You know, so I think the thing that’s the most challenging in the SEC is we don’t get enough credit for how difficult the environments are that we play in. I think you know, watching the World Cup, people were, ‘Man, these stadiums are awesome,’ and it’s great. And FIFA played in front of 80,000, they thought that was a big stadium. They hadn’t been to Knoxville, Tennessee, with 106,000 people. Or, or Death Valley, or Athens, Georgia, or Ben Griffith Hill Stadium, or Columbia, Missouri, or even Columbia, South Carolina. I mean, or or Tuscaloosa, or Jordan-Hare. “I mean, those places are unbelievable. And they got 105,000, and they’re all screaming and going crazy, and they allow tailgating. You know, FIFA, they didn’t allow tailgating stalls up. So, you know, I think it’s a, it’s really difficult to play in. You know, on some years you’re not, every other year you’re going to be playing five road games in this league, and you can have a damn good football team, it’s going to be really tough to win five games on the road.” Drinkwitz: “Yeah, bottom line, the wins and losses are the number one metric they’re going to value. And then No. 2, there’s some analytics and stats that don’t make sense that none of us would even recognize that they value in the, into the process. I think the challenge for me is there shouldn’t be a committee in determining who enters into the playoffs. It should be decided on the football field. Football is a game that’s played, you know, in a stadium on a field, and there’s a winner and a loser. And I think we can all, you know, reconcile our emotions about it when it’s, ‘Hey, you played the game and you didn’t either play your best and you lost, or you played your best and you won,’ and that’s how you determine a champion. “I think in any format, whether we expand the playoffs or not, when there’s a committee that’s going to determine the game, determine who’s in, there’s going to be a lot of controversy in that. And you know, I was one of the first to get up. I think I was the only one in the SEC to talk about we need more access in the playoffs. And they took a great idea and they screwed it up. “So I think we got to figure out how to have play-in games by the conferences and decide on the field how to get teams into expanded playoffs. We need more access. Twelve is too small. But going one-through-24 and telling me a playoff committee is going to select 24 teams that are going to deserve to be in the playoffs, that’s that’s insanity to me, based off of what I heard in that committee.” Question: I don’t know coach, I’ve been told all 10-2 records are created equal. That’s what I’ve been told (sarcastic). Drinkwitz: “We were told that Mississippi State last year was a bad loss. They beat Arizona State at home. Which was considered a quality win for some of the teams in the Big 12. So I don’t understand how, that math ain’t mathing right now. I think that’s where it gets convoluted, in my opinion. And again, we don’t get credit for, there’s the environments that we play in. “We were told that Texas was downgraded for their bad loss versus Florida. Guys, look at Florida. Florida had a bunch of players drafted. But have you been to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium? It’s one of the top 15 stadiums in the world. In the world. If you have a ranking of top 15 stadiums in the world, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is going to be one of them. And so I think that’s where people miss the boat.” Question: I do want to talk about the field at some point. Looking at the offensive turnover, look, happy for Kirby (Moore) getting the head job. That’s awesome. But now you bring in Chip Lindsey, familiar with the league. You bring in Garrett Riley, he’s been coaching quarterbacks forever. You bring in Alex Atkins, I think you can make a case maybe the smartest collection of coaching offense in the entire league. So what went into the evaluation of the guys that you replaced Kirby with? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I think anytime you have an opportunity to add coaches, when somebody leaves, it’s an opportunity to improve your condition and improve your staff. And so, for us, we needed, the first thing we needed to do was add some wisdom and some experience in the SEC. I think going to nine games, I wanted an experienced play caller who knew, you know, what this league was like and wasn’t afraid to go against the the Kirby Smarts or the Mike Elkos or the Brent Venables, you know who’s had success against those guys. Chip Lindsey’s done that. “Chip’s called plays at a high level. You look at Garrett Riley, who won the Broyles Award at TCU and took his team to the, you know, helped lead that team to the national championship. You got to have low ego, high output individuals at the, at the leadership positions in order to make that work. And I think you know yet a way to bring in Alex Atkins, who’s also called plays, recruited at high level, understands what it takes to coach the tight ends. I think you’re going to see a jump in the way Jordon Harris and Brett Norfleet and Jude James play this year. So I was very excited to get those guys. “You know, there’s no, you look at the losses that we’ve had, we haven’t been able to throw the ball effectively in those games. You know, we were in the fourth quarter against Alabama and had 72 yards passing. We got to be able to throw the ball more effectively in critical games in order to win. And that’s that’s what Chip’s job’s got to be.” Question: What can you tell us about Ahmad Hardy? Obviously we’re all rooting for him and after getting shot in Mississippi, what’s the latest on him and his, what you’re hoping for moving forward? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, doing great. Have seen him in the rehab, he’s, he’s doing everything he can do to get back as quickly as possible, and I look forward to him having a great testimony and story to tell when it’s when the opportunity’s there. But he’s given us everything he’s got to get back healthy.” Question: Bringing in a new quarterback, obviously Austin Simmons, going to the portal to get him. I saw a cool piece about him and Cayden Lee Drinkwitz: “Austin’s a very talented player. There’s no doubt he’s got one of the best arms that I’ve ever seen as far as arm talent. And then he’s a cool, calm, and collected individual. He’s a guy who never gets too excited, never gets too down. He’s really hard on himself as far as his expertise or what he wants his level of play to be. And now it’s just about getting him comfortable within the offense and the framework of what we’re asking him to do. We’ve got a lot of really good pieces around him. You know, I think Coach (Curt) Cignetti said this earlier, (I think you were with Cig at Alabama, right?) He said the best friend of a quarterback is defense in a run game, and I feel very strongly. “We got a really strong run game with Jamal and Ahmad, and our defense is going to be really good again. It’s been very good the past four or five years that we’ve been there, and look forward to continuing to do that. So now he’s just got to be able to be consistent, take care of the football, push it down the field when we need to, but be willing to take the check down and not try to turn the ball over.” Question: I want to talk about that defense. Coach (Corey) Batoon has done a great job. You guys were a top-20 defense a year ago. A lot of turnover, all three levels. Just how is that starting to take shape? You brought in a lot of guys via the portal. Drinkwitz: “Talk about you missing a workout this morning, I was in the gym, thought you’d be there, but you weren’t. But you know, here’s the thing about college football. It’s still a game about development and giving guys opportunities. You know, this doesn’t have to be every year. You’ve got, you know, all these guys who are great players from the past. Like there’s going to be an opportunity for Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen to really become the great players that they’ve been. Daeden Hopkins. There’s a Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall who, it’s their opportunity to really play. It’s a Nick Rodriguez and Jeremiah Beasley’s opportunity. It’s Santana Banner’s opportunity. “Guys who’ve been who’ve got all the characteristics and traits to be elite, and now it’s their time to play down in and down out. Fourth and one versus Alabama last year, game on the line, Marquis Gracial dominated, had a TFL and made that play. Now he didn’t play all the time, you know. Chris McClellan and there was Sterling Webb. Now it’s his chance. It’s his opportunity. It’s that opportunity for a guy like Greg McElroy to get his chance his senior year and play a really good senior year. “That’s what some of our guys have on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s what makes college football so special. It’s still a developmental opportunity, and so I’m excited. You know, Corey is a, he’s a tremendous defensive coordinator, we retained our entire defensive staff, and so you know we know who our our players are, we know what our scheme is, and now it’s given those guys an opportunity to gel together.” Question: It’s hilarious when I read the note, it was like 11 starters gone. I’m like, ‘I got my board from the OU game last year. I remember him, I remember him. That guy made, that guy took over the game. That guy’s good.’ It’s amazing how returning starts is like the most overrated stat ever. But that’s beside the point. Drinkwitz: “It’s about snaps. It’s about playing time. And then it’s about opportunity for sure.” Question: And you trust those guys to make plays. Graciall is going to be a household name here very soon. Looking at, you referenced going on the road in this league and the challenges of going on the road. You guys at home the last couple years have been going through a construction period at your home field. Now opening up with the opener, it feels like, to me, that’s like the one thing that no one’s talking about with Mizzou this year. Your home-field advantage is going to go up tremendously as opposed to the unique situation you had to deal with the last couple years. So how does that impact maybe how you approach your home field and knowing that the crowd’s going to be behind you in that one end zone that’s been redone? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I’m very excited about the North End Zone project, the $250 million commitment that our administration made to our program. And you know it’s going to be a real revenue generator. But more importantly, it’s going to create a huge home-field advantage. Not only from the sound because we’re dug down into the stadium, but also just driving in and the esthetics of what that looks like driving into a fully enclosed stadium now, and so very excited about that. “You know, we’ve had a 22-game home sellout streak, which our fans have really embraced Mizzou football, and obviously the Rams left, the Chiefs are moving out of state, the Missouri Tigers are here. We’re here and we’re ready to be a real home field advantage and make Faurot ferocious. I will say I feel down, I’m down on myself right now. I’m the only guy up here without a tie. Feel like a dadgum huddle in here. I mean, there’s nobody.” Question: You’re the only guy here that’s comfortable, because a lot of us are not big tie guys. (We’re jealous of you). Drinkwitz: “When they gave me the contract extension, the first thing I said is, ‘I’m not wearing a tie to media day.’ (You’ve earned that right.) No tie.” Question: Congrats, by the way. I’m curious about one thing. When you talked about how you were one of the first that wanted the expanded playoff and more inclusion, yet the league or the commissioner, we’re led to believe, doesn’t necessarily wnat that. I’m kind of curious of the dynamic of that. What those conversations are like when one of the head coaches is out here saying that you’re looking for expansion, but maybe that’s not necessarily where the league itself sits. Drinkwitz: “Yeah, my job is to speak my opinion. His job is to figure out the best positioning of the SEC. I think Commissioner Sankey should run for public office as much as politicking as he’s had to do. And I understand he’s in a difficult position. You know, we fully support and trust our commissioner and what he decides. But obviously, you know, as a practitioner, and I think that’s where this thing’s gotten a little bit out of whack. Is you know we’re practitioners; our opinion matters. “And you know there’s a little bit of a layer to how we get to our commissioner, whether it’s through the ADs, the president, and then to the commissioner. But as a practitioner and a guy who understands what it is on a day-in, day-out basis to deal with NIL and deal with our players and figure out what’s best, we need more access and we need more governance as far as what the variables are from a transfer portal, from a cap, and eligibility standpoint.” Question: We all love it when you speak your mind, man. We look forward to that 30 minutes up there coming up. (I have no idea what I’m going to talk about). Talk about the World Cup, you saw Messi score his hat trick? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, went, went to that game. It was unbelievable. Now, the one thing I would say is FIFA has no idea that we understand how to get in and out of stadiums, so their security was way too much on that part of it, and way too hassle, too much of a hassle. But watching Messi score three goals was unbelievable. It’s like watching Jordan or Tiger in their prime. It’s an experience that, I was very excited to have that. They’re saying we got to go. Okay. Hey, here’s what I want to say, M I Z, and I appreciate being on SEC Network.” On the podium Opening statment Drinkwitz: “Well that was a rousing loud applause that I just received there. So really appreciate that. You know, it was great to be in Washington D.C. You know, people asked me if I had ever seen a place more divided, I said yes. SEC Media Days with all the fan bases. We all have our own factions right there that we support. It’s great to be in Tampa. Excited for another 2026 college football season. My seventh at the University of Missouri. “Somebody just asked me if I could talk to the 2020 version of myself. What would I say to myself? I’d say, ‘You made it to Year 7, man. Keep on trucking.’ Pretty, pretty amazing thing to to to be able to be thankful for. I do want to start out by saying I want to thank Marcy Girton. Marcy Girton has been my football sports administrator for the last three years and has chosen to retire, and she will no longer be serving at the University of Missouri. And she’s going to announce it tomorrow, so I wanted to beat her to the punch and pull a Pete Thamel on her and you know, announce it to the media. But Marcy has been a faithful servant to student athletes. She does it for the right reason. She’s left Mizzou in a better place than she found it. “She served at multiple other SEC institutions, and everybody knows that she is a class act when it comes to student athlete wellness, student athlete performance and in having the best interest to student athletes. And so I want to say say I really appreciate her in her life’s work and mission in education, and we’re going to great we’re going to miss her and well done, Marcy. “Also, like to update y’all on Ahmad Hardy. I know that I’ve been asked a lot about Ahmad, and I did the very best that I could to save this update for for the main stage. So what I want to tell y’all is this was a great opportunity for Ahmad to learn, and it was a great opportunity for our student athletes to learn. It was also a great reminder that there is no place for gun violence in this world, and that we need to do a better job of policing gun violence. Not criticizing the police or the rights to bear arms, which is a Second Amendment right, but just saying that there is no place for gun violence, especially for our youth in society. “Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him, and he is on the road to recovery. He did have the bone, the bullet did strike a bone in his body. And that has been fully healed and cleared. And today was his first day back towards a full recovery. We anticipate that he will make a recovery. What that recovery will look like after having a bullet, you know, strike you is still to be determined. We do not know exactly what the return to play progression is, because there’s not a lot of literature and data on this. “But we are utilizing our medical team, along with our athletic performance team and nutrition, to approach this at a very good pace. We do anticipate that this return to play protocol could take anywhere between five-to-eight weeks. And at the end of the eight weeks, we still don’t know what his recovery will be from a, is he the same Ahmad Hardy that was last year? “My anticipation and what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than when he was before. And I’m very proud of the way that he’s approached his recovery. I’m not sure that his riding horses was part of the the recovery protocol that his surgeon had in place. But hell, John Wayne rode after he’d been shot and he turned out all right. So Ahmad Hardy’s trying the same approach. “Now let’s talk a little bit about Mizzou football. You know, our team is a combination of, I didn’t lose (my place), I’m trying to read my own chicken scratch here that I wrote last night. It’s not the math ain’t mathin here. No, our football team is a combination of player development and talent acquisition. You know, we have 54 new players on our roster. When you combine transfer portal and freshman editions. Combine that with 115 players on our roster, you got a roughly 50-50 match of new additions and current culture players, guys who understand and retain our culture. “So we’re having to do a really good job of combining that. And as a head coach, you got to do a great job of reteaching the foundation and framework and culture of your program, while also embracing the individual identity of every new player on your team. And we’re trying to do that. Our three players that we brought with us today are a great combination of that. You got Nick Rodriguez and Jamal Roberts who have been with us since their high school commitments. Nick Rod, although he needs to button that top two shirt, he’s got a little bit too much chest hair hanging out for me. But that’s his style. You know he’s Argentina. I’m surprised he even showed up today with that loss they took in the FIFA World Cup, but he’s managing to face that adversity. “But Nick has been a really good player for us on the defensive side of the ball, and it’s his opportunity to really step up. Jamal Roberts, who represents St. Louis and a guy who had plenty of opportunities to leave but chose to stay and cement his legacy as the Missouri Tiger, has been an incredible player for us and a great leader and somebody that represents our state and the city of St. Louis, a heartbeat of the University of Missouri, really well. And then you got Cayden Green. A young man who transferred to us, has been a three-year starter, is a guy who’s one of the best offensive linemen in college football, and a guy who represents Kansas City, Missouri, which is also a heartbeat of the University of Missouri. “So, for those three guys to understand our culture and be able to implement that culture with the transfers that we got in, like Chris Graves Jr. or Austin Simmons or Cayden Lee. It’s been a really cool thing. You know, for us, we have the same mentality that we’ve always had. We want to have STP, something to prove mindset. And everybody at the University of Missouri has something to prove every day. Something to prove that we belong in the SEC. Something to prove that we can win at a high level, and something to prove that we want to do it this year. “You know, we’ve always been a developmental program, meaning guys who have earned the opportunity to to have their star shine. It’s their turn. Guys like Jalen Marshall and Marquis Gracial, Santana Banner, Langden Kitchen, Darius Smith, guys like Tristan Wilson, guys like Jamal Roberts, guys like Donovan Olugbode and Shaun Terry and DeMarian Fowlks, and combine that with great transfers. Guys like Luke Work, guys like Elijah Dotson, guys like Chris Graves Jr. guys like Zack Owens, guys like Xai’Shaun (Edwards), guys like Caleb Goody. “These are guys that get an opportunity to, to come in here and create new roles and new identities for themselves. On the offensive side of the ball, I want to say I’m extremely proud of Dominic Giudice. Dom has done an excellent job transitioning from guard to center, and really establishing the mentality and work ethic of our offensive line. And therefore the identity and often, and work ethic of our team. Dom has done an excellent job of of making sure that everybody is bought in doing extra. “One of our core values is doing more than what’s expected, and Dom is doing that with the offensive line. You’ve got guys like Cayden Green, Curtis Peagler, Tristan Wilson, Whit Hafer, who have been here, Jack Lange, who understand Logan Reichert, who understand what it looks like. And then you’ve brought along the new guys, the transfers, Zack Owens, Luke Work, Josh Atkins. I’ve been very excited to see the ownership and the opportunity that that room has to continue to move our team forward. “Our tight ends, led by Alex Atkins, a new coach that we hired with Jordon Harris, Brett Norfleet, need to continue to find ways to impact the game, and I look forward to Alex with Coach Lindsey being able to do that. Our running backs Jamal and Ahmad, I believe, are the two best one-two punch in the country. I think those guys are as good as anybody, but I think we’ve also got incredible depth there. “I think you’re going to really be excited about Xai’Shaun, a transfer to us from Houston Baptist, Malae (Fonoti), who’s a transfer from the University of Montana, and some freshmen that’ll be able to contribute. Our wide receivers: Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode, Caleb Goodie, DaMarian Fowlks, Naeshaun (Montgomery), Shaun Terry, and freshmen and Kenric Lanier. I remember his name because it’s not Kendrick Lamar; it’s Kenric Lanier. “I think those guys will do a really good job of being a strength for Austin Simmons. Our quarterback room, Austin has been a tremendous addition to our football team. I love the way he’s gone about his business. Embracing his role as a leader of our team and a quarterback. I think his combination of Garrett Riley and Chip Lindsey are really going to be good. “I also want to take a moment to mention Matt Zollers. Matt Zoller’s in the day and age in college football when it’s easier to leave than stay, chose to stay. When it’s easier to pout than than to buck up, he he’s done that. He has bucked up, and he’s been a tremendous leader for our football team. He has challenged Austin every single day to be at his best, and I look forward to the growth of Matt Zollers. And he is a quarterback that can play, can play at a really high level, and I can’t wait to continue to watch him grow and develop. “And I look forward to that room with Coach Lindsey’s leadership and his direction. With Coach Riley’s coaching and the rest of our offensive staff. I’m excited about what the offense can do. Again, the identity hasn’t changed. We’re going to be a dominant downhill run, vertical pass, and focus on execution. “Defensively, we’ve got to continue to stop the run. We’ve got to continue to confuse, harass, and hit the quarterback. But a key focus for us is we got to be better in takeaways. We have not forced the amount of takeaways that we need to, to be an elite level defense, and that starts with rushing the passer, getting strip sack fumbles. “As much as we affected the quarterback through pass rush last year, we didn’t have a single strip-sack fumble recovery, and that’s something that’s got to change. I feel really good about the position that our edges are in with Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen, Jaden Jones, Daeden Hopkins, and it’s really going to be about who is that next guy who could step up, and we’ve got plenty of candidates between K3 (Kamauryn Morgan), Malik Bryant, Cavan Tuley, Demarcus Johnson. There’s plenty of guys in that room, and with Coach (Brian) Early’s coaching, I think we’ll be just fine there. Defensive tackles. I’ve already mentioned Big Griz, Marquis Graciall, Jalen Marshall, Jason Dowell, Danta Simpson, and plenty others that will be in that room. “I think we we will do, you know we’ve been really good at stopping the run. Chris McClellan, third round draft pick with the Green Bay Packers last year. I think he had the most sacks of any defensive tackle in the SEC, and look forward to that tradition continuing. “Linebackers, you know, we added Robert Woodyard, who has a lot of SEC experience, to combine that with Nick, J.B., Dante (McClellan), and Brian Huff. I think that room is going to be deep. At safety, very excited about Santana Banner, a guy who played quite a bit for us last year. Elijah Dotson, Trajen Greco, Kensley (Louidor-)Faustin, and many others who could play in that room, and I look forward to what that room is going to be. “That room has got three freshmen that I think could really contribute at a high level for us, and look forward to Jayden McGregory being a guy that could play early. Cornerback was a position of need for us last year. We went out, got a guy that has a ton of experience with Chris Graves Jr., he’s played more snaps than anybody at the corner position. We went and got Sione (Laulea) and Jahlil Florence from the University of Oregon. Got Nick Deloach coming back, Jaxson Gates, and several others. Jaxson Gates is another freshman that I think can play and play early. “Special teams position, we added a new special teams coordinator with John Papuchis. JP will bring a very new style to our special teams, and look forward to him bringing him back. But more importantly, it was good to get Blake Craig back. Blake Craig is fully healthy and recovered from his ACL injury. Him with a combination of bringing in Bruno (Reus) to handle the place kicking in the punter, not place kicking, kickoffs and punter, and Brett Le Blanc snapping. Special teams and the specialist position is in good hands. “So that is about as thorough and detailed analysis as I got for us. And now I’ll open it up for questions, so that I can do what I do best and ad lib.” Question: You were an early adopter of advocating for a really large playoff. More people seem to have come around to your side last year or two. What’s been the reaction you’ve gotten from you SEC peers about that? Drinkwitz: “You know, I was so appreciative of Commissioner Sankey’s positive remarks about me in his opening statement. I really don’t want to say anything that’s going to make him mad at me. But I’ll say this, I was one of the first to come up with an idea, and somebody totally screwed it up. Because I am not for, I want to say this, I’m for expanded opportunities for schools in the playoffs. I just think when you have 130, I think it’s 138 Division I playing schools, we have to have more opportunities and access to the playoffs. “I am not for giving the committee more opportunities to put teams in the playoffs. As nice as I can be about it, committees are a bad idea in deciding on who should get in sports arenas. Sports are meant to be played and decided on the field. My idea last year, or suggestion last year, was about play-in opportunities, and I think each conference should have play-in games that create the opportunity to get into the playoffs. “That’s how I see it. I think it would create more excitement avenues for your for your fans to be excited, I think if the top eight teams in your conference had an opportunity to play-in the playoffs, that gives you a measuring stick for each fan base that that makes sense. I think this elimination of conference championship games, while I understand it as a opportunity to help you win the national championship doesn’t make sense because it puts too much emphasis on a singular outcome. “And we can talk all we want about the process, the process, the process, but don’t focus on the outcome. And then everything we’re doing in college football is about the outcome. One single champion. And again, that doesn’t make sense to me. So, again, conference championships are important. Need to be preserved. They’re highly entertaining, they’re highly valuable from a monetary standpoint. They’re highly valuable from a fan-engagement standpoint. So, throwing those away so you can get a bad matchup between 24 and 18 doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. But again, the only person that asked me my opinion was Pat, and I don’t know that anybody else cares.” Question: People do care, Eliah. (Josh is giving me the, ‘Ehh easy buddy.’) You mentioned Ahmad’s mindset in coming back from what happened to him. … Can you just talk a little bit more about the mindset? Obviously going through something as traumatic as he went through and surviving that to working as hard as he can to get back? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I think there’s just a youthfulness feel of invincibility for all of these guys right now. Trom 18 to 22, and you know they’re empowered more now than they ever been before, whether that’s financially or influence. So I think for Ahmad, there was that moment there that he realized he was mortal, and that there could be really bad outcomes if you don’t make the right decisions consistently. And, and it’s a, it was an unfortunate accident and incident, and it wasn’t something that he intentionally wanted or was, had any intention. “And, and I think nobody did. When you just go to a concert, you don’t anticipate to be a victim of random acts of violence, especially gun violence. But I’ve been very, very proud of the way he’s approached his recovery. He’s approached his rehab. He’s understood. He was in there Saturday morning, his son was with him. He had the nutritionist watching his son while he was getting his rehab work in. “His growth and maturity of understanding that his No. 1 responsibility is to be a father, and then after that, it’s to continue to be a great teammate and continue to do the things that he wants to do in order to achieve his dreams, I think has been exactly what coaching is all about, and college football is all about. It’s about taking young men on a journey from 18 to maturity, and it’s a lifelong process. “I’m a lot more mature now than I was when I first got here. And I think, you know, for me, coaching is about and always will be about the student-athletes, regardless of how much the business changes or is disrupted, it’s still about helping players achieve their dreams. That’s why I got into coaching. That’s why most of us got into this, and it’s still an awesome thing to watch and something that that puts you in awe. And when Ahmad scores his first touchdown this year, that’s what I’ll be thinking about as that journey from hospital bed to end zone.” Question: Two-part question for you. One, you’re the second-longest tenured coach in the league right now. And I wonder if you embrace your role as maybe being a stronger voice in the sport. Part 2, you lose the Arkansas end of the season rivalry and you gain Oklahoma there. Your thoughts about that? Drinkwitz: “I don’t know that I embrace my role as a voice. I just think I embrace my role as having survived some wars. You know, wisdom is making mistakes and learning from it, and still being able to talk about it. And I think I’ve made plenty of mistakes over the last seven years, and whether it’s been at media days or fumbles in the media, but I’ve learned enough to survive and keep on going. And I think you know, if I can help share that with people, I absolutely will. “You know the Arkansas game moving was a surprise to me. I’ve always enjoyed that being a rivalry at the end of the year. But the thing about rivalries is it doesn’t matter when you play them, they’re still important. We’re playing Kansas Week 2. That’s pretty important rivalry. Didn’t matter if we played them last week of the season or second week of the season. Arkansas this year we’re playing on the road on Halloween. That’s going to be an important game for our season. I know it’s going to be important game for their season. “And then you know we get Oklahoma at the end of the year, but hell, if the playoffs expand, you know, at the end of the season, you might be resting players. So I don’t know. You know, when the games are played might not matter as much if you expand to like, you know, a 64-team tournament like the FIFA World Cup is. “So I don’t worry about all that. I know each and every game in the SEC is extremely difficult. It doesn’t matter when you play them. Where you play them matters because it’s really hard to win at night. It’s really hard to win on the road, and it’s really hard to win in front of 80,000 screaming fans.” Question: Austin Simmons’ intelligence level has been at the forefront of the discussion around him since arriving at college at Ole Miss as a freshman. What does a quarterback with an intelligence level like that bring to the table to your offense? And more importantly, how does it help him bridge the gap as a transfer? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, I think anytime you have an intelligence factor that that you can make same as comparisons, it helps you retain information quickly. I think he does have a photographic memory, which is usually a high, high sense of intelligence. I think part of that intelligence gets him in trouble a little bit because he thinks he can, you know, he’s met his match as far as an intelligence. “And so you know, there’s some things that he can’t get away with that maybe he got away with before, but I think that’s good. You know, they’re challenging each other is a is a way to grow, and so I’m very excited. I think the best thing about Austin is his communication skills. He can communicate at a high level about what he’s seeing, what he understands, how routes are similar to what he’s done in the past that he really liked, and that’s accelerated the growth between Coach Lindsey, Coach Riley, and what we’re doing. “You know, I think the thing that’s really been cool to watch on our offensive side of the ball is we’ve got a lot of flexibility in scheme. And now it’s about, ‘OK, we can take this concept and this concept and this concept and marry it to what Austin really likes,’ and I think that’s what great coaches do. Question: Last year, you renewed the rivalry with Kansas and this year you play them again in Week 2. The fans in Columbia were really embracing that game last season. But after this year, it’s not on the schedule again until about 2031 for another home and home. Do you foresee any possibility of that becoming an annual game, especially considering other teams in the conference play out-of-conference rivalry games? Drinkwitz: “Yeah, it probably depends if the Cruz-Cantwell bill gets passed and they make us play regional rivalries. Nobody laughed at that. Too much nuance in that joke. Scheduling is such a unique challenge and deal. I mean, the games in 2030 were scheduled before I even got to Mizzou, so there’s not really a way to get out of them. “I know we’re playing the Illinois game next year. You know, so that’s a regional rivalry. You know, it takes two to tango, we we want to play the game. They got to want to play the game too. I think they do want to. It’s just a matter of making it work for both sides. I think there was maybe a window and maybe a ’28 or ’29, but it just didn’t work out, so we’ll renew the game as quickly as we can. I know it’s it’s good for us. It’s good for college football. Yeah.” Question: As you were building your staff for this year, I know you said something to prove, what was your rationale in hiring Chip Lindsey and what do you think he brings to your staff offensively? Drinkwitz: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. Obviously, I think Chip does have something to prove. I think Chip’s been a really good football coach for a long time, but it hasn’t ended the way he wants to in his last couple of jobs, and so now he’s got an opportunity to really come into the, a really difficult league. When he was at his best at the high mark of his career, he was the offensive coordinator at Auburn and doing really great things there, coaching football and coaching for us or coaching in this league, so I think he’s got something to prove. “And that’s for me, that’s always the right kind of guy to hire. Outside of that, you know, Coach Lindsey’s been an excellent football coach. He’s got great relationship skills and relationship building. He’s got an under, he’s got understanding of holding a standard, being a head football coach, and he’s got a great track record of coaching quarterbacks. And he’s been in this league before. And when you look at how difficult this league is on coaches, and whether that’s head coaches or assistant coaches, people get spit up and chewed out of this league pretty quickly. “So you got to have some thick skin. You got to have the right kind of mentality, and Coach Lindsey does. He has that, and then on top of that, you got to be a great leader. You know, he was going to have to keep three of those assistant coaches with Coach Luper, Coach (Jacob) Peeler, and Coach (Brandon) Jones, and then he was going to be able to bring in some guys. And to be able to, you know, not be intimidated to bring in a former Royals Award winner like Coach Riley, who’s got an unbelievable skill set and coaching set, bring in Alex Atkins, who’s been a coordinator, and get all of those guys to work together. “It takes a special coach to do that, and being able to bring him along with Coach Papuches has been able to add a new element to our staff. It’s also challenged me because I couldn’t just anticipate that people knew what I was thinking. I had to really go back in and reteach and re-explain some fundamentals and philosophies that we believe in. And when you look at the success we’ve had with both both Coach (Blake) Baker and Coach Batoon and even Coach (Kirby) Moore, you know-they’ve all had a unique something to prove mindset when they came to the University of Missouri. And I look forward to Chip and John doing the same thing.