The opening night for Missouri Football was a win, but there was much more to be desired from the fans. Although The Tigers won against South Dakota 35-10, the same lackluster offense that has plagued Missouri during the Eliah Drinkwitz era seemed to seep back in. The next week, more of the same would occur as Mizzou narrowly beat Middle Tennessee 23-19, with lowlights including a fumble that led to a safety and many costly penalties, especially on the offensive line. The Bugle deadline is September 15, before Mizzou plays Kansas State, a game which many project to be a momentum swing. With a win, Drinkwitz can silence the skeptics and make this entire article a mute point, with a loss, this all stands.
The first grievance that many fans hold with Drinkwitz is his handling of the quarterback situation. This year was supposed to be a genuine quarterback battle, with the incumbent Brady Cook, a junior out of local high school Chaminade, pegged against blue chip redshirt freshman Sam Horn, out of Lawrenceville, Georgia. All throughout Summer camp, Drinkwitz remained adamant that the starter would not be named until at least the first game. The only issue however, was that Horn and Cook didn’t play anywhere near an equal amount, with Horn only getting five pass attempts the entire game compared to Cook’s 21. This continued in the second game with Horn not playing a single snap. Many think that Cook hasn’t impressed either, with him rating 91 in Total Offense out of 200 players across FBS football. I don’t think the majority of fans would have been upset had Drinkwitz said Cook would be the starter sometime during fall camp, but to gas up a so-called battle just to trot out the same guy time and time again will have patience thinning.
This is now year four for Drinkwitz, and with little to no improvement made in the previous three seasons, this has become a make or break year for him. However, all hope is not lost, he has put together a defense that returns 9/11 starters with adding many transfers such as defensive backs Sidney Williams and Tre’Vez Johnson from Florida State and Florida respectively. Another expected positive is the expected improvement of the offensive line, with Mizzou hiring Brandon Jones from Houston as the new offensive line coach. Mizzou also brought in highly touted transfers Marcellus Johnson from Eastern Michigan, and All Conference transfer Cam’ron Johnson, who followed Jones from Houston. This hope for the offensive line may have been premature as against MTSU, there were 4 sacks and 7 tackles for loss given up against a lower tier opponent.
The final positive that Drinkwitz has going for him is the talent level he has recruited during his time at Mizzou, with former four and five star recruits at most positions on the field. His ramped up recruiting efforts in securing in-state talent has paid dividends so far as many expected contributors such as receivers Luther Burden, Mekhi Miller, and true freshman safety Marvin Burks all hail from the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas. He even has the potential to land two five stars from Missouri in 2024 with Lee’s Summit North’s Williams Nwaneri already committed and The Tigers being a serious contender for St. Louis High’s wide receiver Ryan Wingo.
A major concern with all of this recruiting however is his lack of player retention. The 2021 recruiting class, which ranked 26th in the country per 247 Sports, only has seven players left at Mizzou as of right now, with only two starting. This class started with 24, with many players transferring down to FCS and Group of Five level teams.However, they also lost major contributors such as Mekhi Wingo to LSU and Dominic Lovett to Georgia. It’s great that Drinkwitz can recruit these players, but the lack of retention makes it almost impossible to develop contributors for the future. To summarize all of this rambling, it’s quite simple for Drinkwitz in year four, figure out the quarterback and secure a winning record, and anything less could lead to the end of his time in Columbia.
