ӣ����Ƶ

Scroll past the chat window for an easier-to-read transcript of this week's conversation.

Transcript

Eli ��Ǵڴ�:��Good morning, all, and thanks for coming by this week's Mizzou chat. I'm glad to be back with you after a vacation in Miami for some Formula 1 action. Believe it or not, the world of college sports did not stop spinning for me to take a getaway, so I'm sure we'll have some good things to discuss today. On to your questions!

��ܲ���:��Good morning, Eli. My question is rather broad today. What is the opinion on the status of the Mizzou football program from a national, or even a conference perspective? In other words, what do others outside the MIzzou universe think of the program. Is it on the rise? Are they complementary of the program as where it stands.

��Ǵڴ�:��It's the right time of year to ponder this, no? I'll preface this by saying that as a beat writer, I have a different view of MU than national writers do, so I'm going to try to get outside of my own thinking to answer this question.

The general answer is that Mizzou certainly seems to be viewed as better than it was a few years ago. National observers have now seen Missouri in big games and will have heard of at least a few players — Membou and Burden from the draft very recently, if nothing else. Ten-win seasons and some high-end talent will do that. So in that sense, yes, the view seems to be of a program generally on the rise. 

Yet in a 2025 sense, the national view does not seem to be all that positive of Mizzou. As a chatter here pointed out a few weeks back (I think it was Lu, but if it was someone else, ID yourself so I can give proper credit!) the over/under on Missouri wins this (regular) season is 7.5. My gut says most MU fans would call that low. 

We can look around the lines for other SEC teams to see how that stacks up with the rest of the conference.

9.5 wins: Alabama, Georgia, Texas

8.5 wins: LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss

7.5 wins: Mizzou, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Auburn

6.5 wins: Florida, Oklahoma

5.5 wins: Arkansas

4.5 wins: Kentucky, Vanderbilt

3.5 wins: Mississippi State

I'm not saying that's the perfect metric for the national perception of the program, nor does it encapsulate the view of Mizzou's trajectory. But it's worth something. To me, it says Missouri is around the middle of the SEC, with the acknowledgment that the Tigers have recently been better than that.

���𱹾���:��On3 shows some pretty highly regarded guards still available in the portal. Based on what you know, is there enough NIL remaining to add one more impact player -- RJ Luis, Zeke Mayo, or someone of that caliber? Or do you expect Gates to pursue a lesser known, more affordable player?

��Ǵڴ�:��I'd be surprised if the last spot is a splash in terms of money, name recognition or role. My hunch is that Mizzou uses that last spot on someone for whom the price and fit are both right. The Tigers made pretty clear this window that they weren't going to try to compete with some of these outlandish prices in the portal. The priority, based on Gates' messaging, was keeping returners on board — primarily Robinson and Mitchell. As I understand it, that tied up a decent chunk of the budget. 

Maybe more money comes in to make the last spot something big, but like I said, that would really surprise me. This is what Gates told me when I asked him early last week what he wanted to do at the end of this window: “I’m not going to add unless it helps us. Am I looking to add? I’m always looking to add. But am I going to compromise what we have coming back? Absolutely not. If it fits, then great, but I don’t want to stunt the development of our guys returning.”

To me, that sounds like a coach who has most of his pieces already in place.

����:��I would like to hear about the Formula 1 experience ? Did you stay near the track was it a great time ? Any suggestions for someone who wants to go?

��Ǵڴ�:��I'd never been to an F1 race before, so I was blown away by seeing it in person. Unlike anything I'd seen and a really well-run event. Expensive, but we based our trip around it to make it worthwhile. We stayed in Fort Lauderdale and took the Brightline train and shuttle to the track, which was easy. I'd recommend that to anyone who goes. If you want to go to Miami specifically, I'd also recommend the "grandstand pass" tickets we got. They seat you in a different part of the track each day, which was cool. We sat at Turn 1 on Sunday, which was incredible to see the start and action right in front of us. I'm glad we brought sunscreen and ponchos. If you have more specific questions, shoot me an email and I'm happy to pass along more recommendations, but I don't want to derail the chat too much with F1 trip logistics. Overall, though, if you're a fan who hasn't seen a race in person and you can swing a trip to one, I'd absolutely recommend it. Adds a whole new appreciation for what you see on TV.

���𱹾���:��Do you have a prediction for the starting offensive line? I haven't heard much about Johnny Williams IV, but is he expected to contribute? If not, do you anticipate Cayden Green moving over to Left Tackle?

��Ǵڴ�:��Great question. I had to put my starting O-line prediction in yesterday for the Lindy's preview magazine that will come out closer to the start of the season, and I struggled with it.

Tollison is locked in at center. I don't see a reason for Mizzou to move Green from left guard at this point. He's established there, so why mess with it? Drinkwitz seemed confident that Keagen Trost has won the right tackle job. Left tackle seems like it's between Williams and Jayven Richardson. That competition will continue into camp. Right guard is even more complicated. Logan Reichert ought to be in the mix there, but he wasn't fully in spring practice due to a lower leg/foot injury from late last season. Jaylen Early, the FSU transfer who came in this spring, is most likely to be in the right guard mix — though he has played LT too. Dominick Giudice got rave reviews as the fill-in center during spring ball. Maybe he'd be in the RG conversation, too? 

Hence why it's hard to predict right now. I leaned toward the returners/those who've been around the program in the prediction I put in yesterday. Richardson at LT, Green at LG, Tollison at C, Reichert at RG, Trost at RT. We'll see how wrong I am!

�ٷ���:��Good morning Eli. Welcome back. Thanks for mentioning where you vacationed . Inquiring minds always want to know . My question is concerning an article in USA Today a few days ago on their writer's evaluation of current top 25 college football coaches. Two questions for you if you happened to see that article. First, I do not have the article in front of me but from recollection they had Eli Drinkwitz listed as I believe #23 in the country. A few listed in front of him that were surprising to me. Secondly, they had Kalaen DeBoer of Alabama way up towards the top. That surprised me. What say you about these type of articles and how your personal evaluation might play out?

��Ǵڴ�:��Thanks! I pulled up in the game right now to reference, and you were close — they have Drinkwitz at No. 24, sandwiched between Lincoln Riley at USC and Mario Cristobal at Miami. We're actually going to be talking about this list on KTRS later tonight, so I've been looking through it to prep for that. 

I don't put much stock into these. They're very subjective. What criterion is the most important in evaluating a college coach right now? Ryan Day just won a national title. Maybe he should be No. 1 for that — but he can't beat Michigan. Kirby Smart has probably set the highest standard for on-field results, but certainly not for abiding by the speed limit. Marcus Freeman seems to have the most NFL interest. It's fun for discussion's sake and debate, but I don't view these lists as anything especially serious. 

I'm sure folks here won't like Lance Leipold being ahead of Drinkwitz. Seeing Kalani Sitake above Drinkwitz is surprising, too. Mizzou would've been a CFP team in 2023 with 12 teams and was a few tackles away from making it last year. That should probably have Drinkwitz in the top 20, based on the blurbs celebrating those coaches' "almosts."

And on DeBoer at No. 8 on that list: I don't see anyone below him who I would argue should be above him, so I've got no qualms with that spot — especially considering what he did with Washington. 

I'm finding it difficult to craft my own criteria for "best coach" right now because I think success over the next few seasons is going to come down to budget management and scouting the portal, and we just haven't seen too much of who can do that yet. But in general, this kind of article is designed to get people talking during a time when the calendar doesn't produce all that much to talk about. Nobody's getting a raise based on where a writer ranks them.

�ٴǴǻ����岹��:��Hi Eli ... one simple question: last year Abby Hay was Mizzou's slugging, clutch first baseman as a freshman ... this season whenever I watched she was conspicuous in her absence, including the Ole Miss tournament game the other day. What's the story?

��Ǵڴ�:��I don't know if this was the case for the SEC Tournament game the other day, but she was hurt for key stretches of the regular season. I'd watched her come back for a midweek game after missing some time and she didn't look comfortable during the at-bat I saw. Larissa Anderson didn't talk to the media after that game so I don't know what the issue was. I think it's pretty safe to assume she was not 100% healthy this season. 

�Ჹ���Dz�:��Does Sam Horn have a legitimate chance to start at QB this year?

��Ǵڴ�:��Sure. The chance is legitimate. If he looks like a better quarterback than Pribula and the coaching staff thinks Horn gives them a better chance to win, they'll go with Horn. What's more up for question is whether Horn is a legit ���DzԳٱ�Ի�����for the job when he's spending this time of year playing baseball. Without seeing practice or him in a game, I can't answer that. I'm still of the belief that Pribula is the favorite and will win the job.

����:��RE: Mizzou from a national lens...I feel like I also see us on lists of "Who benefited most from the introduction of NIL?"

Do you agree with that perspective?

I think in general yes, but also the timing of NIL corresponds with Drink finding his footing here. I guess its hard to parse those out...

��Ǵڴ�:��Really good point there. I'd agree. Drinkwitz and Mizzou leaned into the portal and NIL in the right way at the right time, and that generated some buzz. In the college sports industry, a lot of folks looked at the "Mizzou model" for structuring the NIL operation as the standard. That certainly has elevated the stature of the program over the last couple of years, though a lot of that is resetting as the rev share age looms.

To tie this to your last point and the "best coaches" question from just a bit ago, it's this confluence of changes to the sport, the job of a head coach and the rules that makes it hard to evaluate a program over even the last five years, since so much has been swirling around in that time.

Lu: I've got some north end zone questions to fire off...

1. Do you think the north end zone renovation is preparation for what is to come with the program, or more of a result of recent success?

2. Will there still be a sort of general admission section in that area or will it mostly be luxury suites?

3. Has there been any discussion of what this will mean for Faurot outside of football? e.g., will it attract more concerts/events?

If you have any literature on the project as a whole I'd love to read more

��Ǵڴ�:�� To answer them numerically...

1. Both. Leadership saw the 2023 season and the potential ahead and thought that was the right basis for investment. Some of the potential was in an expanded shot at making the CFP. Some of it is what they see in Drinkwitz. He'd said right after the Curators meeting that approved the project back in April of last year that it was up to his program to "be worthy of the investment." It's also a byproduct of Mizzou needing to maximize football revenue because athletic departments need to maximize all revenue, and football is the biggest piece of that pie. So would it have happened without the 2023 success? Stadium improvements were being talked about as that season was happening, so it's hard to say. Feels like a mix of what went into the moment to me.

2. The big aspect of the renovation is adding 2,000 premium tickets to the capacity, mostly through 51 new suites. While the Rock M will remain from a design standpoint, it will be much smaller — the hill is going away, basically. I don't see how there will be enough space for them to sell GA tickets for that area, especially if it's only accessible through premium spaces. 

3. Attracting events in the new premium space is part of the pitch for this project — Mizzou can theoretically make money off of it by renting out the premium areas year-round. There will also be a new recruiting space that will get year-round use. I don't know what it will mean for bringing concerts or non-football events to the field, though. Maybe we should ask the Savannah Bananas if it meets their standards, eh?

�ٰ��:��I'm guessing since you were on vacation that you haven't had a chance to talk to the Mizzou players post-draft, but I was wondering what you though of Williams and Walker signing as UDFAs with Denver. The Broncos are my favorite team, and I always love when a Mizzou guy lands there, but the team is pretty deep on the D-line. They already had quality edge rushers (led the NLF in sacks as a team), and have some depth, so I was surprised to see the Mizzou guys sign there. It's going to be hard to crack that roster at those positions. Obviously, practice squad spots are up for grabs, too, but do you have any thoughts on Williams and Walker's choice?

��Ǵڴ�:��Not your question, but a "pull back the curtain" aside related to your preamble there. We don't get to talk to the players who sign UDFA deals unless they go out of their way to talk to us. And even the players who do get drafted, it's no guarantee we get to talk to them. I sat for two hours in a Zoom waiting room for Membou's post-draft press conference with the Jets. Don't know if I just got the link too late or they didn't let me in. I got on the Zoom call with Burden after he was drafted and was told he wouldn't be taking questions from Mizzou media. So didn't get to talk to either of them.

Anyway, to your actual question. Williams and Walker are aiming for practice squad spots, I'd have to imagine, as UDFAs going to deep position groups. Perhaps they've been pitched on the developmental opportunity there, or they see a path with some time there. I also don't know how many choices they had in where they wanted to sign. For all I know, the Broncos were the only one who reached out. Maybe they got 10 calls and this pitch was the best. It's just so difficult, like you mention, for these guys to latch on with an NFL team. Any opportunity they can get is a good one.

������𳾲�:��It seemed like Mizzou/Drinkwitz flipped on the idea of hiring a GM overnight (albeit a couple weeks ago now). Any idea what changed, or why they want one now? If I had to guess, they must be feeling like the NCAA settlement is pretty close to being done, or at least how it looks now is representative of how it will look when approved. In other words, they must have some certainty.

��Ǵڴ�:��You're going to have to fill me in on what you know that I don't here, Jeremy. Last I heard (which is the last I reported) was Drinkwitz saying he didn't think the time was right to hire one. That was about a month ago. I haven't heard anything different, and a quick Google search doesn't show me anything different now. No football GM job has been posted by the university. Am I missing something here?

Evil Calvin: So....no standing room areas? We enjoyed (along with hundreds of other) standing along the rails in the North area, rather than cramped in seats. Other than the 'M' are there going to be no standing room areas for GA ticket holders? Pushing out the little people?

��Ǵڴ�:��That I don't know. In their renderings there are still some people milling about the Rock M and the concourse just above it. What's not clear in the renderings (because they're just computer images) is whether those people have seats in a suite above or are GA or what. I'd guess that if there won't be a GA area anymore, they won't sell GA tickets. 

�ٰ��:��I'm betting there was interest around the league on both guys. Good athletes at premium positions. I think you're right about the developmental side. Denver's Johnathan Cooper was a 7th round pick. This past season, having worked his way up over the last couple of years, he produced 10.5 sacks and got a $60+ million contract extension. So, he's a perfect development example.

��Ǵڴ�:��Great example. Something like that can go a long way toward selling a team to a player. Getting one contract in the NFL is obviously some great money and cool. It's the second contracts that players are really after. That's where you get generational wealth-type money. So if there's a path to that, it's going to be attractive.

����:��You should ask your PD collegues how many of them powered through a chat while a new pope was announced. You're making history, E!

��Ǵڴ�:��Ha! No kidding. This chat is the journalism version of those seagulls hanging out by the chimney.

�ٰ��:��Interesting that you noted budgeting with the men's hoops team re: signing a shooter. It seems to me that if funds are limited to that degree, then the signings of both Porter and Northweather need to be called into question. Burning money on both seems like an indulgence when the shooting needs are so glaring.

��Ǵڴ�:��I don't get the sense that either of those acquisitions affected the budget very much at all — Northweather in particular. I thought they might limit the roster build from the standpoint of taking up a spot that could be better used otherwise, but not from a standpoint of taking up money that could be better used on other spot. And with one roster spot still open, I've been proven incorrect.

�ٰ��:��Interesting. I'm nervous about the shooting. This roster's limitations in that regard remind me of two years ago and we all know what happened then. Obviously, I don't anticipate a winless conference season, but it's just so hard to win when you can't hit 3s, and we say how good 3-point shooting helped this team for most of the season.

��Ǵڴ�:��That's fair and understandable. I was talking to someone from the team recently who was quite bullish on Porter's 3-point shooting. We'll see what happens there, but getting to the 3-point levels of this past season will require players to do something they just haven't shown before. There's optimism that Robinson and Mitchell can be one of the best cores in the SEC, and I think that's possible. But how much can they do without legit spacers around them? And is there enough depth? Having these questions is fair.

����:��So, who do you think has benefitted most from NIL (outside) of Mizzou?

Do you accept the premise that its killing mid majors? I think that argument does a bit of revisionist history insinuating those guys had a chance previously. I think if anything it can help them. Kind of an odd comparison but look at what Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have done for Wrexham. Before NIL if a school had benefactors like that, there wasn't much it could do to raise its prestige outside of lobby to get into a better conference. Now, they could, theoretically, go buy a roster to compete with the big dogs.

��Ǵڴ�:��Any team that isn't a blue blood that has competed at that level has done well in the NIL era. Mizzou's in that conversation. Ole Miss has done well with NIL. Boise State was able to use NIL to keep Jeanty there. That's a benefit. But it's not like the blue bloods have really suffered from NIL, either. 

It's the combination of NIL and the portal that hurts mid majors. If a mid major guy has even a decent year, it seems like he's hitting the portal to try to transfer up and make more money at a different level. Anything resembling talent seems to be so desperate to get to the top because that's where the most money is. We need more sample size (more seasons) to really see if it's going to kill off the mid majors. It's hard to project when the landscape changes every few years.

I'm not sure a Wrexham is possible in college sports because there isn't really promotion. They're able to be great compared to League Two or League One and we'll see about the Championship (that league is just so tough), but they haven't been making waves in the FA Cup or anything that really pits them against the big dogs. Maybe they'll get there. The best college sports example would be SMU jumping up to the ACC, bringing some rich donors along and getting in the CFP. They got the money piece right, but most schools can't make the kind of move to get into a league where a CFP bid is a realistic possibility.

-

-

-

-

-