Missouri turned the page on fall camp on Tuesday with head coach Eli Drinkwitz and some of the team captains addressing the media for the final time before they turn their attention to their Week 1 opponent Murray State.
Overall, the team thinks they’re in a good place.
Fall camp had a mix of everything. The offense and defense battled throughout camp, which bodes well for the Tigers. There were more questions about the defense heading into camp than the offense since that was the side of the ball that lost five starters to the NFL.
“We had a challenging fall camp, which I told our team laid the foundation for our season,” Drinkwitz said. “I was very impressed with how consistent our guys were and how they prepared each day with great energy and focus. They weren't perfect in the execution, but they did have really good energy and positive attitude for the three weeks of fall camp. A really good (and) healthy back-and-forth between the offense and the defense. I'm excited about where this team can go.”
There are still some on-the-field things the team has to work on before their season opener. Entering camp, one of the things the offense wanted to work on was cleaning up the penalties. Mizzou ranked T-113th in the FBS last year in penalties.
The offense also wants to produce more touchdowns in the red zone. The Tigers were third in the nation in that category, converting on 96% (56-of-58) of their red zone drives but 35% (20) resulted in field goals.
“We had a lot of penalties in fall camp that were self-inflicted wounds that we really have to work on to get off the tape. We’ve got alignment errors defensively. We've got to be more consistent. I think Coach (Kirby) Moore does a great job presenting a lot of different pictures to the defense and making sure that we're communicating so that we can be in the proper alignment when the ball is snapped. Offensively, some of the same issues in the red zone kept creeping up. So, (I) challenged our coaching staff and players to address those so that we can be more efficient and better.”
The team has grown in many areas and someone who continues to improve is quarterback Brady Cook. The three-time team captain hasn’t talked to the media since camp started, likely because he wasn’t entrenched in a position battle for the first time in his career.
Drinkwitz said Cook’s work habits are as consistent as they have been, and on the field, he’s seeing Cook be more accurate.
Last season, Cook was 22nd in the nation in completion percentage at 66% and he only had six interceptions to go along with his 21 touchdowns and 3,317 passing yards.
“I think his accuracy this fall camp has been really good,” Drinkwitz said as he knocked on his wooden podium. “His consistency and decision-making, I think the first two days, we had some red zone turnovers that he made that were part of maturing, and he really hasn't made those decisions moving forward. I don't think he turned the ball over in one of the two scrimmages, including in the two-minute drive when you have to try (aggressively) to score. So, that's been a good theme moving forward.”
Cook has been working on several things this offseason.
He’s been working on chunk plays, getting comfortable behind new offensive linemen Marcus Bryant and Cayden Green and finding ways to share the ball with his array of playmakers.
“(I’ve been working on) explosive plays with my arm, limiting bad decisions, accuracy, just finding ways to get our playmakers the ball more," Cook said. "I think we did a pretty good job of that last year. But with the guys we have in that receiver room, running back room, tight end room, just distributing the ball to them as much as I can, finding ways to let them make plays.
“I think they're (Bryant and Green) in a groove right now. I think they're meshing really well. I can tell their chemistry is increasing. Hard to replace Javon (Foster) and X(avier Delgado), but I think we did a really good job.”
Something else Cook is getting used to is leading a top-11 team in the country.
USA Today and the Associated Press ranked Missouri 11th in their preseason polls.
“My responsibility has been amplified and I love it. I'm leaning into it,” Cook said. “The leadership aspects (have) been really cool. I can see how the new class of freshmen and the younger sophomores really look up to me. I remember that same feeling. So, it's really cool. I'm leaning into it. Obviously, the responsibility is a lot more. But that's why I do it. That’s why I play quarterback.”
Cook is the only team captain (of six) from last year’s squad to return. Wide receiver Theo Wease represents the other offensive captain on the team
Linebackers Chad Bailey and Ty’Ron Hopper and defensive end Darius Robinson made up the defensive captains last year and have been replaced by defensive tackle Kristian Williams, defensive end Johnny Walker and linebacker Chuck Hicks.
Losing five defensive players to the NFL, including two team captains, and two defensive coaches means that there were holes in leadership that needed to be filled.
When it came to deciding who would lead the “Death Row” defense, Drinkwitz said the team identified Williams, Walker and Hicks who could uphold the team’s standards.
“The 11 guys that are on the field represent Death Row,” Drinkwitz said. “The coaches can only say so much. But what's the standard that those guys want it to be? And that's really been my challenge with those guys all fall camp when we had good days or bad days. What's the standard? What do y'all want it to look like? Because at the end of the day, y'all are the torch-bearers, and I think those three guys have been really consistent with spreading that message.”
Each player has their journey to where they are now.
Williams, who transferred to Mizzou during the 2022 offseason, called the honor a dream come true and something he never imagined would have happened to him.
“I never saw myself being a captain or anything like that. I never even thought of it as me being a captain, but more like a big brother to everybody,” Williams said. “Just to be able to get people out of those hard times, not only that, but just put them on game about football and what it means for me as a player here at Mizzou. So, it's a great experience for me so far and I wouldn't trade it for the world.”
Walker had to wait for years to get his opportunity to play after sitting behind the likes of Isaiah McGuire, Trajan Jeffcoact, DJ Coleman and Arden Walker. He finally got to play last year and did well racking up 43 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and a team-high three sacks. Now, he gets a chance to lead.
“I feel like I’ve grown tremendously at both (being a player and teammate) on (and) off the field,” Walker said. “Obviously, weight-wise (I) came in at 190 pounds, but I feel like just learning from D-Rob on how to be a great teammate on and off the field, I feel like that's where I grew a lot.
Walker played a big role as the team’s DE2 in 2023, but now as the team’s DE1, he knows he has more responsibility, and can’t commit multiple personal foul penalties like he did last year, one of which resulted in an ejection against Kentucky.
“I feel like that was the area I had to grow in as well,” Walker said. “Controlling my temper and learning there's a place for everything. Knowing the rights and wrongs and not flaring up when I feel all that emotion in my chest.”
In the heat of the moment in a contact sport, it can be hard to control that emotion but Walker said he just has to be where his feet are and realize what’s at stake with his actions.
For Hicks, it’s been a bit of a long road. The seventh-year senior transferred to the team in 2021 from Wyoming but m didn’t record any stats in seven games. Then, a knee injury sidelined him for the 2022 campaign.
Last season, he had a career year last year filling in for Bailey as the MIKE linebacker. He recorded 53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 13 games (eight starts).
“I felt blessed for my teammates to vote on me. It's nothing short of a blessing,” Hicks said. “I'm glad that they trusted me to help them (and) lead them. I've told y’all before, they can lead me too and can keep me accountable.”
Hicks entered his final camp wanting to work on his footwork in the box, but he had something else he had to work on, too.
Learning how to play with the green dot.
The green dot on a player’s helmet marks the person who is allowed to communicate with the coaches through helmet communication.
It’s been a process getting used to it but he believes it’s coming along.
“Going back to spring ball, it was tough to understand because you’re going from this (looking at the sidelines) to like a walkie-talkie,” Hicks said. “So, it was tough at first, but I think we got a good grip on it and an understanding of how to use it, how they're calling it and me communicating with everybody. I don't think it's too hard now. I think it's nice and it'll work out well.”
After a long offseason full of expectations, upholding standards and bringing in new coaches, players and technology, the Tigers can finally put their hard work to the test in eight days when they kick off their fifth season in the Drinkwitz era.
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