Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz held his weekly press conference with the media Tuesday as the team reflects on its win against Mississippi State and prepares for Senior Day and the Battle Line Rivalry game with Arkansas to finish the regular season.
I picked a few of Drinkwitz’s quotes that I thought were most telling.
In his opening statement
What Drinkwitz said: “One senior, Mookie Cooper, revealed today on snapchat that he had surgery, so would like to announce that he had a season-ending surgery today. Obviously, Mookie’s a very special player to us and to myself. Came here, transferred, one of those guys who came here and chose Mizzou when we needed him the most. His last real play of the year is going to be remembered as the one that sparked us to beat Auburn.”
What went unsaid: Well, at least there’s some clarity on status thanks to Mookie posting about his surgery himself. Not sure we would have gotten that if he hadn’t. Still no real update on what the injury was, but figured I should make sure everyone knows that Cooper is officially done for the season, though he will be honored Saturday at Senior Day with a group of 27 guys.
When asked about conversations with Luther Burden
What Drinkwitz said: “I have had conversations with Luther, we are in those conversations. I’m never going to steal anybody’s spotlight, but I would just say that we’re very fortunate for Luther to have been here for three seasons. He will walk on Saturday, no decisions have been made, but that is an opportunity for him to make a decision without having to miss the chance to say goodbye.”
What went unsaid: I don’t think anyone was expecting Burden to stick around after this year and this answer, while not being definitive, seems like Drinkwitz telling us he’s done. Not wanting to steal his spotlight feels like letting Luther have the announcement and giving him the chance to say goodbye is obvious.
Now how you feel about a junior walking on Senior Day is up to you. I remember at Oklahoma State when Marcus Smart was definitely leaving for the NBA after his sophomore season, he was honored at Senior Day and a lot of people were mad about it because they wanted it to be a reward for staying. I get that instinct, but I think honoring a guy who has made such an impact on the program is important and will help convince more big-talent guys to join in the future. Being able to say “No matter what you choose, if you come here and make an impact, we’ll honor that and treat you just as well as anyone else” could be the difference for a kid.
When asked about beating a rival for Senior Day
What Drinkwitz said: “There can be a lot of mixed messages throughout the week, I think the biggest thing for us is, this is about the seniors. And rivalry week is important and the Battle Line trophy is important, but more important for us is playing for those guys and sending those guys out the right way. The North end zone is going to look totally different from now on. As soon as we’re done with that game, there are going to to be massive renovations. So this is one of the last times that this group, or any group, is going to play at Faurot with that setup.”
What went unsaid: This isn’t just a sendoff for the seniors, but a sendoff for the way Faurot has looked and felt for a long time. A fully enclosed stadium like it will be starting next year is a different environment, a different feel and while the ‘M’ is staying, it will be very different.
Rivalries are important, though I’m not sure exactly how you guys feel about the Battle Line with it being pretty new still, let me know, but there’s a lot the team and the fans are saying goodbye to this week.
When asked about the transition to roster building
What Drinkwitz said: “Sunday night, we’ll have a staff meeting. We’ll finalize what we’ve been discussing for the last four weeks, which is roster evaluation, management and retention. Wednesday, we’ll sign on our freshman class, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we’ll meet with every player on our team, kind of see where their mind is. Have discussions on player retention, which means NIL, revenue sharing conversations, to see where everybody’s at. … And then December 9th becomes what would be considered free agency for everybody on your football team. So most important thing for us obviously is to sign our freshman class, retain the great players that we have on our roster and the build moving forward.”
What went unsaid: There’s no days off here. Even with the bowl game still to be determined and played, next season starts Sunday and that process is going to mean a crazy couple of weeks with a lot of running around, phone calls and meetings. Football doesn’t stop.
Those are the answers I found most telling. Head over to the story thread to let me know what you think or go to the Tiger Walk to talk about so much more.
You can follow me on X @kyle_mcareavy for even more of my thoughts and updates.
