Takeaways from Missouri football's appearance at SEC Media Days
NASHVILLE, TN 一 Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz and offensive lineman Javon Foster, defensive lineman Darius Robinson and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine made the rounds at SEC Media Days on Monday afternoon.
Here, are some of my takeaways from their appearance.
1.) Brady Cook will enter camp as the starter, but Drinkwitz is in no rush to name a starter for the season.
After a pretty quiet offseason for the quarterbacks due to injuries, Drinkwitz said it will be Brady Cook entering fall camp as the team’s starting quarterback.
Cook missed all of spring football as he was recovering from offseason surgery on his right throwing shoulder while Sam Horn suffered a forearm strain while pitching for the baseball team and was largely inactive during spring ball.
Apparently, Cook has made strides and really battled back to rehab quickly and efficiently.
“He attacked the rehab, obviously,” Drinkwitz said. “He was pushing it probably further than we wanted him to in the spring.”
The position is fluid. So, entering fall camp and being the starter come week three versus Kansas State are two different things.
The reason I mentioned Kansas State in week three is because Drinkwitz said he’s in no rush to name a starter for the season. With the non-conference schedule, Mizzou has to start the season versus South Dakota and Middle Tennessee State, it feels like it has gained some extra time to name a quarterback.
Drinkwitz even said week one can see multiple quarterbacks play. He didn’t really hide from that possibility either.
Last season, it was about eight days into camp when Cook was named the starter. This season, it’s about patience and letting the competition play itself out.
Cook is the leading man right now, but Horn and Jake Garcia are undoubtedly in the race.
2.) Drinkwitz, defensive coordinator Blake Baker and cornerbacks coach Al Pogue will help out on special teams this season.
Mizzou’s special teams struggled mightily last season under special teams coordinator coach Eric Link.
Drinkwitz and Baker will be over the kickoff unit while Pogue will be over the kickoff return unit in an attempt to “try and add more voices and emphasis on those specific phases of the game,” as Drinkwitz said.
Link will retain his spot as coordinator.
Last season, the Tigers made 78.6% of their field goals a year after making 92% of them.
Mizzou was a pedestrian 69th in the FBS in punting average at 41.6, but the punting was very inconsistent.
Also, Mizzou was 124th in kickoff return yard average at 16.3 yards.
There’s a lot of room for improvement. Last year, a lot of people went into the season thinking the strength of the team would be special teams.
If anything, kicker Harrison Mevis and Luther Burden were going to do their thing, right? Well, it didn't exactly go that way.
Mevis missed six field goals after never missing more than three in any prior season and Burden had 151 punt return yards on 12 returns (12.6 yards per return), but 112 of those yards came versus Abilene Christian.
Mizzou’s special teams can’t have another year like that if it wants to be above .500.
3. There's still uncertainty on the offensive line despite a budding star in the lineup.
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