TAMPA — When Missouri Coach Eli Drinkwitz has something on his mind, he wants to tell people. He was talking plenty at SEC Media Days Monday.
The new nine-game SEC schedule? Hates it.
The Big Ten’s scheduling process? Hates it even more.
An expanded College Football Playoff? That one’s good.
Drinkwitz was making headlines before he even took the stage, with his comments with the Missouri media exploding on social media early Monday morning. When asked if other coaches outside of himself were griping about the nine-game conference schedule, Drinkwitz replied, “We’re all saying it.”
“We say it when we look at our schedules. It’s going to be a real challenge,” he added. “At the end of the day, it is what it is and we’ve got to meet those challenges head-on.”
Drinkwitz then moved on to discussing how tough road games are in the SEC, saying that people outside of the conference have no idea what they’re like. He took a particular shot at the FIFA World Cup, saying international fans in particular would not be able to fathom the atmosphere of an SEC football game.’
“FIFA played in front of 80,000 (at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey). They thought that was a big stadium. They hadn’t been in Knoxville, Tennessee, with 150,000 people,” he said.
Later, Drinkwitz focused his ire on the Big Ten, the only conference that does not require its teams to play a non-conference Power 4 opponent.
“Obviously, (it’s easier) when you don’t play an A4 (Power 4) game as one of your non-conference games and that was the quote you were looking for. It’s pretty obvious,” he said.
The last on Drinkwitz’s hit list was the College Football Playoff, which he said should be expanded — without any additional input from a selection committee.
“I’m for expanded opportunities for schools in the playoffs. I just think when you have 138 Division I playing schools, we have to have more opportunities and access to the playoffs,” he said. “I am not for giving the committee more opportunities to put teams in the playoffs. As nice as I can be about it, committees are a bad idea in deciding on who should get in sports arenas. Sports are meant to be played and decided on the field.
My idea last year or suggestion last year was about play-in opportunities. I think each conference should have play-in games that create the opportunity to get into the Playoffs. That’s how I see it. I think it would create more excitement, avenues for your fans to be excited.”
Drinkwitz did take some time to discuss his team, which returns a bunch of key players from a squad that went 8-5 in 2025. One of the most important players, All-SEC running back Ahmad Hardy, was shot during the offseason and is starting to pick up speed in the recovery process.
“Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him. He is on the road to recovery. The bullet did strike a bone in his body. That has been fully healed and cleared. Today was his first day back towards a full recovery,” Drinkwitz said. “We anticipate that he will make a recovery. What that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined. We do anticipate that this return-to-play protocol could take anywhere between five to eight weeks. At the end of the eight weeks, we still don’t know what his recovery will be or is he the same Ahmad Hardy that was last year.
My anticipation, what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before.”
The Tigers will break in a new quarterback this season, with former Ole Miss backup Austin Simmons taking the helm.
“Austin has been a tremendous addition to our football team. I love the way he’s gone about his business, embracing his role as a leader of our team and a quarterback,” Drinkwitz said.
Even though Missouri will have 54 new players between the transfer portal and the 2026 signing class, Drinkwitz said the team’s approach remains the same.
“Again, the identity hasn’t changed. We’re going to be a dominant downhill run, vertical pass, and focus on execution,” he said. “Defensively, we’ve got to continue to stop the run. We’ve got to continue to confuse, harass and hit the quarterback. But a key focus for us is we got to be better in takeaways. We have not forced the amount of takeaways that we need to to be an elite-level defense.”
As part of the quirks caused by the nine-game conference schedule, Missouri will host Texas A&M for a second straight season on Oct. 10. When the Aggies visited Columbia last fall, A&M stomped the Tigers 38-17 — something Drinkwitz is well aware of.
“They’re gonna be really, really good. I know they reloaded the offensive line in the transfer portal. They still got Marcel (Reed), who I’ve always been a big fan of. They’re going to be a really, really difficult challenge for us,” he said.
Missouri 2026 schedule
Sept. 3: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Sept. 11: @Kansas
Sept. 19: Troy
Sept. 26: @Mississippi State
Oct. 3: Florida
Oct. 10: TEXAS A&M
Oct. 17: @Ole Miss
Oct. 31: @Arkansas
Nov. 7: Texas
Nov. 14: @Georgia
Nov. 21: Kentucky
Nov. 28: Oklahoma
Missouri projected two-deep
Quarterback
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 13 | Austin Simmons | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-4/215 |
| 5 | Matt Zollers | So. | 6-4/214 |
Running back
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 29 | Ahmad Hardy | Jr.-TR. | 5-10/210 |
| 20 | Jamal Roberts | RS-Jr. | 6/212 |
Tight end
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 87 | Brett Norfleet | Sr. | 6-6/260 |
| 86 | Jordon Harris | Sr. | 6-4/268 |
X receiver
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 1 | Donovan Olugbolde | So. | 6-2/207 |
| 17 | Kenric Lanier II | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-1/200 |
Z receiver
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 2 | Caleb Goodie | Sr.-TR. | 6-1/178 |
| 0 | Naeshaun Montgomery | RS-Fr.-TR. | 6-1/189 |
H receiver
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 19 | Cayden Lee | Sr.-TR. | 5-11/180 |
| 4 | Shaun Terry II | RS-Fr. | 5-11/175 |
Left tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 70 | Cayden Green | Sr.-TR. | 6-5/324 |
| 75 | Jack Lange | RS-Fr. | 6-8/305 |
Left guard
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 52 | Zach Owens | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-6/340 |
| 71 | Ryan Jostes | RS-So. | 6-6/317 |
Center
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 56 | Dominick Giudice | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-4/312 |
| 73 | Tristan Wilson | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-4/302 |
Right guard
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 77 | Curtis Peagler | RS-Sr. | 6-4/338 |
| 58 | Khalief Canty Jr. | Fr. | 6-4/311 |
Right tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 66 | Logan Reichert | RS-Jr. | 6-6/334 |
| 51 | Luke Work | Jr.-TR. | 6-6/315 |
Defensive end
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 11 | Langden Kitchen | Sr.-TR. | 6-6/264 |
| 13 | Jaden James | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-5/257 |
Nose tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 95 | Jalen Marshall | RS-Sr. | 6-4/335 |
| 8 | Donta Simpson | So.-TR. | 6-3/300 |
Defensive tackle
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 3 | Marquis Gracial | RS-Sr. | 6-4/322 |
| 92 | Jason Dowell | RS-Fr. | 6-3/306 |
JACK
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 19 | Darris Smith | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-5/240 |
| 12 | Malik Bryant | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-2/240 |
WILL
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 0 | Robert Woodyard Jr. | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6/245 |
| 9 | Dante McClellan | So. | 6-1/216 |
MIKE
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 5 | Nicholas Rodriguez | Jr. | 6/225 |
| 6 | Jeremiah Beasley | Jr.-TR. | 6/237 |
Nickel
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 22 | Elijah Dotson | So.-TR. | 6-1/192 |
| 18 | JaDon Blair | RS-Fr.-TR. | 6-5/205 |
Left cornerback
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 21 | Jahlil Florence | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-1/195 |
| 2 | Sione Laulea | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6-4/196 |
Strong safety
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 15 | Banner Santana | RS-Jr.-TR. | 6-3/210 |
| 34 | Jackson Hancock | RS-So. | 6/196 |
Free safety
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 4 | Trajen Greco | Jr. | 5-11/193 |
| 7 | Kinsley Louidor-Faustin | Jr.-TR. | 5-11/183 |
Right cornerback
| Number | Name | Class | Height/Weight |
| 1 | Chris Graves | RS-Sr.-TR. | 6/185 |
| 24 | Nick DeLoach Jr. | RS-Jr. | 6/187 |
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