He’s got the hardware—2023 SEC Coach of the Year, 2019 Eddie Robinson finalist. But still, Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz failed to bring home the Natty. Yes, 10 wins. Yet Drinkwitz now has to wait for the 2025 season to write a new success story. Between fans giving him grief about the lack of highlight-reel plays and the defense getting dragged through the mud for inconsistency, the Tigers were facing heat. However, Drinkwitz’s magic on the recruiting trail definitely earned him some extra points on the report card, automatically giving their playoff hopes a positive boost. Just when the Mizzou fans thought that was enough good news, another big SEC twist came in the Tigers’ way.

Drinkwitz has got a magic wand when it comes to the recruiting race. For more clarity, we must travel back in time. Under Barry Odom, the Tigers ranked 38th nationally in high school recruiting; under Gary Pinkel, they were 26th nationally. Cut to the Drinkwitz era, the Mizzou ranked 20th nationally with an average recruit composite rating of 89.35. He took his recruiting drive a notch higher by handing out a hefty NIL offer of $1.5 million to land quarterback Beau Pribula. So, a lot depends on Pribula, with Brady Cook being off to the NFL. On that note, analyst Nate Edwards sounded all confident about Drinkwitz’s boys punching the playoff tickets.

He shared, “Number one, I think he’s going to be given the time to do so. Number two, I believe the playoff is going to expand and force-feed four SEC teams into the thing. Which regardless of my politics on that, kind of feel like Missouri is going to be one of the top 4 teams in the SEC at some point.” If that’s not enough moral boost for Tigers fans, here comes some more feel-good announcements.

On the May 9th episode of the Locked On LSU podcast,  Locked On Sooners analyst John Williams talked about a sweet surprise waiting for Drinkwitz’s squad. “I think and Oklahoma fans are going to hate it when I say this but I think Missouri is flying a little bit under the radar right now.” But what made him claim so?

Amidst the Alabama, Georgia, and LSU hype, people often take Mizzou for granted. But it’s high time they buckled up. As Williams noted, “I hate even saying it, but the schedule really kind of lines up fairly well for them. There’s not a whole lot going on with that. Obviously, they got the games against Alabama, Texas A&M they’re going to loom large. You got South Carolina as well. But the rest of it’s pretty manageable for them. And then you got that game at Oklahoma, the second to last weekend of the season.” The marquee games for the Tigers include a home game against rival Kansas on Sept. 6, as well as a home matchup against powerhouse Alabama in mid-October. Then Drinkwitz and co. will hit the roads. 

The first set is coming at the end of October as they will take trips to Auburn and Vanderbilt. Then the Tigers will be wrapping up with face-offs against SEC newcomer Oklahoma and Arkansas. So what’s the moral of the story?  “If they can steal a couple of games in there, they might be flirting with a 10-win season.” While good times roll in Mizzou, Drinkwitz’s heart pangs for Cook.   

Eli Drinkwitz’s faith in Brady Cook stays unshaken 

Now it’s quite natural. Mizzou will take some more time to stop missing their favorite quarterback. After all, it has been an old bond. The quarterback had spent five years in the Tigers’ squad. Cook came up with some main character energy, making the Music City Bowl his own. The three-year starter completed 18 of 32 passes for a season-high 287 yards and two touchdowns. This was the second-most yards passing in a game last season for Drinkwitz’s program. 

And how could he not be honored? Cook was named the Music City Bowl MVP for his performance against the Hawkeyes. With this, he had the sweetest ending to his college football chapter. But it was time for the Tigers to bid farewell. However, the quarterback did not get the breakthrough he must have envisioned in the NFL.

Eli Drinkwitz’s quarterback signed on with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. So, it’s going to be an uphill ride for the young chap. However, his old mentor has still got that motivational juice for him. 

Whenever Brady Cook feels low, he can listen to what Eli Drinkwitz said about him in a press conference after Missouri’s win in the Music City Bowl. “I’m sure he’ll be a starting quarterback someday in the NFL, and hopefully he’ll let me come watch him play.” The reason behind the head coach’s towering confidence? He shared, “He’s been in a quarterback competition a lot here at the University of Missouri. So I don’t think the pressure performance will matter to him. I think he’ll handle it with grace, like he always does.” Drinkwitz may miss his star, but the Tigers are primed to pounce in 2025.