What’s the narrative that’s doing the rounds for Missouri Tigers’ head coach Eli Drinkwitz? On That SEC Football podcast, analyst Cousin Shane shared, “Drinkwitz is in no jeopardy of losing his job here. But if he loses a s– ton of momentum, if he comes out here and says ‘this is the most talented team’ and then drops two of the first four games.” That proves that Drinkwitz wrapping up a 10-win season in 2024 is not enough.

Moving into the 2025 season, he has dropped a $1.5 million gamble on quarterback Beau Pribula. Plus, Drinkwitz has to get rid of the 2024 mess. They had two back-to-back blowout losses last season. Drinkwitz’s boys were crushed by Alabama (34-0) and Texas A&M (41-10). In no way can they afford to replay the 2024 mistakes when the Tigers had a hard time with offensive efficiency and kicking. Amidst all these uncertainties, Joel Klatt sees Drinkwitz’s 2024 chapter through rose-tinted glasses. 

On the July 7 episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the host curated his list of ‘Klatt’s 10 Teams Most Likely To Make 1st CFP.’ That’s where he placed Drinkwitz’s Missouri at No.6. But what made the analyst count high on this program? The head coach’s efforts to keep the program’s head above water. “They have questions on offense. They’ve got to replace Brady Cook. They’ve got to replace Luther Burton, but they did add a top 10 portal class,” said Klatt. “So, I like what they did there. The expected starter, Beau Pribula, after transferring from Penn State. I liked what he was at Penn State. Eli Drinkwitz has done an excellent job with that program. They’ve recruited well.” Rankings back the claim as well. 

Drinkwitz’s high school recruiting ranked 20th nationally with an average recruit composite rating of 89.35. Now, definitely this is way better than the head coaches who held the seat earlier in Missouri. Under Barry Odom, the Tigers ranked 31st nationally, while under Gary Pinkel in 2015, they were 27th nationally. One of their biggest hunts in the transfer portal has been running back Ahmad Hardy, the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks transfer who compiled 237 rushes for 1,351 yards, leading all freshman records. Drinkwitz’s defense also scored gold stars from Klatt. The analyst said, “Defense should be good. I feel like they’re always raising the talent on the defensive side. They added freshman All-American Josiah Trotter from West Virginia. They added Damon Wilson from Georgia. He was a former top 50 recruit.” Now, all these are factors that are under Drinkwitz’s control. And what about factors that are beyond his control?

The schedule. Klatt shared,  “And then they hit the SEC schedule lottery. If Florida loses that lottery and Oklahoma, by the way, then Missouri like wins this. This is the easiest path to the playoff in the SEC. They do play Kansas, which is fun because that’s one of my favorite rivalries. Not that’s like a make-or-break game, but it’s just a game that I think is fun on their schedule. Six straight home games to start the season. Six straight. South Carolina and Alabama, the two hardest SEC games in that stretch, both at home. They face five of the bottom six in the SEC standings from last year. So again, lottery gold, the only team in the SEC not to have an opponent on the schedule that made last season’s CFP.” 

Signs point to a big season for Eli Drinkwitz

Drinkwitz is basically living by the Chinese philosopher Tao Tzu’s teachings these days. The quote goes, “You know, there’s an old saying: ‘When the student is ready, the teacher will appear,’ right?” This fits perfectly for the Tigers’ quarterback carousel. The 2024 season has left them with a Brady Cook-sized void. So, Drinkwitz has been counting on Beau Pribula, the Penn State Nittany Lions transfer whom Missouri hunted down with a $1.5 million NIL offer. However, things soon got complicated with the return of Sam Horn.

He had sat behind Cook for two seasons straight. Even though the contest is now between Pribula and Horn, the latter is likely not to receive a green pass from Drinkwitz. The reason? Well, Horn has not completed a pass since 2023. That’s mainly because of his UCL surgery. To make the Pribula stance stronger, here are his stats. The quarterback carries with himself a completion rate of 66.1% and had picked up 571 yards and 10 touchdowns. Amidst all this confusion, Drinkwitz rose to the limelight.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz was one of 26 FBS head coaches named to the Dodd Trophy Head Coach Preseason Watch List. As per the reports, the award celebrates a head coach who leads his team to success on the field. At the same time, he stresses the importance of scholarship, leadership, and integrity. Last time in 2023, Drinkwitz was a finalist but was unable to bag the award, falling short to Florida State’s Mike Norvell. This could be Eli Drinkwitz’s year.