It’s hard to imagine as Eli Drinkwitz as a captain on the high seas. But that’s the metaphor we’ll be working with, so strap in.
When Drinkwitz took over in December, Mizzou Football was a damaged old warship in the midst of a lazy current — soon to be a full on thunderstorm in the form of the 2020 season. Sure, the old girl had plenty of history and patch jobs, but it was hard to see much future glory without some significant rebuild.
Well, consider the rebuild done. The SS Tiger is out on the high
seas in the summer of 2025, and it’s heading toward uncharted waters.
OK, that’s enough strained maritime metaphor.
Much was made last year of Eli Drinkwitz accomplishing something that had only been done twice in Mizzou Football’s history, both times by Gary Pinkel — winning double-digit games in back-to-back seasons. It was a point of pride for the head coach, who recently signed an extension to remain the Tiger head coach through at least 2029.
But as Drinkwitz has been fond of pointing out over the past few years, last season’s successes are for last season. Once the page turns, you don’t spend time flipping back.
Despite his unmatched career success in Columbia, Pinkel had a difficult time turning the heights of success into sustained runs. The 2009 Tigers ambled to an 8-5 record before rebounding with another 10-win campaign in 2010. The 2015 Tigers, hot off back-to-back SEC East titles, crashed to just 5 wins and an unceremonious retirement from the legendary head coach. And look, five double-digit win seasons in eight campaigns is nothing to sneeze at. But Mizzou never took the next step in national prestige. They rose near the top before collapsing back to the middle before rising near the summit again... and then collapsing back once more.
Eli Drinkwitz, it shouldn’t have to be pointed out, isn’t interested in going back to the way things were. He sees an opportunity for Mizzou to become one of the most successful programs in the country year-in-and-year-out. And it starts on Monday, July 28, at Mizzou Fall Camp.
It would be simple enough for Drinkwitz to maintain the momentum by winning 10 games this season, a task that will be difficult, though not impossible, with the Tigers’ schedule. It helps that the Tigers will field the vast majority of a defense that was one of the country’s best in 2024. Trips Auburn, Nashville, Norman and Fayetteville look a lot less daunting when you’ve got the personnel Corey Batoon is working with.
The real test, however, will come on Drinkwitz’s and Kirby Moore’s side of the ball. They’ll face the challenge that undid Pinkel in both 2009 and 2015 — turning over your offense, specifically your QB. Blaine Gabbert was good enough to keep the Tigers afloat, but Maty Mauk’s turbulent final season and Drew Lock’s freshman growing pains sunk a 2015 team with even an elite defense. It stands to reason that Beau Pribula, Ahmad Hardy and a host of OL transfers should be able to give the Tigers at least enough offense to keep things steady. But will it be enough to maintain the levels the past two teams have set? Well, that’s the challenge isn’t it?
On top of all that, Drinkwitz is in the middle of revamping nearly his entire way of looking at the program he runs. The House Settlement drastically changed the landscape of college recruiting, and now the Trump administration seems determined to leave its sweaty mark on the sport as well. The foundations on which Drinkwitz has built his early successes are shifting with each passing day. Is it fair to expect he can keep pace with his last two years with the ground rumbling underneath him?
Well... that’s the challenge, isn’t it?
Pinkel wasn’t free of challenges, after all. Consider the way he worked with the athletic department to deftly transition Mizzou to the SEC. Consider the off-the-field and player personnel issues he had to sort through in his time. Consider that he was doing exactly what Drinkwitz is now trying to do... something no Mizzou coach had done before. Except unlike Drink, he didn’t have someone to turn to as a lodestar.
So here is Eli Drinkwitz. Looking out into the open sea — yes, we’re back to the oceanic visuals — and eyeing a map with no marked destination. There’s a vague destination in sight, but getting there is something that no Tiger coach has been able to do before him.
Can he do it? It’s time to find out, starting today.
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