COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz not only lost one of the most successful quarterbacks in school history after last season, he also lost two talented running backs and two of the most productive wide receivers that he has ever had.
Penn State transfer Drew Pribula and Sam Horn have been competing all offseason to replace Brady Cook at QB. Among the cast of characters that will be trying to replace running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll and wide receivers Luther Burden III and Theo
Wease are Louisiana-Monroe running back Ahmad Hardy and Illinois State wide receiver Xavier Lloyd.
How quickly they can go from a lower level of football to the SEC could be crucial for the Tigers this season.
“At the end of the day, man, the SEC's rigor is it's week-in and week-out. Every week, you're going against somebody getting drafted and that's not the case in other leagues,” said Drinkwitz, who has led the Tigers to a combined 21-5 record over the past two seasons, winning the Cotton and Music City bowls along the way.
“It's a different type of ballgame,” Drinkwitz said, “for coaches and players.”
Especially players. Yet Lloyd and Hardy are bringing some productive pedigrees to Columbia. The former had 912 yards and six TD catches for Illinois State, while the latter ran for 1,351 yards and was Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year for the Warhawks.
“It's a lot faster,” Hardy admitted. “Just trying to get up to speed and things like that. It's way faster than the SBC.”
Lloyd and Hardy are only two pieces to the puzzle, though. Drinkwitz also landed Mississippi State transfer Kevin Coleman Jr., who had 932 yards receiving last year, and has plenty of SEC experience. And the entire offense could potentially be operating behind Wake Forest transfer Keagen Trost and West Virginia transfer Johnny Williams IV on the offensive line.
The defense returns seven starters, including defensive tackle Chris McClellan and defensive back Daylan Carnell.
Pribula appeared to have the edge over Horn late in fall camp. He transferred from Penn State rather than sit another season behind Drew Allar, and he quickly earned the confidence of his teammates.
Horn is coming off Tommy John surgery to repair an elbow ligament, and he recently signed with the Dodgers after he was chosen in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft, which means this could be his final season with the Tigers regardless of how the QB competition shakes out.
One of the biggest transfers to arrive at Missouri was linebacker Josiah Trotter, who was voted Big 12 defensive freshman of the year after a standout season at West Virginia. UNLV transfer safety Jalen Catalon is also in line to start the season opener.
Even though the Tigers lost Armand Membou, the No. 7 overall pick of the New York Jets, they still may have one of the best offensive lines in the SEC. Left tackle Cayden Greene is an All-America candidate and center Connor Tollison has career 35 starts.
Drinkwitz has made it clear that Missouri is beyond having to rebuild, despite losing its starting QB and several others from a 10-win team. In fact, the goal this season is a third straight record of at least 10 wins, something the Tigers have never accomplished, along with an SEC championship and a College Football Playoff berth.
Missouri has a favorable schedule in its playoff pursuit. Its first six games are at home, including a visit from old rival Kansas and SEC games against No. 13 South Carolina and No. 8 Alabama. The Tigers don't hit the road until Auburn on Oct. 18. The schedule does not include league favorites Texas and Georgia and Texas A&M has to visit Columbia.
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