Missouri head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz held a press conference on Tuesday to discuss his outlook on the beginning of the season.

With classes underway and the season opener against the Murray State Racers on the horizon, the University of Missouri is ready for the 2024 football season. After posting the first winning season since 2018 and defeating then No. 7 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, the campus is abuzz for the start of the season.

 The Tigers were voted No. 11 in the preseason AP Top 25, the school’s highest since 2008. Drinkwitz emphasized the importance of blocking out anything but the next game on the schedule. 

“We don’t have any tangible proof that we can be good or not,” Drinkwitz said during his press conference on Aug. 20. “You’ll find out if you’re good when you play. That’s the thing about football – every year it starts completely over. We get to start building ourselves versus opponents now.”

Missouri football lost plenty of production from last year’s team, but has reloaded with talent during the offseason. In particular, the cornerback room will be a point of emphasis after Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kris Abrams-Draine were drafted to the NFL. Although Rakestraw and Abrams-Draine are no longer on the team, Drinkwitz claimed the secondary is still strong as a whole.

“The safety position has the most experience coming back,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s the corner position that we have to continue to find consistency – [that is] probably the one that is most challenging for me.”

Drinkwitz praised two members of his coaching staff: Offensive Coordinator Kirby Moore and Defensive Coordinator Corey Batoon. The two hold vastly different experience levels – Batoon has been coaching since 1991, and Moore since 2017. Moore was given play calling duties during his first year at MU last season, leaving Drinkwitz with one less responsibility.

“[Moore’s] development of chemistry with the players and the staff has been awesome,” Drinkwitz said. “It has given me a fresh perspective on how to develop that with [Batoon] as he is transitioning [to defensive coordinator]. The decision to give up play calling was also the decision of embracing my role as head coach, focusing on other areas that I need to spend my time [on] and allowing someone else to have the freedom and full-time opportunity to design this team on the offensive side of the ball.”

Drinkwitz mentioned the offseason practices leading into this year were more intense than ever before, with a larger number of live reps than in prior offseasons. He said that because of those long practice days, the Tigers are well-positioned to have another great year. 

“I definitely get the sense that the community and the state as a whole is excited about Mizzou football,” Drinkwitz said. “If we don’t sell out the first game, that shows me that we’re not where we want to be as a fanbase yet. Come watch this team, be excited for this team. Don’t get excited about the game in November…I don’t know what that game is going to look like. Next week versus Murray State is the biggest game we have. If we’re playing at Faurot Field, we’re selling it out.”

Missouri football opens the season at home against Murray State on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Emma Short

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com