Pre-Music City Bowl Presser Notes 12/18/24

Dec 19, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz shouts at referees after a penalty call during the second half of a game against Buffalo on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

Coach Drink, Theo Wease Jr., and Kristian Williams spoke to the media in the team’s final presser before they head to Nashville.

Amidst an eventful week of portal happenings and preparation for his team, there was plenty on the docket for head coach Eli Drinkwitz to talk about at this week’s press conference ahead of the Missouri Tigers final game of the season. Drinkwitz revealed that his team will travel to Nashville to take on the Hawkeyes on the 27th, as the game will be played on the 30th.

With Drinkwitz was offensive captain Theo Wease Jr. and defensive captain Kristian Williams, as they shared their thoughts before what is likely their final games as Tigers.

Without further ado, let’s look at the most important things each party said.

Eli Drinkwitz | Head Coach

On Iowa: “Their defensive coordinator [Phil Parker], we were joking, he’s been there since 1998 that’s older than most of our team, most of our players and runs the same system, very disciplined, very, very detailed on the defensive side of the ball. New offensive coordinator [ Tim Lester], obviously, they battled some injuries, but very sound in what they do on the offensive side of the ball. Special teams are consistent, so it’s going to be a real difficult challenge for us to play.”

Opt-outs and injury news: “Had a couple of opt outs so far, obviously, the guys who have some of the guys who have announced that they’re entering the transfer portal have decided to move on early and have left. We’ve had three opt outs, obviously Luther Burden, Armand Membou and Chuck Hicks. We wish them well in their careers. We will definitely miss them, but it is an opportunity for other people to step up and play. Brett Norfleet had surgery that needed to be done, and so we went ahead and did that right after the last game against Arkansas, so he will also be out for the bowl game. He will not play. But we have total confidence in Tyler [Stephens] and Jordon [Harris] to pick up the slack there.”

On if the transfer portal is becoming easier or more difficult to navigate: “Yeah. I mean, you encounter and deal with new situations. Obviously, we had somebody enter the transfer portal, and seven hours later they had committed and signed paperwork to somewhere else. That’s a new situation. So, you learn to adjust and deal with those things. So I think the one thing that I’ve come to grips with is, I’ve talked to the team about this, very confident in our foundation of our program, who we are and what we’re about. The process that we’ve shown, the development that we’ve shown the people who have consistently stayed here, even the transfers that come in, and what the final product will be. And so, I’m confident in that process. and I’m confident that people choose to leave, there’ll be others choose to come and embrace what we’re doing here. And I’m confident that if they do, just solid foundation of what our program is about.”

On if there’s a right mix of freshmen, transfers, and returners to have when constructing a roster: “No. Every situation is uniquely different. We had a plan going into this, but, you have to try to retain your roster based on the salary cap you have, based on your perceived needs. We have a perceived value of what our players are and that may not be their perceived value, which makes them maybe want to go portal which is constantly evolving. There’s no perfect solution to all of it. The one thing I would say about this whole situation is it’s not our players. Don’t be mad at players. Do not be mad at the players one bit. This whole situation is not their fault at all. Don’t hate the players hate the game. At the end of the day, there’s no system. When there’s no system, people will do what they need to do. Not mad at any of the players, totally understand it from there perspective, wish them well. Just know that we have a great system here. We have a great product here. We have great opportunity here. And that’s what you’ve seen with the five commitments that we’ve had so far. Really good players that fit our system, know exactly what their getting.”

On freshmen leaving the program after one season: “Six months, that’s my reaction. I just again, I wish I could convince them that Darius Robinson had to wait, really, three years. There’s no such thing as an overnight success anymore. Doesn’t matter how highly you’re recruited or how low you recruited none of that matters, man, just get in there and continue to do the work. That what I regret. Everybody when they come to college football faces a level of adversity that they have to overcome. But I just wish they would understand that there’s no such thing as overnight success. Whether you’re talking about Luther Burden, I vividly remember traveling home after the Auburn game, and him taking all this stuff down on social media and having to deal with that for about 36 hours. And he stayed, put in the work, stayed the course, and was All-American the very next year. Whether you’re talking about Ennis Rakestraw, Kris Abrams-Draine, JC [Carlies], , Isaiah McGuire, Javon Foster, Brady Cook, Cody Schrader, they all faced a level of adversity and continue to fight through. I just wish, six months, I just think that’s a really short time period to give a program. But again, everybody’s got their own journey. Core value number four for us is to enjoy the journey. And if six months was all that journey was, then I know they made us better. I know they lived a positive impact here with us and I hope that we did the same for them. We wish them well.”

On hope for improvements to the current transfer system: “I mean, I guess it is what it is. I’m to the point now where it is what it is. We don’t know who’s in charge of college football. So, what good does it to me to complain? We don’t know who’s in charge. So, coaches can, we can vent or say we want to say, but there’s nobody in charge. So, until there’s people that are in charge, we’re wasting our breath. You just got to adapt to it. I worry that the game that I love and have dedicated 30 something years of my life to is slowly getting taken away from us.”

On picking up Kevin Coleman: “He’s a dynamic playmaker. First year in the SEC, had 900 yards, he was the leading receiver in the SEC at one point, third team all SEC. He was in the SWAC his freshman year, Jackson State. Went to St. Mary’s, won a state championship in high school with [running back] Jamal [Roberts]. We know he’s a dynamic playmaker [with] the ball in his hand. We’re losing a pretty good slot receiver who wears number 3, we just said, ‘who’s the best number 3 slot receiver that we could go get?’ It’d have to be Kevin Coleman. Really excited about what his game is, and what he’ll bring to our team and explosive nature. He’s a genuine young man. I really enjoyed spending time with him and his family when they came on their visit. He’s a great young man, great work ethic. Got a great competitive spirit and vibe to him, we know that [from] playing against him and I’m glad he’s on our team now.”

On picking up Mikayi Gbayor and Josiah Trotter: “Mikai has played in 25 games, 15 career starts, had 73 tackles. This year he had 49 tackles. Was an All-American candidate in Sports Illustrated. Played a really tough, good physical nature at Nebraska, was really a big time get for us. And then obviously, Josiah Trotter, who was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. So very excited about what he brings to the table. He had 92 tackles, four TFLs an interception, five quarterback pressures, both of those guys are going to have an opportunity to come in and compete. Obviously, we’ll be getting Khalil [Jacobs] back off injury. Very excited about Nick [Rodriguez], Jeremiah [Beasley] and Brian [Huff], and so that room with those addition turns into a real strength for us at a position that got dinged up with injuries pretty early. So, for us building a roster, to be competitive in this league, you have to have competitive depth, and then you gotta allow young guys to go into the opportunity.”

On what they look for in a quarterback available in the transfer portal: “Toughness, preparation, decision making, accuracy and leadership are the five characteristics of elite quarterbacks. And it’s been that way since I’ve been here, and it’s not going to change. Quarterbacks come in all different shapes and sizes. You can talk about MVP Lamar Jackson or you can talk about Tom Brady, you can talk about Pat Mahomes, you can talk about Josh Allen, you can talk about Brock Purdy. You can talk about Bo Nix. They’re all a little bit different, but the characteristics that are same as they’re tough, both physically, mentally, they prepare the right way. They’re very good decision makers with the ball in their hand. They don’t put the ball in jeopardy, they don’t lose football games because the decisions they make, they’re accurate throwing the football. There’s no defense for the perfect throw. And so you’ve got to have guys who can accurately throw the ball down the field. And then leadership components, are they a group of guys that people want to be around and want to play hard for? You look at the best quarterbacks that Mizzou’s had, and they’ve had those characteristics. You look at Brady Cook, he’s got those characteristics. So that’s what we look for and that’s what we evaluate. And again, I feel confident that every day I lay in I had on the pillow, and after I say my prayers, I’m thinking about, are we doing everything we can to put this team in a position to compete for a championship and how do I build a roster in order to do that. And if we need to add a quarterback, we will, and if we don’t, we don’t. I really feel confident that we have really good players in that locker room, and they all understand that if we feel like we can add a player to create competition to bring the best out of everybody in the brotherhood, then we’ll do that.

Theo Wease Jr. | Wide Receiver

On if he appreciates the little things more before preparing for his last game: “Yeah. I’m definitely, you know, spending more attention on my details, you know, just because it’s gonna be my last college game. So just make sure I, you know, go out on the right bank, you know, just give these guys a win”

On the vibes in the locker room and if players recognize the importance of finishing this season on a win: “Oh, that’s the only thing on our mind, honestly. Just the most important job. You know, we get another opportunity. It’s the last opportunity we get to play with this team, and, you know, that’s what we’ve been preaching this whole week is we’re gonna finish with a win. Like, we got to finish this season the right way.”

On Iowa’s defense: “They don’t mess up a lot there. There’s a lot of experience, you know, on their defense. You know, a lot of guys that’s been in the system, know the system really well. You know, it’s just high effort, high energy guys. So, it’ll be a good test for us.”

On what he has seen from the younger receivers: “The younger guys they’re stepping up. They’re not younger guys no more. Next month, they’re gonna be in a different grade. But they’re stepping up well. I got a lot of confidence in them, and I know the coaches do too.”

On if he thought about opting out: “No. I don’t think opting out really crossed my mind. I just think my love for the game. Just getting another opportunity to play football, and I don’t take that for granted at all. You know what I mean? So, I don’t think that really crossed my mind at all.”

On what he tells transfer prospects who ask him about Mizzou: “I tell them the truth. It’s a real brotherhood here. Everybody in the team loves each other, and we play for each other. And I just break down the ‘elite edge’ to them. Coach Russ, I feel like he’s the main reason that this program is going the way it’s going. Just because the training staff I mean, the strength staff is just that important to a culture. He really sets the culture; we just follow along.”

Kristian Williams | Defensive Line

On what having few opt outs and no starters transferring says about the program: “At the end of the day, to be honest, we wish those the best at who comes and who goes. I mean, we still have a foundation that we built here, and we still got a standard. I can’t see, like, the goals or the standard or anything like that, changing because of something like that.”

On if he appreciates the little things more in his last game to prep for as a Tiger: “You make me feel old, man. But, yeah, I mean, just really just trying to cross my t’s and dot my i’s. Just trying to make sure I’m prepared going into this bowl game because, I mean, that’s the benefits of having bowl games. I mean, you got so much time ahead of you. You got so much time to prep and just make sure that everything is, like you said, just be more into the details. Really just try to be more prepared than anything.”

On what it means for preparation that Iowa might be down to a third-string quarterback and will be without star RB Kaleb Johnson: “It means we’re going into Iowa, against a great team, physical team, and a Big 10 team. So you can’t underestimate no guys like that. I mean, like I said, they’re very physical, so we’re just going into our prep, being physical, doing everything, the whole 9 yards, inside drill, inside run, just putting more of the details at hand and putting it out in everybody’s face so that we show like, hey, they’re not just the only physical team, but we are a physical team too. So just really just trying to be more prepared on that front end.”

On his thoughts on this being the last game as a team: “Kind of sad, but more so exciting than it is anything. So, I mean, it’s really just trying to keep the energy up high. Just coming in the building on a day-to-day basis knowing that, hey, just gotta stay present because, like, it can go by in an instant. So, just for anybody and everybody in the building, we all know that this team will look this exact same way, this will be the last time for that. So just really just trying to like I said before, just trying to build the relationships here. Keep molding them. Keep on upholding the standard and stuff like that. Just really just trying to be more present, to be honest.”

On if he had any thoughts of opting out: “Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I mean, it’s another opportunity to get better, another opportunity to play football, and that’s the sport that I love. So, I mean, why not play?”

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