SEC Media Days begin on Monday, July 15, and conclude on Thursday, July 18. With the addition of two teams, the College Football Playoff expanding, and no shortage of storylines within the conference, the event will have all eyes on it.
One of the 16 coaches taking the stage is Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, whose Tigers are coming off their best season since 2014. What are the biggest questions the fifth-year head coach will face in Dallas?
Three Most Significant Questions for Eli Drinkwitz at SEC Media Days
1) Can Corey Batoon Fill Blake Baker’s Shoes as Defensive Coordinator?
While the offense received most of the attention last year, the defense did more than hold up its end of the bargain, ranking No. 4 in points per game (20.8) and No. 5 in yards per game allowed (336.1) among SEC teams.
However, not only did the unit lose DL Darius Robinson, CB Ennis Rakestraw, LB Ty’Ron Hopper, CB Kris Abrams-Draine, and safety Jaylon Carlies to the NFL Draft, but defensive coordinator Blake Baker left for the same role at LSU. Enter Corey Batoon.
MORE: 2024 Missouri Tigers Depth Chart
Batoon spent the last three years as the DC for South Alabama, and in 2023, his unit ranked 15th nationally in total defense (313.2 YPG) and tied for 26th with 22 turnovers, which would have led the SEC. His predecessor ran a 4-2-5 base defense, which Batoon grew familiar with under HC Kane Wommack.
However, Batoon’s scheme implemented a three-man front more often than Baker’s and is predicated on spot-drop zones, limiting yards after the catch and contact. It’s a defense that’s built for the modern age of college football, but the offseason wasn’t kind to the talent pool, making Batoon’s job all the more difficult.
2) Will the Offense Lean on a Workhorse RB or a Backfield by Committee?
With Doak Walker Award finalist Cody Schrader taking his 1,627 yards from last season to the NFL, the Tigers had a major hole to fill at running back. To compensate, they landed two Sun Belt stars in Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll and Appalachian State’s Nate Noel.
Drinkwitz’s Missouri tenure has shown a propensity to lean on a single RB, with Larry Rountree (2020), Tyler Badie (2021), and Schrader (2023) leading the backfields. In 2022, Schrader split the workload with Nathaniel Peat, and the offense could do so again with two talented backs in Carroll and Noel.
Carroll ran for 1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns last year and is built for between-the-tackle yardage. Meanwhile, the 5’10” and 190-pound Noel provides a change of pace with his game-altering speed, averaging 5.9 yards per carry across four seasons and 547 attempts.
Either transfer back could’ve produced as the RB1 for Missouri, but trotting out a combination of the two will only increase efficiency and maintain their wear and tear.
3) Was 2023’s 11-2 Record a Fluke?
The Tigers were rather stagnant in Drinkwitz’s first three years, going 5-5, 6-7, and 6-7. So how did they explode in 2023? With the rise of QB Brady Cook and All-World WR Luther Burden III in first-year OC Kirby Moore’s offense. And it’s not as if Missouri ran over lesser competition; the team went toe-to-toe with LSU and Georgia and knocked off Top 25 teams in Kansas State, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Moore, Cook, and Burden are back in 2024, as are WRs Theo Wease Jr., Marquis Johnson, and Mookie Cooper. Although the offensive line took hits from graduations and the draft, it landed true sophomore Cayden Green from Oklahoma. The Tigers are ready to prove they weren’t one-year wonders.
SEC Media Days Schedule: Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri Head Coach
- Date: Tuesday, July 16
- Time: 2:20 p.m. CT
- How to watch: SEC Network+
The Tigers check in at No. 5 on the SEC Power Rankings, with much of the team’s outlook resting on the shoulders of Cook and Burden.
The 2024 schedule is one of the easiest in the SEC, ranking 65th in the nation. Out-of-conference contests against Murray State, Buffalo, Boston College, and UMass buoy Missouri’s placement, although traveling to Bryant-Denny Stadium and Kyle Field to face off with Alabama and Texas A&M, respectively, won’t be easy.
Drinkwitz and Co. have questions to answer, but the talent is there for the Tigers to enjoy a repeat performance and win 10+ games in 2024.
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