Mizzou bringing two offensive and one defensive representative to SEC Media Days
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The 2024 edition of SEC Media Days will be a star-studded affair for the Mizzou football team. On Monday, the Southeastern Conference announced that, in addition to head coach Eli Drinkwitz, quarterback Brady Cook, wide receiver Luther Burden and defensive tackle Kristian Williams will all be in attendance in Dallas.
Mizzou’s appearance at Media Days comes months after a historic season in Coach Drink era. In 2023, the Tigers finished the year as a Top-10 team in the country, going 11-2 overall and winning the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State in December. However, Drinkwitz has emphasized that his group has turned the page on that season and is ready to get a new year going.
During his junior season, Cook emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference, in his second full season at the helm of the Mizzou offense. He registered nine 200-yard passing performances on his way to a career-best 3,317 passing yard season. That mark ranked eighth on MU’s single-season chart and his 157.2 passing efficiency rating ranks as the third-best mark in program history. Cook also ranked third in the conference in total offense, with about 279 yards per game, while throwing for at least one passing touchdown in each of Mizzou’s 13 games in 2023.
He brought consistency to offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s unit, as Cook broke Andre Woodson’s SEC record of 325 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. He actually ran his total up to 365 passes, before he threw a pick in Mizzou’s first loss of the season against LSU.
The St. Louis native hit another level in MU’s big, field-storming win against then-No. 15 Kansas State. In that victory, Cook completed 23-of-35 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a rushing score. Overall, he logged a string of four-straight 300-yard passing performances from Sept. to Oct.
One of Cook’s top targets will join him in Dallas, as well. Star wide receiver Luther Burden will be attending his first Media Day.
Burden, another native of St. Louis, led Mizzou with 86 receptions, 1,212 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions during his sophomore campaign. As a result, he earned First-Team All-SEC honors and Second-Team All-America honors, from the AP and CBS Sports.
As a five-star recruit out of high school in East St. Louis, he really started the trend of top recruiting staying home and supporting their hometown Tigers. It’s paid off for him, too. He finished 2023 second in the SEC and ninth in the nation in receiving yards, while sitting third in the conference in receptions. His more than 1,200 receiving yards last season ranks third on the Tigers’ single-season receiving chart, while his 83 receptions rank fourth in program history. In 2023, he became just the eighth Tiger to reach the 1,000-yard mark for receiving in a single season.
Kristian Williams will be the representative for the defenive side of the ball. He will undoubtedly field a lot of questions about first-year defensive coordinator Corey Batoon and the early stages of his leadership in Columbia.
In 2023, Williams started in 11 of the 13 games he played in and totaled 25 tackles on the year, including five tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble in the season opener against South Dakota.
Mizzou will speak at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, July 16.
