Mizzou football tackles the biggest storylines of the 2025 campaign at SEC Media Days

ATLANTA, Ga. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou football team took center stage at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on the final day of the action. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and three of his players fielded questions from the media masses about some of the biggest storylines headed into the 2025 season, including the quarterback competition, the NCAA House settlement, as well as key transfer portal additions.

The battle between quarterback Sam Horn and Penn State transfer Beau Pribula was at the top of media members minds, on Thursday morning. When asked about the competition, Coach Drinkwitz noted that it is a healthy one.

Of course, MU's Media Days appearance comes just days after Horn was selected in the 17th round of the MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Drinkwitz doesn't foresee that being an issue, heading into the 2025 season.

"Nothing has changed from, you know, Sam and I had conversations, I've talked to his agent and nothing's changed that I've heard of. I anticipate Sam's commitment to our football program and our team," Coach Eli said.

You can watch the full local media session with Drinkwitz in the video player below.

Horn and Pribula will vie for the marquee role of the offense during fall camp, which is when Drinkwitz expects to name a starting quarterback. Although, center Connor Tollison sustained a season-ending leg injury near the end of the 2024 season which didn't allow him to participate in spring ball, he said he's been impressed with the way Pribula has attacked the beginning of his time in Columbia.

"I'll just say he's hardworking, he has consistency," Tollison said. "You do it one day, but he does it everyday, every week and, you know, he's in there before the lift, after the lift, throwing with the new guys. It's not even like, you know, he's just with the transfers, you know, he's with guys that have been here, guys that came here out of high school. He's just doing a good job connecting with everybody, but also not pushing anybody...He's bought into the culture at Mizzou."

You can watch the full local media session with Tollison in the video player below.

Tollison also addressed that season-ending injury and all the rehab that has surrounded it. He said he didn't feel sorry for himself for too long, after going down against Oklahoma in 2024. The Missouri native attacked rehab and said that he is now at about 85 percent health.

The center does expect to be able to start in the season opener, on Aug. 28, as he will begin to ramp up during fall camp.

While the offense features a ton of big additions from the transfer portal, including wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. and running back Ahmad Hardy, Coach Drinkwitz also spent some time adding depth to his defense in the offseason. He's been particularly excited about the defensive end room, which features returner Zion Young, as well as Georgia transfers Damon Wilson and Darris Smith, Northwest Missouri State transfer Langden Kitchen, Appalachian State transfer Nate Johnson and others.

"At dinner last night, I was quizzing [Zion] on, you know, I've been gone for a couple weeks on vacation and I was just asking how those guys did and there's a lot of them. I asked [Zion] if he was going to give up some playing time for those guys and he said no," Drinkwitz joked. "There's a lot of really good guys. I think there's a culture in that room. They are all alpha males and so they really all want to work to compete to be the man and so that sets a little bit more of a drive to them. There's only going to be two to run out there, so there's a battle for that."

While addressing the national media, Young was asked about the 'alpha males' in his defensive end room.

"You wouldn’t want to date a cat, you want to date a tiger or a lion," he said.

Young spoke very highly of the way that Coach Drinkwitz finds player out of the transfer portal, which has resulted in additions like safety Jalen Catalon, linebacker Josiah Trotter and others. He said all of those guys are freak athletes.

"That's what Coach Drink likes to recruit is freak athletes," Young said. "I feel like he brings in guys that love football, have an elite edge on them...He's bringing in guys with the edge on them and just really a diamond in the rough, a guy that's just working for what he really wants."

You can watch the full local media session with Young in the video player below.

Mizzou's renewal of a rivalry with Kansas was also a hot topic at SEC Media Days. The two teams will meet for the first time since 2011, when the Jayhawks visit Faurot Field on Sept. 6.

The players told local media that Coach Drinkwitz has done the work to inform his team about what this grudge fest means to Mizzou faithful. They've held multiple team meetings, including one with former Tiger and Chiefs assistant coach Andy Hill.

"[Andy Hill's meeting was] more like a pump up. He was, you know, yelling, screaming and cussing and whatnot about like they don't really like these guys, nobody likes these guys and we don't really like them," Tollison said.

Safety Daylan Carnell said he feels like he has a much better understanding of what that game is going to be like, after hearing the history of it all.

"It means a lot to both sides," he said. "It's gonna be a real good game."

You can watch the full local media session with Carnell in the video player below.

Mizzou will begin fall camp in August, ahead of the season opener against Central Arkansas on Aug. 28.