Achieving consistency will be key for Mizzou in next six months

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first phase of preparation for the 2026 season is just about in the books.

On Wednesday morning, Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz met with local media members to wrap up the 2026 edition of spring camp. It was clear that there was a lot of individual development and growth from his guys in the last few weeks, but he emphasized that the entire team still has a long road ahead to getting where they want to be for the season.

"There's been a lot of flashes, but we got to be consistent from every position and for the next six months, it's all about finding that consistency and what we need in order to be successful," he said. "With the new coordinator on offense and new special teams coordinator, there's a lot of teaching going on and not just teaching the players, but teaching coaches and teaching the staff, you know, this is the expectation to how we do that. But, I think the response has been really good. I think, the buy-in and belief on how we do things, how we approach the practice has been really good. I think our newcomers are getting acclimated to what we're trying to do. It's just a matter of finding the consistency, whether it's an offensive rhythm, defensive rhythm or special teams rhythm, being consistent in our approach and that's what we're looking for."

You can watch the full press conference with Drinkwitz in the video player below.

A big part of achieving the consistency that Coach Drinkwitz desires will be finding the right guy to lead the offense. The quarterback competition will steal the attention, once again, once fall camp arrives in August, as returner Matt Zollers and Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons will compete for the job.

When asked how he assessed their spring camp, Drinkwitz said there were some ups and downs, as the quarterback room worked on learning a new offense under new coordinator Chip Lindsey.

"It's been different because it's not only a quarterback battle, but it's also understanding and learning a new offense, right. So, there's been good days and bad days. Not quite as much consistency as you would like, but I really felt like all the quarterbacks have made a jump really the last four practices," Drinkwitz said. "I think they've done a really good job of taking that message that [Coach Lindsey] asked them, which is be smart but not conservative, you know, when to push the ball down the field, when not to put the ball in jeopardy and they've done a really good job."

Coach Drinkwitz added that there were a couple of injuries in spring ball, as both defensive tackle Elias Williams and offensive lineman Josh Atkins sustained leg injuries. He said they will be back, but there's no official timeline, yet. There will be more information available when the Tigers start up fall camp.

Mizzou will hope Atkins, the potential new starter at right tackle, won't be out too long, but Coach Drink didn't rule out the possibility that he could miss the start of the 2026 season.

Despite that injury, Coach Eli's been pleased with the progress on his offensive line through spring ball, as the group mixes in quite a few new faces.

"It's actually been good. [Dominick Giudice] was out for a little bit, so we've been able to move guys around and get a lot of good work. You know, Logan Reichert, Luke Work are now playing that right tackle spot. That's been really good for those guys. You know, [Tristan Wilson] played a little bit of center for us along with Whit Hafer, he's done a really good job. That gave Zach Owens a chance to play a little bit of left guard. So, you know, spring is all about individual player development. Not really so much worried about where everybody fits right now and it's been a really good spring and getting those guys a lot of reps," Drinkwitz said.

Mizzou will need that offensive line to find success in 2026, as they have the responsibility of blocking for one of the most dynamic backfields in the nation. The Tigers returned All-American running back Ahmad Hardy, as well as Jamal Roberts.

In his second spring camp in Columbia, Hardy said his comfort level was much higher than it was just one year ago. As a whole, the Mississippi native said he believes the offense got better this spring.

"I actually been impressed with the, offense as a whole," Hardy said when asked about leadership amongst the group. "But yeah, [Cayden Green] stands out and another guy on defense, Chris Graves, he's doing a great job, too. So, just on both sides, we've been improving and getting better."

You can watch the full press conference with Hardy in the video player below.

Hardy added that Graves, a transfer cornerback from Ole Miss, has been someone he's been really impressed with on the defensive side of the ball, locking it down in the secondary.

On the flip side, safety Santana Banner said the offensive player he's been most impressed with is Ole Miss transfer wide receiver Cayden Lee.

"He just come out here, he don't talk, he just give you a nod. But, he comes out here every day just just hauling, just deep ball, short ball, he catches and he's taking it for 10, so he's a dog," Banner said.

You can watch the full press conference with Banner in the video player below.

Banner and the defense have been working build chemistry this offseason, as the Tiger lost 11 starters on that side of the ball due to graduation and the transfer portal.

"I feel like we really come together as a unit. Everybody's pretty much trying to get on the same page as far as the just the scheme we got," Banner said.

Up next - Mizzou will get ready for fall camp to begin in August.