Drinkwitz Says Shuffling of Offensive Line is No Reason to Worry

The Missouri Tigers have been doing some shuffling along the starting offensive line in the final week of practice of fall camp, but Eli Drinkwitz believes it's "ridiculous" to worry about the recent movement happening less than two weeks before opening the season.

"All the the worry about, 'Oh, man, we're moving —', man, that's ridiculous." Drinkwitz said to reporters after practice Saturday. "Don't worry about it. I promise you, we know what we're doing with that. We'll be just fine."

With a few days of fall camp remaining, Drinkwitz says none of the competitions on the offensive line are completely closed. But the lineup ran in practices earlier in the week is one Drinkwitz feels "confident" in.

The lineup for the starting offensive line in practice this week included three changes from the previous weeks. Cayden Green moved from left guard to left tackle. Dominick Giudice then slid over from right guard to left guard. Redshirt junior Curtis Peagler took over at right guard.

When considering how to adjust the offensive line, the Missouri coaching staff took a wide view. Instead of just trying to decide position by position who would be the best option, Missouri took a view of the group as a whole, being willing to slide around pieces in order to get the best five on the field.

"The challenge is you think you got guys slotted in positions, but guys grow and develop and get better and play and play themselves into positions," Drinkwitz said.

Judging off the lineups ran in practice this week, the Missouri coaching staff believes Green, Giudice, Tollison, Peagler and Trost are the best lineman on the roster. That just required some shuffling around to get them all on the same field at time.

This seems to indicate that, because of the performances of Peagler, Missouri decided the cost of moving Green and Giudice around was a better option than starting Jayven Richardson or Johnny Williams IV at left tackle. Even though Peagler was competing at a completely different position than Williams or Richardson, he performed too well to be left out of the starting five.

"Curtis Peagler really played well," Drinkwitz said. "So it's like, 'Okay, well, is he playing better than the left tackle?' ... So we're having those constant discussions."

Missouri doesn't exactly view switching the position of its best offensive lineman, Green, as a risk at all. Though it was the first time since the spring of 2024 that the media saw Green working on the perimeter, it's been an option Missouri has been testing out all along this offseason.

"It's something that he's been doing all summer," Drinkwitz said of Green playing at left tackle. "It's something that he's worked toward."

Green played tackle in high school, and in the first game of his collegiate career for Oklahoma. In every appearance since, he's played left guard. But when Missouri first acquired him through the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season, the Tigers tested him again at the most-important position along the line. After working there in the spring though, Missouri then acquired Marcus Bryant through the spring window of the portal so that Green could move back to guard.

But with a year as a full-time starter under his belt, Green is feeling more comfortable at tackle.

"It's something that when he first got here, he did, he wasn't as comfortable, so we moved him into left guard," Drinkwitz said. "Played really high level, but now he's more comfortable and confident as a player."

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Cayden Green (70) in action during the first half against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Peagler had a unique path to being able to make a name for himself in practice, standing out over veterans with starting experience like Jaylen Early has another option at guard. Peagler's path opened when Tollison missed a number of practices early in camp due to minor injuries. This put redshirt junior Tristan Wilson as the starting center, but moved back Giudice from the starting right guard spot so he could be the backup center.

With Giudice in the second lineup, Peagler made the most of the opportunity by filling in at right guard. Clearly, he impressed in those opportunities.

"Curtis Peagler's body has changed," Drinkwitz said. "He's a big guy, powerful, but if he uses his feet right, gets his hands on you, that's a tough out."

Drinkwitz also mentioned that Wilson is a name to watch to compete with Peagler at the right guard spot.

What allows Missouri to include Peagler in the lineup to actually get the best five on the field is the versatility of both Green and Giudice to play at different positions. Their veteran experience helps that, but so does the cross-training that Missouri's wide-zone run scheme allows for.

"I think there's a misnomer that at the offensive line position, (that) you just play one position," Drinkwitz said. "That's what the outside zone helps us do. You take reps all across the line. Flexibility is the name of the game."

Drinkwitz has faith in both the flexibility of his players, and also in the judgement of offensive line coach Brandon Jones. Entering his third year with Missouri, he's earned the benefit of the doubt by way of the consistency of his position group over his time with Missouri. Even if it comes down to the wire, Drinkwitz is comfortable counting on Jones to land the plane and find the true best five.

"I have a ton of confidence in Brandon Jones," Drinkwitz said. "What he did with our offensive line the last two years that he's been here has earned him the ability to to be flexible with how he does it. We'll be just fine if that's the direction we go."

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