Everything Eli Drinkwitz Said at 'Zou to You' Event in St. Louis

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Missouri Tigers head football coach Eli Drinkwitz was out at Mizzou Athletics' 'ZOU to YOU' fan meetup tour, talking to supporters in the St. Louis area Tuesday night.

Before greeting fans, Drinkwitz spoke to the media regarding his program's growing presence in the St. Louis and movement in the transfer portal. Below is a full transcript of what Drinkwitz had to say.

On whether or not ongoing NCAA vs. House Settlement hearing impacts roster building:

"Honestly, I just kind of put a pause on it to see what the final thing is. I think the thing that's got us out of whack is preemptively moving before the settlement is in place. So we just kind of paused it and we'll roll with the punches whenever they come out."

On how Luther Burden III grew as a person during his time at Missouri:

"I mean, he's grown so much as a human being, as a person, as a competitor, understanding that talent alone is not enough, work ethic, discipline, daily habits, being consistent who he is — I think that's what's going to make him an elite -ro. I think he's in a great situation, obviously, with a head coach, offensive coordinator (Ben Johnson) who understands how to utilize players, how to get the ball into players hands, not not putting a round peg in a square hole.

Obviously they have a connection, they both know Jamo (Jameson Williams), so I think that's going to be a great situation for Luther. And I don't think there's a lot of pressure on him. There's a lot of really good players on that offense, and he can just be the best version of himself and help them win."

On his conversations with the Chicago Bears ahead of the draft:

"They did their due diligence and background checks, and I had conversations with coach Johnson and very excited about that."

On LSU's Will Campbell being selected in the NFL draft ahead of Armand Membou:

The left tackle (Campbell) went to pick No. 4, and the right tackle went pick No. 7. So, maybe if we're in a bigger media market, and maybe that wouldn't be different, but that's that's kind of the SEC, that's how it goes. So it is what it is. I don't think any of us get caught up too much of the recognition part.

On being there with Membou when he was selected:

"Honestly, it was kind of a surreal moment and opportunity, really for everybody this weekend, but specifically being at Armand's house and being with Annie (Membou's mother) and his family and knowing the whole story and being with him for three years to see him get his name called, it was awesome. He's been at the weight room. He's been working out the past two days, so just watching that whole journey, obviously the same thing with Luther going through the ups and downs of the draft process and then seeing him reach his dreams is an awesome feeling."

On the team's quarterback competition:

"The competition right now is between Sam horn and Beau Pribula. I think both of them had really good springs. I think they both did a really good job of handling the offense, showing the ability to take what the defense gives us, but also create explosives down the field vertically in the past game, I think they both have a really good understanding what the offense is. I was honestly a little surprised at how quickly Beau was able to operate the offense, just being new. But both of those guys have been really good, great leaders, consistent every day in their approach. The biggest thing is going to be consistency and then decision making. Obviously, anytime you're dealing with new quarterbacks, it's the mistakes that compound, and so whoever can limit the mistakes they make and not make the same mistake twice, will ultimately be the person who we count on our to be a quarterback."

On Sam Horn returning to the baseball field:

"What an incredible athlete and player. I don't know how many guys are able to do that; play elite level quarterback in the SEC and also be on the mound and throw 96 and strike out batters. And so for him to do that, living his dream, which is something that we talked about in the recruiting process, there's other schools that wouldn't let him do that. We said, 'No, you're going to be able to do both here, and do both at a really high level, and don't choose until you have to.' And really proud of him for the way he's battled back. I mean, it's a serious injury, and there's ups and downs and doubt for him to battle through that and be on the mound is an awesome thing. I think he's going to pitch this weekend versus Georgia, so excited to see that."

What he thinks Brady Cook needs to do to make a NFL roster:

"Again, I think it's going to come down to consistency. Obviously, he's got the talent. He's going to have to learn the offense, get an opportunity, and then when he gets that opportunity, consistently make the right decisions, which he's been in a quarterback competition a lot here at the University of Missouri, so I don't think the pressure performance will matter to him. I think he'll handle it with grace, like he always does."

HIs early impressions of wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr.:

"Kevin has been really dynamic, explosive, been great ball in hand, but I think the biggest thing that I've seen is off the field, his leadership and maturity in that receiver room has been awesome. He's taken those guys underneath his wing, and really, with Mookie (Cooper) and Theo (Wease Jr.) leaving, that was a void that we hadn't really thought through, and Kevin's really filled the void. And I think his leadership, especially without the quarterback being established, has been awesome."

Oct 26, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (3) dives into the end zone against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the third quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

On the program's connection with St. Louis:

"I mean, I drove down here. Had to go to Giola's Deli and get a hot salami sandwich. I went over to Grandma's Cookies. I mean, I've got my spots here in St Louis, I've got the people that I really am invested in and obviously the sports fans. So love the city, love being here."

On Beau Pribula's leadership:

"Consistency of performance, consistency of who he is. He's a guy who works out all the time. I went on an indoor walk today because of the storms coming through, and Beau's in there throwing, working on his craft. He's very consistent about trying to improve and has a daily routine, and I think that shows to his teammates what they can expect from."

On how having players selected in the NFL draft helps recruiting efforts:

"I think recruiting is all about either sharing a vision for the future or talking about what you've accomplished in the past. And believe me, it wasn't me, it was their parents. It was the opportunity at the University of Missouri, and it was surrounded by great teammates and strength and conditioning and athletic performance. And I think Ryan Russell's (strength and conditioning) team, along with Liz and Zach (nutrition), I think all of that coming together — elite position coaching, player development, fundamentals. How many times are the scouts or (general managers) talked about the fundamental development of Armand over over the course of the season, which is a tribute to (offensive line) coach (Brandon) Jones. I think there's a lot of people that had a lot to do with it.

And hopefully there's people in St. Louis right now. Hopefully there's defensive ends or offensive linemen or skilled receivers who see that and say, 'Hey, I don't have to go anywhere else. I can go to University of Missouri, and I can achieve my dreams. I can be a first-round draft pick. I can start on the biggest stages here in the country, playing football for the Missouri Tigers."

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Missouri Tigers tackle Armand Membou is selected as the No.. 7 pick by the New York Jets during the NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

On the addition of tight end Gavin Hoffman through the transfer portal:

"It was awesome to get Gavin back. Obviously, it was a guy we recruited out of high school, and it was really one of those opportunities to have a best player available. You know, Brett (Norfleet) and Jordan (Harris) have established themselves as elite players at that position, very consistent, but you can never have enough, 6'5 240 pound guys who run and can catch the ball and add value on special teams. And Gavin didn't get to play very much last year, but watching the tape of what he was able to do, I anticipate he'll find a role for us."

On why the team moved the season opener to Thursday again:

"There's a lot of different things that play into that decision. The strategic part is we get to open camp three days earlier. It gives us an opportunity to play that first game and gives us an extra time to prepare for our Week 2 opponent (Kansas), which is a pretty important game for us in the state. So, that played a large part into it.

The second thing is, that's Labor Day weekend an hour south of us is a pretty popular spot for a lot of people and a lot of fans (Lake of the Ozarks) and and we want to provide them the opportunity to do everything that they want the last weekend of the the lake season, we want them to be able to do that, but we also want to be able be able to support us, play on Thursday night.

And then, really, the last component is the opportunity to really be one of the few shows on TV. And so you've got an opportunity to tell recruits, 'hey, we're going to be on TV. Watch us.' You put your brand recognition on national TV. It won't play out exactly this way this year, but in the past, we play on Thursday, we're able to get an extra Friday night on the road recruiting, and so we get out early and go see everybody. So there's a lot of benefits to doing it, and it's been something that's worked well for us. And so we're going to continue to do it as long as the administration will support us."

On the addition of Jaylen Early through the transfer portal:

"Look at the end of the day in this conference, it's about winning in the trenches; offensive line and defensive line. And we felt like we just have to continue to add valuable depth. And that's a guy that availability came about, and so we said, 'hey, look, we can add a guy who's got a lot of career starts at both guard, tackle,.' And, we're still in the search of our best five. So we're going to throw him in that mix and see who shakes out the best five."

His thoughts on the roster in general:

"Whether we're talking about offense, special teams or defense, I think there's a level of excitement because of the level of depth and competition that we've created. And it's going to be about establishing an identity early and really playing to that identity.

Obviously offensively, we were not what we wanted to be from an explosive standpoint, or scoring standpoint, and so that's something that we've got to really re-establish. And we want to be a team that can score at will. And we weren't able to do that last year, and so we got to get back to that. It starts with adding good players, right? We've got plenty of offensive weapons. When you have Kevin Coleman, Ahmad Hardy, you got Brett Norfleet, you got Marquis Johnson, Josh Manning, Donovan (Olugbode), you got a lot of really good pieces right there. You got Jamal Roberts, Marquise Davis at the running back position. And now it's going to be about establishing an offensive line that can protect and establish the run to allow you to throw the ball vertically down the field."

On the addition of Xavier Loyd through the transfer portal:

"That was a really key addition for us. We just felt like, again, with the leadership position of losing Theo and Mookie and the reliability of those guys, we needed another veteran presence, a guy who had multiple position flexibility, a guy who can play on the outside and be a guy who can consistently get open and make plays, vertically down the field. We really believe in Donovan and what he'll be able to do in Josh and Marquis, but it's a long season we plan on playing a long time so we got to have enough depth."

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