Offensive Line Opportunities Arising for Mizzou at End of Spring Practice

COLUMBIA, Mo. — According to Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, spring practices aren't there to build a depth chart and figure out what they have on the roster. Drinkwitz and his staff of fresh faces are truly worried about player development and finding out where players could fit, especially newcomers.

"Spring is all about individual player development," Drinkwitz told reporters Wednesday. "Not really so much worried about where everybody fits right now. It's been a really good spring, getting those guys a lot of reps."

Because of that, along with a few injuries, Drinkwitz and the Tigers have been able to shuffle their personnel on the offensive line like a deck of cards. That's allowed them to see some new players emerge at new positions, while also having returning players show signs of growth.

Drinkwitz told media members on Wednesday that transfer offensive tackle Josh Atkins, who was likely to slot in at the right tackle spot, suffered a leg injury that could leave him out for an extended period of time. Because of that, a new face to the Missouri offensive line and a fourth-year junior arose at the right tackle spot.

The Tigers also saw flashes from players at the guard and center positions during spring practices.

"Logan Reichert and Luke Work are now playing that right tackle spot," Drinkwitz said. "It's been really good for those guys. Tristan (Wilson) has played a little bit of center for us, along with Whit Hafer. He's done a really good job. That gave Zack Owens a chance to play a little bit of left guard."

A few freshmen are starting to catch the eyes of Drinkwitz, as well. Khalief Canty Jr. from Detroit and Brandon Anderson from Orlando both have the versatility to play inside and outside and have exceeded Drinkwitz's expectations early on in their MU careers.

"Really excited about some of the young guys really stepping up and playing," Drinkwitz said. "I think Khalief Canty has done a really nice job, and Brandon Anderson. Those guys have been really good, better than probably expected. They'll make big jumps in six months."

Drinkwitz was ecstatic about the development of senior Curtis Peagler, who was Missouri's starting right guard last year. He went as far as to say that he's made one of the biggest jumps in the spring, along with veteran left tackle Cayden Green.

"I thought Curtis Peagler had probably the most impressive performance so far," Drinkwitz said. "I think Cayden Green has been really good."

Having veteran presences on the offensive line, like Green and Dominick Giudice on the interior, is beneficial for all of the new faces. That pairing has helped establish the culture that Drinkwitz and offensive line coach Brandon Jones are hoping to have instilled by the start of the 2026 season.

"I think the biggest thing is just Dom and Cayden's understanding of how we do things around here and what the work ethic is like and what the expectation is," Drinkwitz said. "They set the tone for that room and they've been really good."

This was the last to be heard from Drinkwitz and his players until fall camp rolls around over the summer and into the new school year. At that point, the odds of having a clearer picture of where the offensive line stands as a unit may be higher.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook , YouTube, Blue Sky and Instagram for the latest news.