'Our Offense Wasn't Fun': Eli Drinkwitz Breaks the Ice on 2024-25 Offense

Drinkwitz didn't hold back on his offensive unit from last season on the SEC This Morning show at SEC Media Days.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches team warm ups against the Murray State Racers prior to a game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It's no secret the Missouri's offense last season didn't live up to its standards, or national ones.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz completely agreed the offense wasn't as good as it needed to be last year. With pieces like Brady Cook, Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr., there were high expectations on the offensive side of the ball. It's safe to say they didn't reach those.

"Bottom line, last year, our offense wasn't fun," Drinkwitz said on SEC This Morning on Thursday. "I mean, it was not fun to watch. It wasn't fun to be a part of. We weren't having fun. We were pressing too much."

Part of finding success on offense this season will come from being a little less cautious and having some trust in his coaching staff. Doing just that may be the recipe for the Tigers finding more success on offense.

"We got to get back to having fun as an offense and being creative and, you know, throwing a little bit of caution to the wind," Drinkwitz said. "Excited about what coach [Kirby] Moore and the offensive staff are going to do to get this thing going again."

Playing with freedom and without the pressure to win seems to be a message Drinkwitz is sending to his entire team, not just the offense. It does seem like last year's group felt some sense of pressure, which may have come from the outside noise and media.

This team doesn't exactly have that same pressure, despite having plenty of talented offensive players. This should come to the benefit of the Tigers, who aren't exactly feeling that pressure yet.

"There's not this pressure of performance out there," Drinkwitz said. "There's an opportunity to just go out there and cut it loose."

The Tigers also have some talented players on their roster, and they're new, as well. Transfers like Kevin Coleman Jr., Ahmad Hardy, Xavier Loyd, Gavin Hoffman and Vince Brown II should bring some excitement to Missouri's skill positions.

The returners, who are mainly rising sophomores and juniors, will also make a huge impact. Receivers Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning should find ways to make their presence felt, along with tight end Brett Norfleet.

"When you bring in Kevin Coleman, who is a third-team all-SEC player, when you have Brett Norfleet back, you've got Ahmad Hardy, who was a freshman All-American," Drinkwitz said. "You got Jamal Roberts coming back. You got Marquis Johnson, one of the fastest players in college football. You got Josh Manning. ... So I'm excited again."

From the outside, this Missouri offense does look fun. Quarterbacks Beau Pribula and Sam Horn will have plenty of talent around them to help them succeed, but a lot of the team's offensive success will likely fall on them.

That may be the only pressure anyone feels on the offensive side of the ball, at least at the moment. The group of new and young guys this season is looking to play with a weight off their shoulders compared to last season.