Key Notes from Eli Drinkwitz After Week 1 of Missouri's Fall Practices

The Missouri Tigers head coach recapped the first week of fall camp Saturday afternoon.

Oct 7, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz gestures against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The first week of fall camp has nearly wrapped up for the Missouri Tigers, who held their fifth practice of the fall Saturday morning. Though head coach Eli Drinkwitz said there is expected sloppiness and execution, he's been pleased with the attitude and willingness to learn of players so far. Here's the highlights of what Drinkwitz said after practice Saturday.

Phillip Roche will Not Face Suspension

According to Boone County records, 19-year-old safety Phillip Roche was arrested on the night of Monday, July 29, for failing to appear in court on three separate warrants. Roche had been charged with three seperate Class B misdemeanors for going over 20 mph over the speed limit on three ocassions. However, according to Drinkwitz, Roche will face no suspension.

"An unfortunate situation for the young man, obviously didn't live up to the to the standard that we set with the program," Drinkwitz said. "But we have a way that we handle things internally, internal discipline, and it comes to any type of situation that would rise above that, I would be sure to let you (reporters) know. There is no internal, external suspension. He is being disciplined within the program, and we look forward to him making better decisions in the future."

Greco, Keys and Chandler are Early Freshman Standouts

Drinkwitz highlights defensive back Trajen Greco, cornerback Cam Keys and offensive lineman Talan Chandler as early enrollee freshman that have stood out through the first set of practices. He praised the preparation of Keys specifically.

"he's been very physical and I think that that was, he understand, yesterday or two days ago, we put the pads on, he already knew what it was going to take."

Greco is a four-star prospect out of Georgia with positional versatility at safety and corner. Keys is also a four-star who also competed in track. Chandler is a three-star interior offensive lineman who could compete for a backup center job as he was taking reps at center during Saturday's practice.

Implementation of New Available Technology

This offseason, the NCAA approved rules allowing coaches to communicate to players with in-helmet communication devices with one player on each side of the ball. Teams will also be able to have tablets on the sideline to immediately review film. Missouri has begun to implement these elements into practice and Drinkwitz believes these will be useful tools.

"Obviously, the players are used to it," Drinkwitz said of the use of tablets, "because that's normal in high school football, and so it just made sense for us to be able to utilize that. We have a plan. I think that's going to be a key is, is making sure we have a process for handling information and getting the information communicated from coach to coach, and then coach to player."

With in-helmet communication devices, the Missouri coaching staff is testing the waters with how much information players will be able to handle on the field.

"It's just one of those things going to be new and figuring out what they can handle, what they can't handle, but we use it every day. We use it walkthroughs. We used it all summer."

Running backs Impressing in Pass Protection

When asked ahead of fall camp about the competition at running back, Drinkwitz mentioned that the first thing they look for is a back's ability to protect the quarterback. So far, Drinkwitz says that Marcus Carroll, Nate Noel and Jamaal Roberts have done an outstanding job in pass blocking thus far. Roberts has the opportunity this fall to earn himself a consistent role during the season.

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