Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz Reveals Why He 'Loves Coaching' This Team

At 7-1, the Tigers football are off to their best start since 2013, and have a huge game next week at Georgia.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz has already led his team to more wins this season (seven) than each of the last three, and there's still four more regular-season games to go. Mizzou is taking the college football world by storm with each passing week, as is getting it done on both sides of the ball against talented teams.

Drinkwitz revealed what the best part of coaching this historic group is during Wednesday's SEC football coaches teleconference.

"I love coaching them," Drinkwitz said. "They have a great spirit about them, they have the right attitude, they have positive energy, they're really attentive to detail, they're gritty, they're consistent on a day-to-day basis and it's been fun to be around."

Drinkwitz mentioned that his team has a good mix of under and upperclassmen, and the relationships that they have as a unit has been a major factor in their success.

"The level of commitment that the captains and seniors have made to self-improvement and growth, not just physically with added muscles, but the comitment to being better as players and adding value to themselves has really been remarkable," Drinkwitz said. "I think it's become contagious as our young guys have bought in."

In addition to the players buying in, Drinkwitz explained that the rest of the coaches, especially on offense have done the same.

"Coach Moore, our offensive coordinator, has been very consistent in style and approach," Drinkwitz said. "The buy-in he's created with our staff has helped our players play up to their potential and there's incredible continuity and consistency in trying to improve week-to-week."

Drinkwitz took the Missouri head coach job before the 2020 season after a one-year stint at Appalachian State where he held the same position. The 40-year-old has been in the coaching/coordinating business for several schools dating all the way back to 2005, but like everyone in the industry, he wanted to aim higher.

He had Missouri on his radar when the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012. Their almost-immediate impact on the esteemed conference took his interest a step further.

"When I was at Arkansas State in 2013, we played at Missouri and they went on to play in the SEC Championship that year," Drinkwitz said. "Missouri was in my mind then. When I was at Boise State, they played Alabama that year. The national perception was that any team that joined the SEC was going to struggle, but they came in and exceeded expectations."

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