The Extra Point: How Mizzou Football Adapts to Roster Uncertainty

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz says coaches needs to leave behind the mindset of the past when it comes to roster construction.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Missouri Tigers helmet during the first half of the game against the Murray State Racers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The days where college football teams served as developmental programs for athletes is long gone.

You'll be hard pressed to find players who stick out their whole careers at a school, mastering their skills under a coaching staff.

It's not the players fault, as Eli Drinkwitz recognizes.

"Don't be mad at players," the Missouri Tigers head coach said in a press conference Wednesday. "This whole situation is not their fault at all. Don't hate the players hate the game. At the end of the day, there's no system. When there's no system, people will do what they need to do.

Without a uniform system in place, there's virtually zero guarantee in roster turnover from year to year. Forecasting what the team will look like even from spring to fall is nearly an impossible task for coaching staffs.

The players have adapted. Coaching staffs are still learning how to navigate this new world.

Watch the video above as Missouri Tigers football reporter Joey Van Zummeren breaks down head coach Eli Drinkwitz's approach to roster turnover having virtually zero guarantees from year to year.

Welcome to Missouri Tigers On SI's "Extra Point," a video series featuring the site's Missouri beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers provide analysis on a topic concerning the Tigers or the landscape of college sports.

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