What Was Learned from Drinkwitz, Captains' 2024 Season Preview Interviews

The Missouri Tigers head coach along with four of the team's captains spoke to the media Tuesday.

Oct 8, 2022; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz and quarterback Brady Cook (12) talk against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Missouri Tigers 2024 season opener against Murray State on Thursday, August 29, is quickly approaching.

To recap fall camp and preview the upcoming season, head coach Eli Drinkwitz along with four of the team's five captains — quarterback Brady Cook, defensive tackle Kristian Williams, linebacker Chuck Hicks and defensive end Johnny Walker Jr — spoke to the media Tuesday afternoon.

Here's three main takeaways from the media availability from the MissouriOnSI football staff.

Red Zone Offense is Still Getting Polished

Heading into the 2024 season, one of the major emphasis points for the Tigers was cleaning up its inefficient red zone offense from 2023. 

As explosive as Kirby Moore’s offense was altogether last season, the red zone was a weak point throughout the season. It managed 56 scores out of 58 drives to the red zone, good for the second highest percentage in the nation. However, 20 of those trips were converted through field goals. It's percentage of red zone drives that ended with touchdowns, 62.7%, was No. 61 in the nation.

Moore’s determination to improve his offense’s red zone execution was made known ahead of spring camp, but even into fall camp, it’s been a recurring issue that has needed work on all fronts. Drinkwitz said Tuesday that

Fortunately, there has been some clear progression with the Tigers’ red zone scoring as fall camp went along. It started out in a bit of a flux, but some of the issues seemed to be resolved before it became too out of hand. 

“I think the first two-to-three days, we had some red zone turnovers that Brady made that were part of maturing,” Drinkwitz said. “He really hasn’t made those decisions moving forward. I don’t think he turned the ball over in either one of the scrimmages.”

Cook’s accuracy and consistency in decision making were highlighted by Drinkwitz, which bodes well for a better command of Missouri’s offense in the red zone. He certainly has the weapons in receiver Theo Wease Jr. and tight end Brett Norfleet.

Missouri’s red zone offense will receive plenty of close attention early on in the season. It’s not yet a finished product, but after emphasizing it this offseason, the coaching staff will certainly be hoping to see some improvements early on this season.

The Five Captains Appear to be Tightly Knit

Missouri's five captains have seemingly not only helped to establish camaraderie on the team, but there is a strong bond between the captains themselves. Walker talked about the group's relationship in his press conference.

"We're all really good friends," Walker said. "So any issues that arise, we'll come together and talk about it within each other and Coach Drink and ultimately reiterate message to the team."

It's certainly not rare for a group of team captains to come together as a close group, but it sounds like these players take the role seriously and recognize the influence they hold. The Tigers added plenty of new faces this season, but also are leaning on some returning talent to fill the void of important leaders who left the team.

Walker is almost certainly viewed as the next man up after the departure of Darius Robinson, now in the NFL but a significant leader for the Missouri defense in 2023. Last season, linebacker Chad Bailey was a captain. Now, in his seventh year of college football, Chuck Hicks takes the same role.

The five selected for captaincy have proven themselves on the field already and are all expected to be some of the top producers for Missouri this season. The paths they create and imprint they leave on the team from a leadership standpoint, however, will arguably be just as, if not more, important.

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Defense Adjusting to New Helmet Communication

Inside linebacker Chuck Hicks will be wearing the green dot for Missouri this season, having the in-helmet headset with coaches. He’ll be responsible for communicating play calls to the defensive players.

The NCAA approved helmet communications this April for all games between FBS teams. Its a helpful tool but it will undoubtedly be a learning curve for both players and coaches alike.

“When you go back to spring ball,” Hicks said, “it was tough to understand because you’re going from now to listening to basically a walking talkie. It was tough at first but I think we’ve got a good grip on it and understand how to use it, how they’re (the coaches) calling it, me communicating to everybody. I don’t think it’s too hard now.”

Though this will be the first season the technology is used in college football, many players on the Missouri roster might already have experience with it from their high school career. It will still be an adjustment but should make communicating play calls easier.

“I feel like that’s a much easier way to get the call correctly,” Williams said. “You never know about the signals and people may not see the call or the back end might not get the call, but the fact that you got somebody inside of the field that’s actually verbalizing it to everybody is much more easier.”

The new communication system is one of the multiple changes to the Missouri defense in 2024. Additionally, the Tigers hired new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon to replace Blake Baker. Drinkwitz said that there was errors in defensive alignment that he hopes the team will fix up.

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Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz's Strong Message to Fans: 'We Need to Sell Out' Season Opener

Johnny Walker is Embracing New Role Headed into Senior Season

Missouri Football Announces 5 Captains for 2024 Season