Eli Drinkwitz calls on Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl to invite Cody Schrader

As Missouri put together a special 2023 season — its first 11-win campaign in a decade — Cody Schrader emerged as one of the best stories in college football. A former Division II running back, he walked on at Mizzou and led the nation in rushing yards per game this year.

All season, Eli Drinkwitz has been calling on Schrader to be considered more than a story. He publicly campaigned for Schrader to be in the Heisman Trophy mix, and he finished eighth in the voting last month. Now, Drinkwitz wants another honor for his star back.

He called on Jim Nagy to invite him to the Senior Bowl.

“Man, you can’t say enough about a guy like Cody Schrader,” Drinkwitz said on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt after the Cotton Bowl. “He’s got to be the best story in the country. I can’t believe Jim Nagy hasn’t put him in the Senior Bowl yet, but that’s a whole ‘nother conversation.”

Scharder’s impressive season earned him Consensus All-American honors. He led the nation with 124.92 yards per game while adding 13 rushing touchdowns entering Friday’s bowl game. The next step, more than likely, is an NFL Draft declaration. But if Drinkwitz has his way, Schrader will be in Mobile, as well.

Eli Drinkwitz: ‘Faster, stronger, tougher’ mantra comes from practice

Friday night was a hard-fought game between Missouri and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Afterward, Drinkwitz said the goal in the fourth quarter was to be “faster, stronger, tougher” than the Buckeyes — and the Tigers achieved just that. Schrader scored the first touchdown to start the quarter, and Luther Burden caught the next one to help seal the 14-3 victory.

That wasn’t a spur of the moment response from Drinkwitz, though. The “faster, stronger, tougher” saying goes back to Missouri’s practices and how the team prepares for the fourth quarter.

“I think it speaks to exactly who were are,” Drinkwitz said. “Every day, we finish our practice with our fists up, we play ‘Eye of the Tiger.’ And it stands for faster, stronger, tougher than you in the fourth quarter. For us to get to the fourth quarter down three and score 14 points unanswered. To never give in to the disappointments of not scoring or blaming each other, I think is just a tribute to the brotherhood that we have. It’s a tribute to our coaching staff sticking together.”