Eli Drinkwitz looking to prove those who believe in him right

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz doesn’t lack motivation. On Saturday, Drinkwitz revealed his inspiration heading into Missouri’s 2023 campaign.

“Everybody’s got to figure out what internally motivates them. What is it that you’re putting on your shoulder? What’s the chip that you’re putting on your shoulder?” Drinkwitz said. “Obviously, for me, there’s a lot of different things but I want to prove people right.

“I want to prove it to the eight players who chose to come back and choose to delay their opportunities in the NFL. I want to prove it to the coaching staff that believed in this organization enough, the University of Missouri, to come work with us. I want to prove it to the guys that have been here since I’ve been here that they were right to have faith and maintain unwavering support. I want to prove it to the fans that have been with us.”

Drinkwitz is entering his fourth season at the helm of Missouri football. The 40-year-old head coach is yet to scrape together a winning record, going 6-7 in the past two seasons. In fairness, the Tigers have entered their bowl game the past two seasons at a .500 record.

So far, Drinkwitz has bent, but not broken. However, he can only take so much punishment. Missouri did show improvement last season on defense, ranking fourth in the SEC and 34th nationally, allowing just 340.8 yards per game. Nonetheless, Drinkwitz wants to give more back to those who have invested in him.

“I just want to prove those people right, and I feel like we’ve got a really talented football team. I think we’re coming together in the right way,” Drinkwitz told the press. “We’ve got to transition now from a camp mindset to a 1-0 mindset, and really focus on the task in hand and the intensity it’s going to take.

“Put away the distractions of outside noises and influences and the distractions of what’s going to go on downtown and focus on what is important to us, which is the brotherhood and next Thursday night.”

With new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, Missouri’s brotherhood has never looked stronger. Moore comes to Missouri from Fresno State, where he led the Mountain West in scoring and total offense. Watch Moore and Drinkwitz aim to prove believers right on Aug. 31 when the Tigers take on South Dakota in their season opener.