Eli Drinkwitz gives update on Jack Abraham's health, development

The Missouri Tigers head into the season with one of the most open quarterback competitions in the country, and at SEC media day head coach Eliah Drinkiwitz talked about arguably the most interesting and unknown quarterback in the group, transfer Jack Abraham.

“Yeah, you know, Jack has been there since the start of summer. He’s benefited from the opportunity for us to have individual skill development, which was passed by the NCAA this summer, so we’ve been able to watch him and coach him on timing of routes, execution of handoffs and things like that,” Drinkwitz said.

Abraham has been a college football journeyman, with stops at Louisiana Tech, N.W. Mississippi C.C, Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State, and now Mizzou. In his most recent and only year at Mississippi State, Abraham was injured prior to the season and earned a medical redshirt.

“He appears healthy. Looks to be healthy, ready to go for fall camp. Excited about the competition that’s going to transpire between him, Sam, Brady and Tyler,” Drinkwitz said.

Abraham is definitely the most experienced quarterback back on the roster after the Tigers lost Connor Bazelak to the transfer portal. Abraham played in 27 games during his three year stint with Southern Miss, more appearances than any quarterback currently on the roster. Drinkwitz was asked Abraham’s experience and what other intangibles he brings to the table.

“Yeah, I think that’s kind of hard for me to know just yet, having not spent a lot of time with him and seeing him against the defense,” Drinkwitz said. “I do know that he’s got a lot of wisdom. He’s had a lot of experience playing college football. He understands the process of being in a quarterback battle. This is not new for him. I don’t think a whole lot of things are taking him by surprise. Those are the intangibles, those are the things that when he decided to ultimately choose the University of Missouri, we knew those were known quantities coming in.”

During is career at Southern Miss, Abraham threw for 7,067 yards and 41 scores, but Drinkwitz is still waiting to see what he can do in Columbia.

“We haven’t thrown interceptions yet. You can’t go against the defense in individual skill development. We’ll see how those things transpire, what the mental toughness looks like, if you’re not getting the reps you want, or somebody else is excelling that day,” Drinkwitz said.