Drinkwitz outlines early focus points of Mizzou football fall camp

For the first three practices, Missouri will be working mostly in the red zone. That decision is not only to make the area a priority early, but also to provide a ramp into practices.

“There's a lot of different reasons for that, but it is because of how our installation schedule works throughout the year,” Drinkwitz said. “It also helps reduce the reduction of injuries and activization for our team getting into fall camp.”

In 2025, Missouri scored touchdowns on 63% of its drives in the red zone, the 12th lowest rate in the Southeastern Conference. Out of the five teams in the SEC that made the College Football Playoff, four finished inside the top five in the conference for red-zone touchdown percentage.

“It also is because that's the emphasis in success,” Drinkwitz said. “Red zone success is one of the biggest indicators in this league on winning and losing.”

Missouri will have a new face leading its offense this season, with former Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey now in the same role with the Tigers. After Lindsey’s first offseason with Mizzou, Drinkwitz is confident in where the offense is starting fall camp.

“I think one of the things that we do a really good job of is the consistency of our installation and how we repeat it, whether it's winter installation, spring installation, April walkthroughs or summer OTAs, there's not anything going in right now that would be new, so our guys are very familiar, comfortable with the language and lingo that we're using,” Drinkwitz said.

Updates on the status of Ahmad Hardy, Elias Williams

Running back Ahmad Hardy, the SEC’s leading rusher in 2025, is still on the same path to recovery that Drinkwitz provided at SEC Media Days. Hardy won’t be a participant in practice this week but will be in rehab and walkthroughs, Drinkwitz said Sunday.

“We continue just to get him acclimated back to what it would take to play football,” Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz shared at SEC Media Days on July 20 that the All-American running back has been medically cleared from the gunshot wound he suffered in May. That day was Hardy’s first “back towards a full recovery,” Drinkwitz said.

At the time, Drinkwitz said Hardy was on a return-to-play protocol that could take “anywhere between five to eight weeks.” That timeline would mean Hardy would be available sometime between late August, ahead of the season, or by mid-September, around Week 3 of the season.

Additionally, Drinkwitz shared that defensive tackle Elias Williams, who suffered a leg injury during spring practices, is “tracking really well” on recovery after undergoing a surgery late in the spring.

Williams, a redshirt sophomore, could likely compete for an important rotational role at defensive tackle if he can return to the field in time.

“Don't know if that means that there's any opportunity for him to play this year or not,” Drinkwitz said of Williams. “I think it's too early to say, but he's doing everything he can possibly do to be available.”

Right tackle will be an open competition

Piecing together Missouri’s offensive line this preseason will be a true process of finding the group of the "best five," even if that includes moving some players around.

The biggest competition for the Tigers will be at right tackle, where expected starter Josh Atkins will miss a significant chunk of the season with a leg injury he suffered during spring practices. Logan Reichert, Luke Work and Jack Lange stand out as the three top candidates for the job, but Drinkwitz said there’s nobody coming in with an upper hand over anybody else.

“Somebody is going to run out there first, but the opportunity for everybody to establish their roles is wide open, and we need the consistency of performance before we say anybody's going to be a starter,” Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz also mentioned the possibility of moving someone who is involved in the left tackle rotation to compete for the right tackle job. Missouri made a similar move last season, switching Cayden Green from left guard to left tackle late into fall camp after trying out a few different options at left tackle.

“There's always that possibility that the backup left tackle is performing so well that we can give them a shot,” Drinkwitz said.

Colin Sorensen, a transfer from Charleston Southern, could be a name to watch to make a switch to put his hat in the ring at right tackle.

Elsewhere on the offensive line, Dominick Giudice is expected to make the switch from left guard to center, he indicated in an interview with the Missourian. The move makes sense for Giudice, based on his prior experience earning playing time at center for Michigan, along with how Missouri built its transfer portal class.

“He's a natural-born leader, so I think center fits him,” Green said of Giudice in an interview with the Missourian.