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Transcript

Eli ±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýHappy Thursday, all, and welcome to this week's Mizzou chat. One week from today, Eli Drinkwitz will just about be on stage at SEC media days in Atlanta. The dawn of talking season burns bright on the southeastern horizon! In the meantime, I'll be around for the next couple hours to take your questions.

Tom O: From your reporting Drink is striking out on a lot of HS players he has invested a lot of time and money to recruit. In some publications we are ranked in the 70s with lesser schools having much better success. Do you think this is a one off or is Drink courting much better players so we are competing with the big boys or is it just money.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýWhat's going on with Mizzou football recruiting right now seems like the most pressing question. I'm writing about it more tomorrow's paper/website, and the short answer is that it's hard to get a read other than it being uncharacteristically not good.

A Drinkwitz class has never come in at worse than No. 32 in 247Sports rankings. (The 2020 class came in at 50, but he'd just been hired so it's not a fair eval.) Right now, the Tigers are at No. 72. Only four players who visited this summer are still uncommitted, so without some flips or new leads, so to speak, the well is running dry.

It seems pretty clear that while Drinkwitz has done well has a high school recruiter, he's increasingly prioritizing the transfer portal. The side effect of that is smaller, less-talented high school classes — but I don't think the plan was to let that happen to this degree. Maybe after seeing what happened with the 2024 class (Nwaneri, Lacy, Crutchfield, etc) there's less of a budget for this cycle. If that's the case, I'd understand why. 

I don't think I'd buy into the notion that MU has just gone after bigger fish. Of the 33 visitors this summer, 10 committed to Missouri and four are still on the board. Of the 19 who've committed elsewhere: 5 are going to other SEC schools, 6 are going to Big Ten schools, 4 are going to ACC schools and 4 are going to Big 12 schools. It's not like they're all going to 'Bama or Georgia.

Drinkwitz has done well with the 3-4 players he adds late in the cycle once the season has started. If he can do that again this year, the class looks all right in the end — not great, but not like it does now. At the moment, I'd call it more anomaly than cause for panic, but I'm not sure that top 20 high school classes will be the norm going forward. 

Ken S: I came here to ask questions about football recruiting as well. I have no reason to think Drink won't get a good group of players he wants. His recruiting has been great. I wonder if this is an NIL problem. Perhaps Missouri is trailing SEC schools in NIL cash to land the recruits it will take to sustain. Thanks.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýThat's my inclination. With budgets becoming (theoretically) more finite under rev share, schools are going to need to increasingly decide whether to cut back what's available for freshmen or what's available for upperclassmen transfers. We don't know the specifics, but I just keep coming back to that "production over potential" remark Drinkwitz made in December. Maybe some other SEC schools are divvying up funds differently. It's also worth noting that nothing, as far as money goes, has been signed at this point. Given the changes in spending rules and uncertainty around what is and isn't OK as an NIL deal, I'd guess there are more than a few offers to freshmen around the country that won't materialize as promised. Maybe that shakes things up a little later in the cycle.

¸é³Ü²õ²õ:ÌýEli, just a compliment this morning, no questions. I've enjoyed your Mizzou "Top 25" lists this week. We could nick pick each other on the rankings, but the overall looks right. And yeah, you've got to go with Chase Daniel in the one spot in the Top 25 Athletes. HIs impact on Mizzou sports is unmeasurable.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýThank you! I'm glad you enjoyed them. The lists were a lot of fun to put together. As I wrote in my column about how I came up with them, there's plenty of room for debate and suggestions, which is part of the fun in my eyes. 

Ken S: I saw you had done a Top 25 and was fully prepared to argue with your picks, as I am pretty sure I am you father's age, but I cannot argue. I think I would have found a way to get James Franklin on the list (I think he is so underrated), but I couldn't tell you who to remove. I have always thought had Danario Alexander been able to stay healthy he would have been so much more special.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýThe easy part is thinking of more names. The hard part is figuring out who'd have to come out to make room for them! We share a view of Franklin's time at Mizzou and that he's underrated. I would've loved to get Henry Josey on there too. In the end I just couldn't make a case for either of them over those who did make the list. There could easily be another 25-deep list of honorable mentions.

Palmetto State Fan: Let's pretend you are Sam Horn. What is your decision? Football, baseball, neither and play baseball the spring of 2026 and then see what the MLB has to offer?

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýAssuming I want to be a pro athlete, baseball. Probably in 2026 if I'm not a starting quarterback at that point. If a team will draft me now and let me play football this fall before joining the farm system, great. If not, sign out of the '26 draft. To be clear, that's what I would do. I don't know what kind of opportunities or money has been or will be offered to him for either route. That'll obviously factor into his eventual decision. I don't blame him for doing both as long as he can.

²ú¾±²µ°ù´Ç²Ô:ÌýEli really enjoy your coverage of Mizzou sports. When does fall football practices start and also when does the men's bball practice start and when will you be able to watch practices.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI'm guessing the fall camp schedule will come out very soon, but I'd expect a start of July 28, give or take. If media access looks the same as the last couple of years, we'll get to watch individual drills during a few practices per week. Of course, I'd love to get more to bring y'all some actual insights/observations into who's looking good, but Mizzou doesn't really differentiate between access for writers and for those with cameras so if they're doing something they don't want filmed, we generally don't get to be there. 

Men's basketball summer practices have been ongoing. Last year I was invited to one, we'll see if that happens again this year. They'll get a break in August and then pick back up for the true preseason during the school year.

Palmetto State Fan: So, here we are, Eli. The judge has signed off on the settlement and already I have read where schools are exploring ways to get around the rules, lawsuits have and will be filed, and IMO this settlement may (repeat: may) clean up the mess that is currently college athletics. To have a sustainable model, both sides must abide by the terms and conditions of the agreement and swiftly and harshly punish those that wish to thwart an agreement. When oh when will the universities finally realize everyone needs to adopt a "professional model" with contracts, etc. Folks need to watch the ESPN 30:30 program that follows the destruction of the SMU football program and how college administrators, agents, parents, and athletes can convince themselves it is fine to break (or at best bend) the rules. It's called "Pony Excess" and many things in the 1980's are still in-play in 2025.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýYour point about needing both sides to make this sustainable is an important one. I've heard something similar from a lot of the people in college sports I've talked to. "The new rules could be a good thing, but only if everybody follows them," more or less. The problem is that it's hard to imagine everyone complying so politely. And even more so, it's that the rules are still a mess. The NIL clearinghouse is already running behind, which is costing athletes money. They're issuing clarifications that aren't really clear at all about what is and isn't OK. At a minimum, that is eroding trust in this new system.

Still, it could be a good thing if NIL is what it was originally intended to be and the rev share cap reins in overall spending a bit. Players might well take a pay cut in the next year, but the stars will still do quite well for themselves. There are contracts, even multi-year deals being signed now, but the issue is enforcement. Frankly, that's the issue with all of this. 

And while making athletes employees would provide even more stability, that comes with collective bargaining and some more legal structures that I don't think athletics departments can afford. 

Great shout on the SMU 30 for 30 episode. At some point, I'd love a candid retrospective on 2025 in the college sports world with some of the money and deal-cutting and rule-bending that has taken place around the start of the House settlement. We're seeing a very, very wild west play out even as it should become a lot tamer very quickly.

Palmetto State Fan: Last question today. Is it your assumption or not that Horn is getting $$$ from the $18.5 million Mizzou has to distribute and/or getting NIL $$$. What is your estimate as to the going rate for a back-up SEC QB and a seldom seen SEC pitcher with Horn's background?

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýGood questions here, to which I don't know the answer. I'd assume any football player who stands a real chance of playing this fall is getting some rev share money. I'm not aware of any external NIL deals that Horn has, so that would be where he's getting money. I'd guess the rate for a backup QB varies a lot. Schools with a QB competition probably have a more expensive backup than those with an undisputed starter. I'd love to see that breakdown across the conference, though, because it would be a fascinating look at the cap management aspect of this.

Palmetto State Fan: BTW, Mike "The Mullet" Gundy came out today in favor of making college athletes employees, negotiating with their "union", establishing a "salary cap", establishing entry level salaries for all high school recruits and, in general, fixing what is now an unsustainable model (in Coach Gundy's words).

Hoff: Maybe I'm making too sweeping a paraphrase here, but I believe most if not all Big 12 coaches said they'd be in favor. Of course they would be. They'd get all of the benefits without any of the headaches that their bosses in the athletic departments would suffer. What works great for those in headsets and helmets might not for those (figuratively) in suits back in the office.

°ä´Ç²Ñ´Ç83:ÌýI was excited when Mizzou landed 4 Star Marquis Gracial. After 3 years in the system, haven’t seen much of him, yet he’s stuck around. What’s the likelihood he has a breakout year?

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýCertainly possible. Gracial will be in the defensive tackle rotation. I'd expect that to be four-ish deep again this year. Chris McClellan is the top option there. Then it's Sterling Webb, Gracial, Jalen Marshall and Sam Williams. If it's going to click for Gracial, this is pretty much the year it needs to happen. 

Evil Calvin: Reel it all back in. They've been given an inch and now taking a mile. Athletes get a free college education, room and food. Most people can't afford that. They should be happy to get a nice education and play ball. IF they are good enough...then they will get a pro contract. Otherwise shut up and play ball.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýTell that to the courts. They're the ones unraveling all of this bit by bit because very little of the college sports model is standing up to legal tests these days. 

°ä³ó°ù¾±²õ:ÌýWhat is going to happen with the Cross Country and Track and Field program under the new House settlement? I understand I might be the only one who cares.

±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI'll tell you that I, at least, care. I was a high school runner so I have an appreciation for both cross country and T&F. They probably aren't getting much rev share money, if any. Neither sport brings much money in, but they don't cost a whole ton to operate either. With the Gans Creek course (which hosts the NCAA cross country championships this fall), new indoor track and re-surfacing coming soon for the outdoor track, their facilities are in a great spot. We'll see what the impact of roster limits winds up being. It might not be great for running sports around the country, but I'd say Mizzou XC/TF is better positioned than most to be all right in this era.

We'll end this week's chat there. Thanks to everyone who came by! Next week's timing will look a little bit different because of Mizzou's slot during media days, but we'll still make it happen. Talk then!

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