Drinkwitz provides updates on competitions, performances after Week 2 of fall camp

The biggest question entering fall camp was the competition at right tackle after presumed starter Josh Atkins suffered a leg injury in the spring and a setback in June. After entering fall camp with a competition at the spot between Luke Work and Logan Reichert, Drinkwitz said Saturday he feels pretty good Work will be the starter.

Drinkwitz also implied that Tristan Wilson will have a spot as the team’s starting left guard.

“Tristan has developed himself into a starter in the SEC and really one of our most versatile players,” Drinkwitz said. 

Wilson, now in his fifth year with the Tigers, competed with Curtis Peagler for the starting right guard spot entering 2025. The Lebanon product also rotated with Peagler early into the 2025 season, playing on 168 total offensive snaps on the year.

What Missouri is still looking for along the offensive line is a swing tackle, the top depth option to be able to fill in at either left or right tackle. The Tigers were able to get some extra evaluation time of the young competitors there by holding starting left tackle Cayden Green out of practice Friday.

That allowed sophomore Jack Lange to go with the first lineup during parts of practice open to the media. Drinkwitz also mentioned junior Whit Hafer and senior player Logan Reichert as top competitors there. The second lineup in Friday’s practice featured Hafer at the left tackle spot and Reichert on the right.

“For us right now, it's really about finding who's our third tackle, and the only way you can get the reps you need to see is if you pull somebody,” Drinkwitz said of holding Green out of Friday’s practice.

Drinkwitz provides minor update on Ahmad Hardy

At the start of fall camp, Drinkwitz circled this date on the calendar as one where he would possibly have an update on the status of running back Ahmad Hardy, who sustained a gunshot wound in May.

Drinkwitz added clarity to the timeline Saturday, saying he misspoke on the original timing expectations.

“He's still continuing to do rehab, nothing really to note,” Drinkwitz said of Hardy.

Drinkwitz said the important check-in date he expects is next Saturday, which will mark the fifth week of Hardy’s return-to-play protocol.

“We'll sit down with the doctors and evaluate where he's at,” Drinkwitz said of the upcoming meeting. “So right now, he was out there this afternoon cheering on his teammates. … He's progressing in the weight room and in his speed training.”

Drinkwitz provides updates in the secondary

So far during fall camp, the cornerback position has been one that’s frequently tweaked in certain drills. Ole Miss transfer Chris Graves Jr. seems to be the guy at the top of the position group, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. The players filling in behind him are raising more questions.

“I think we've got quite a bit of depth," Drinkwitz said. "Obviously, Chris Graves has played a ton of football and probably got the best grasp of what we're trying to do on one side, and then the other side, you know, between Sione (Laulea), Jahlil Florence, Nick DeLoach; Jaxson Gates is a freshman who’s come a long way. Cam Keys, I think there's a lot of ability there."

Laulea and Florence seemed to stand out in Saturday’s scrimmage held right before reporters talked to Drinkwitz. Both made plays in that scrimmage that caught the attention of Drinkwitz.

“Sione and Jahlil have been exactly what we had hoped in getting those guys back,” Drinkwitz said. “I was proud of Sione today. He had a couple of the big tackles on duo play where he was the unblocked guy, and he did it pretty good. And then Jahlil had two big-time plays, one in the red zone, one backed up, forced an incompletion.”

The second cornerback spot, along with the others behind it, seems to be up for grabs as the start of the season approaches. Florence and Laulea, who spent multiple seasons with the Oregon Ducks, are letting their experience from the PAC-12 and Big Ten show.

With the need for someone to take those spots on the depth chart getting more and more important, Drinkwitz has a few traits and skills in mind that he’s looking for in order for someone to take claim of the depth chart spots.

“It's just about who's going to make plays on the ball, who can cause incompletions and then force takeaways,” Drinkwitz said. “So every day we're just continuing to try to get reps and stack fundamentals and see who's going to be that guy for us.

In the secondary, Auburn transfer Kensley Louidor-Faustin is a guy who has his eyes set on the starting STAR position once held by Daylen Carnell. Louidor-Faustin has experience at the position but is still competing for the spot.

“He's played STAR at Auburn, so (it) wasn't that difficult of a transition,” Drinkwitz said. “So he's done a nice job. I think he's kind of figuring out what our expectations and standards are, how we approach practice, and how we approach the building every day.”

Michigan transfer Elijah Dotson is another name who’s been seen getting reps at the position during fall camp. Drinkwitz also shouted out sophomore CJ Bass III as someone who stood out at the STAR position, primarily during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Insight into special teams

Drinkwitz also spoke about the special teams unit, which is overseen by coordinator John Papuchis.

“JP has done a really good job getting the schemes in, guys buying into what we’re doing,” Drinkwitz said. “It looks different, feels a little different than what we’ve done in the past, which is good.”

Two names that stick out within the unit are long snapper Brett Le Blanc and kicker Blake Craig. The former has generated some attention after receiving All-SEC Third Team preseason honors and being named to the Patrick Mannelly Award watchlist, while the latter is looking to have a productive season after tearing his ACL.

“You got to get consistency out of Blake,” Drinkwitz said. “Today was not his most consistent day kicking field goals, which is surprising because he had two really good days before.”

Another name Drinkwitz mentioned was kicker/punter Brunno Reus. He said Reus has been “good,” but “we won’t know until we put it all together.”

Chace Missouri earns scholarship

In other news, Drinkwitz surprised offensive lineman Chace Missouri with a scholarship with the university.

"He embraces his role, he puts the team first every single day, and I was on the field, and I said, 'You know what? I'm going to give that dude a scholarship,'" Drinkwitz said in a video posted on Mizzou football's Instagram account.

Missouri has been on the team since 2023 when he joined as a walk-on. He did not see game action in 2023, 2024 or 2025.

Before becoming a Tiger, Missouri lettered two years at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia. He guided the Chargers to 14 wins and two state playoff appearances while earning Georgia Class 5-2A first-team honors during his senior year.