Eli Drinkwitz Q&A: Mizzou nonetheless constructing program from infancy stage | Mizzou Sports activities Information

Question: “When the season ended and there was no bowl game, did you think about changes on the defense staff in your head?” Or did that happen by itself? (Defensive coordinator Ryan Walters moved to Illinois, while Drinkwitz fired defensive coach Brick Haley.)

ON: Both. I think the opportunity for growth was there. Everything was on the table as we ended the year. We will never stagnate in this program. We’ll keep pushing, pushing, pushing until we win the SEC East. As soon as that season was over and that bowl game was canceled, it was right away to me, OK, we have areas that need improvement so we can fill the void in the senior season teams. How shall we do it? Change is part of this profession. It’s part of the growth. It was an opportunity for us to improve. We wish these guys all the best. But now is an opportunity for us to really improve. I had the opportunity to take my time and really focus on what I wanted without the pressure of signing a recruiting class, without the pressure of hiring 25 people in the next 36 hours. I am very, very satisfied.

Q: Steve Wilks obviously has a lot of experience. Was there a core quality that you had to have when you were looking for someone for this role? Was it someone who was the coordinator at the highest level?