Start of Mizzou football’s preseason camp pushed back ahead of Sept. 26 kickoff
The Missouri Tigers were gearing up for a Friday start to preseason camp, but that’s no longer the case.
The Southeastern Conference announced Wednesday that camps will now begin Aug. 17. That follows the SEC’s decision last week to change its football schedule to a 10-game, conference-only slate, with the season starting Sept. 26.
The new calendar “provides student-athletes with more days off than required by the NCAA and fewer practices than permitted by current NCAA rules,” the conference said in a news release.
Schools are permitted to conduct up to 14 hours per week of strength and conditioning, meetings and walkthroughs from Aug. 7-16 in the revised calendar. Teams will then have 25 practices and 20 hours per week of practice time from Aug. 17 to the opening game on Sept. 26.
A five-day acclimatization period is also required once camp begins (two days in helmets only, two days in shells and the fifth day in full pads). Teams are also required to provide student-athletes with at least two days off per week until the week leading up to the opener.
So it’s more adjusting on the fly for Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s squad. The first-year coach, hired from Appalachian State last December, is tasked with navigating the COVID-19 pandemic while instilling his culture in the program — huge tasks for the 37-year-old.
Drinkwitz, though, has stressed he will focus on what his Tigers can control and to not deal in speculation. Now that the SEC has created concrete plans, Mizzou can adapt.
“Too much in society, we try to be a quick fix, a short answer — as soon as something happens, we make an adjustment,” Drinkwitz said July 15. “I believe in having a long-term vision and goal. I believe in staying in the course.”
Mizzou’s march toward the 2020 season started June 8, when voluntary workouts began. It was the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports in March that student-athletes were allowed back on campus and use the school’s facilities.
The Tigers then moved to their next phase, an altered ramp-up period that began July 13 with mandatory workouts. The NCAA Division I Football Council Oversight Committee approved that timeline for teams across the country, as many missed out on crucial spring football reps and conditioning.
Mizzou was on the final step of that prep period, which started July 24 and included walkthroughs, where coaches could be more hands-on during their training.
The Tigers’ next step is to figure out who they’re playing in their altered 2020 schedule. Drinkwitz recently posted a made-up schedule on Twitter that included the likes of the 1985 Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Mighty Ducks, among others.
Mizzou’s schedule is expected to feature its six SEC East division foes, along with Arkansas, its annual protected rival. Mississippi State was on MU’s original schedule, but there’s no guarantee that will be the case once the Tigers’ revised schedule is unveiled.
Their final two slots will be filled by SEC West teams.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 2:15 PM.