So far, so good: Mizzou football has low COVID rates, no opt-outs and, still, a season
The Missouri Tigers are on the practice field preparing for the 2020 college football season. MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz said his team’s morale is as high as ever. The energy is there — but so are precautions made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tigers are still scheduled to begin their season Sept. 26, but teams in some other conferences aren’t so fortunate. The Big Ten and Pac-12 canceled their fall seasons Tuesday with hopes of playing in the spring. The Mid-American Conference and Mountain West have called off their fall seasons, too.
While the Tigers are staying optimistic, the unpredictable nature of these times can be jarring, Drinkwitz admitted Wednesday.
“I have no idea what the future is going to hold for college football,” Drinkwitz said. “Every day it seems like the information is changing. But I’m excited about the stance of (SEC commissioner) Greg Sankey and our leadership in the SEC. I’m grateful for the leadership in the ACC and the Big 12 for allowing us to pursue our plans for a 2020 season.”
The Tigers are in a relatively healthy spot with the novel coronavirus, Drinkwitz said, noting their 3% COVID-19 positivity rate — lower than both the local and state rates. He said he doesn’t want to “brag” about the numbers, considering they could show an upturn in a matter of hours, but he praised his players and staff for take the virus seriously.
Mizzou also hasn’t had any players opt out, though Drinkwitz said that, too, could change in coming days. He’s stressed that he has his players’ backs no matter how they feel during the pandemic, whether they play or not.
“The SEC is the leader in college football for a reason,” Drinkwitz said. “I think Greg Sankey has done an outstanding job of providing steady leadership. He’s put a plan in place. He’s not wavered from that plan. He said he was always going to take the time to make decisions.”
Hired in December, Drinkwitz opens his first preseason camp on Aug. 17, where the Tigers will conduct their first of 25 practices ahead of an altered SEC schedule. Mizzou is set to play 10 SEC games for the first time — and there is some worry about that from a physical standpoint, Drinkwitz said.
All the Tigers can do now, Drinkwitz said, is stay off social media and get work. Mizzou doesn’t know who its first opponent is yet — the SEC has said it will announce matchups for each team within the next week or so — but Drinkwitz said the preparation will be the same anyway.
“I told everybody they have to be ready,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s going to be interesting to see what kind of shape they’re in. And nobody’s ever done this before. …
“I like our team, I like the flexibility they’ve shown, I like the mental fortitude they’ve shown. We’ll be up to the challenge, but there’s some unknowns there.”
Injury updates
All eyes will be on Mizzou’s quarterback battle during training camp — and Connor Bazelak’s name can be included as a healthy challenger. Drinkwitz said the redshirt freshman has been a 100% participant in workouts and walkthroughs thus far.
Bazelak, who tore his ACL in the Tigers’ 2019 season finale, will vie with Shawn Robinson and Taylor Powell for the starting gig.
Offensive lineman Angel Matute will take a medical redshirt as an injury ends his college football career. Drinkwitz said Matute will be a student coach moving forward and is expected to graduate in the spring. Matute played in one game in 2019 after transferring from Mt. San Antonio College.
Defensive end Jatorian Hansford had shoulder surgery, Drinkwitz said, and there is no timetable for his return. He will miss camp. The junior was expected to compete to be a part of MU’s defensive line rotation after suiting up in 11 games (three starts) in 2019. It’s another blow to one of Mizzou’s thinnest positional groups.
Offensive lineman Mitchell Walters will also be out for camp after suffering a “broken lower extremity,” Drinkwitz said. The true freshman was part of Mizzou’s 2020 recruiting class, Drinkwitz’s first since he took the job.
Potential adds?
With the Big Ten and Pac-12 shutting down their seasons, there’s a chance some players from those conferences will enter the NCAA transfer portal to finish their careers elsewhere. Only graduate transfers would be guaranteed immediate eligibility.
Hypothetically, Mizzou could add players. In reality, though, Drinkwitz isn’t getting his hopes up. The Tigers are right up at their maximum of 81 scholarships because of NCAA sanctions, anyway.
“Right now, that would not be a possibility for us even if somebody wanted to transfer,” Drinkwitz said, “unless they were willing to walk on. I believe we have three slots left that we can sign for the 2020 class. We do have numbers for spots, but we don’t have any scholarships left. There would be a lot of hoops to jump through.”