Eli Drinkwitz’s unique take on the transfer portal could help Mizzou beat Ohio State

An “all hands on deck” type of situation can call for nontraditional measures. Missouri football has certainly embraced that line of thinking this postseason.

The Cotton Bowl — which will see Missouri face Ohio State on Dec. 29 — will be Missouri’s most anticipated football game since the 2013 Cotton Bowl.

To win this game, the Tigers will use every advantage they can find. Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz has created one using the transfer portal.

While other teams are watching players depart, Drinkwitz and MU have been trying to hold the 2023 roster together for one last hurrah.

“Individuality is never going to supersede who we are as a team,” Drinkwitz said on Dec. 20. “But we want everybody to have their own individual identity with that team-first mindset.”

Ohio State and Missouri are in two different positions for the Cotton Bowl.

Drinkwitz was open about the fact that players who are departing through the transfer portal and draft will have every opportunity to play against the Buckeyes if they want. That’s usually not the case, as is apparent on the other sideline.

Fifteen Buckeyes have entered the transfer portal since Nov. 30. This includes starting quarterback Kyle McCord, who led OSU to its 11-1 record. McCord has committed to Syracuse, and won’t be playing for the Buckeyes.

This puts Devin Brown in the starting role for Ohio State at quarterback. He’ll still have Emeka Egbuka and possibly Marvin Harrison Jr. to throw to, but much like Brady Cook two years ago, Brown will have his first career start in a bowl game.

Time will tell if the added depth will help Missouri against a talented team, but it goes deeper than that for Drinkwitz.

“Our brotherhood was really strong this year,” Drinkwitz said on the Andy Staples On3 show. “It takes every single person we have, a ‘just us’ mentality to achieve what we achieved this season. And getting an opportunity to go to the Cotton Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these players.”

That’ll give Missouri the chance to have a deep roster, and that’s particularly important for MU’s linebacker position.

Dameon Wilson and Carmycah Glass both announced their intentions to transfer out of Missouri after the regular-season finale. With Chad Bailey still out and Ty’Ron Hopper returning from an injury, Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson won’t be the only options for MU should injuries strike again.

However, some players might not take MU up on that opportunity. Wilson is one; he already committed to East Carolina earlier in December.

Still, the defense that takes the field against Ohio State will be the same defense that stifled SEC teams this season and has played together for the better part of two full seasons.

That returning experience will be key in a game where the transfer portal has affected the other sideline.

“I haven’t spent a ton of time knowing exactly what they’re going to do,” Drinkwitz said on Dec. 20. “I feel good about our preparation so far. It’s going to be more about our ability to react and defend what they’re going to try to do with a new quarterback than maybe attacking their style of play because, again, we don’t know what they’re going to try to do offensively.”

Drinkwitz’s decision to go against the grain by allowing transferring Missouri players the chance to play could prove to be a stroke of genius in the end.

Should Missouri come out on top deep in the heart of Texas, it might be a move that’s replicated for seasons to come, especially in an era where bowl games are routinely forgone to protect the football futures of the best players involved.

Drinkwitz will have a fair shot at Ohio State considering the players who brought Missouri to this point. Thanks to the transfer portal, Missouri can count on its depth as an advantage.

It still won’t be a walk in the park.

“But that’s what you sign up for when you play in the Cotton Bowl,” he said.

This story was originally published December 27, 2023 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Eli Drinkwitz’s unique take on the transfer portal could help Mizzou beat Ohio State."