It’s time for Mizzou Tigers spring football. Coaches, players outline their plans

Missouri Tigers football coach Eli Drinkwitz walked into the defensive line meeting room at Memorial Stadium on Thursday and seemed taken aback.

A look of surprise crossed his face, followed by an exclamation — “Holy cow!” The reason for his astonishment, real or perhaps somewhat feigned? The number of reporters in the room.

It was a notable crowd, to be sure, everyone there for the first media availability of the spring. During the session, Drinkwitz, along with returning Mizzou safety Santana Banner and running back Ahmad Hardy, discussed a wide range of topics.

Here’s a snapshot ...

New faces reshape, enhance Mizzou football roster

A question on the minds of many, and the first question asked of Drinkwitz on Thursday afternoon, was about the quarterback situation.

The Tigers’ head coach revealed a couple of important things, including that there will be a competition for the starting job.

“For us, core value No. 1 is always compete,” Drinkwitz said. “There’s gotta be added competition. We’ve got that with Austin Simmons, Nick Evers, Gavin Sidwar and Matt Zollers.”

Mizzou acquired Simmons from the transfer portal, and he appears to be the favorite to become MU’s QB1. He is not a shoo-in, however, as the Tigers’ pool of QBs also includes UConn transfer Evers, returner Zollers and Sidwar from the high school ranks.

It’s too early to make a decision (or announcement), but Drinkwitz praised Zollers, saying he did an “excellent job” in 2025 after taking over as starter in the wake of injuries to Beau Pribula and Sam Horn. As for Simmons, the coach said “so far, so good.”

“He’s very competitive in nature,” Drinkwitz noted of Simmons. “He’s got natural talent as a quarterback, obviously very good arm talent, decision maker, (and he) has the ability to run.”

Other newcomers to the Missouri Tigers

The Tigers grabbed some other notable additions through the transfer portal this offseason.

Following Simmons from Ole Miss were wideout Cayden Lee and cornerback Chris Graves Jr.

“Chris Graves has played a ton of football, so we felt really confident with him at one of the corner positions,” Drinkwitz said.

Mizzou is also welcoming in a handful of new assistant coaches. And Drinkwitz has a new offensive coordinator this year, in Chip Lindsey.

“Very excited to get him on our staff,” Drinkwitz said. “He has a lot of experience in this league. He’s been through these battles and wars. He’s coached at a really high level in a lot of different places, and I feel like he has a really high output. Obviously (he) has a history of quarterback development.”

Returners hope to bring stability and expertise

While there is plenty of new blood on the Tigers’ roster, the team will be anchored by returning talent that understands the Mizzou way of doing things.

Hardy leads that veteran charge, coming off a spectacular sophomore year in which he was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award. He’s ready to set the tone for newcomer transfers and younger players in the program.

“Mizzou is a brotherhood, and that’s the first thing you learn when you get here,” Hardy said.

Hardy will be joined in the backfield by Jamal Roberts, reuniting a dynamic duo. The pair rushed for a combined 2,402 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2025. Their return brings stability to a Mizzou offense that aims to present toughness through its run game.

That effort starts up front with an experienced offensive line headlined by Cayden Green. The lineman from Lee’s Summit (Lee’s Summit North HS) is expected to reprise his role at left tackle. He’s coming off his first season at the position and was voted First Team All-SEC by The Associated Press.

The biggest question on the offensive side of the ball is the role of Zollers. He was unexpectedly thrust into the starting role last year due to injuries. While the team added Simmons in the portal, there is no guarantee that he will be the starter.

This allows Zollers a chance to prove himself as not only the Tigers’ potential QB of the future, but perhaps their present.

“The goal for him to be the very best quarterback that he can be … give himself the opportunity to defeat the starting quarterback job here,” Drinkwitz said. “If he doesn’t, be the very best teammate that he can be … he was really thrown into some unadvantageous situations. I thought he handled it remarkably well.”

Defensively, Mizzou returns much less of its ‘25 roster. With four starters heading to the 2026 NFL Draft, MU is loses a lot of experience. But that also presents Santana Banner an opportunity to grab the starting safety job this spring.

“We feel really good about Santana Banner being a returning starter for us in the safety room,” Drinkwitz said.

The Tigers’ newcomers and returners will all participate in their first spring practice Friday morning in Columbia.

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