Missouri Tigers unveiled as an early attraction for 2026 SEC football media days
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- SEC schedules media days July 20-23 in Tampa; coaches set podium dates.
- Eli Drinkwitz to take podium July 20 at SEC media days.
- Questions center on new OC Chip Lindsey's offense and QB Austin Simmons.
The Southeastern Conference this week announced the head coaches’ availability schedules for “SEC Football Kickoff Media Days,” set for July 20-23 in Tampa.
Missouri Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz will be among the four coaches who will take the podium on Monday, July 20.
More details regarding the daily schedule, athlete availability and television information will be released in coming days, the SEC said.
Drinkwitz, with an overall record of 46-29, is entering his seventh season as Mizzou's head coach. The past three have been particularly strong, with a combined record of 29-10 plus a Cotton Bowl victory.
There are plenty of question marks entering the 2026 season, primarily around the offense of new coordinator Chip Lindsey and the man leading that offense, starting quarterback Austin Simmons, an Ole Miss transfer.
This marks the first time the SEC media days event has been held in the state of Florida. The previous three SEC media days have been hosted in Dallas, Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta.
Jersey numbers for freshmen, transfers
It has become tradition for incoming players to start their MU careers without a number, earning the privilege through hard work and dedication.
With the spring practice window complete, the program has officially released the new numbers for the incoming players.
Simmons will wear lucky No. 13 next season. Other key impact transfers include No. 13 Cayden Lee, No. 1 Chris Graves Jr. and No. 22 Elijah Dotson.
Several players can wear the same number, but by rule they can't be on the field at the same time. As a result, you will often see one offensive and one defensive player with the same combination.
The full list of new numbers:
No. 0 - Naeshaun Montgomery, Robert Woodyard Jr.; No. 1 - Chris Graves Jr.; No. 2 - Caleb Goodie Sr., Sione Laulea; No. 7 - Gavin Sidwar, Kensley Loudior-Faustin; No. 8 - Donta Simpson Jr.; No. 10 - Nick Evers; No. 11 - Jabari Brady; No. 12 - Malik Bryant; No. 13 - Austin Simmons, Jaden Jones; No. 17 - Kenric Lanier II; No. 18 - Isaac Jensen, Bobby Washington; No. 19 - Cayden Lee, JaDon Blair; No. 21 - Malae Fonoti, Jahlil Florence; No. 22 - Maxwell Warner, Elijah Dotson; No. 24 - Xai'Shaun Edwards; No. 26 - Jaxson Gates; No. 28 - Jayden McGregory; No. 30 - Carter Stewart; No. 32 - Brody Jones; No. 33 - JJ Bush; No. 34 - Mark Shenouda; No. 40 - Bruno Reus; No. 51 - Luke Work; No. 52 - Zack Owens, Demarcus Johnson; No. 54 - Josh Atkins; No. 55 - Will Kemna, Cavan Tuley; No. 58 - Khalief Canty Jr.; No. 69 - Braylon Ellison; No. 72 - Colin Sorenson; No. 79 - Brandon Anderson; No. 90 - Tajh Overton; and No. 97 - CJ May.
Copyright 2026 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Missouri Tigers unveiled as an early attraction for 2026 SEC football media days."