Eli Drinkwitz Addresses Spring Portal Philosophy for Mizzou

He hasn't missed the mark yet. So far, only two have left in the spring window, including quarterback Drew Pyne and defensive end Jahkai Lang. Both contributed last season and Lang especially could have played a role in a deep edge room this season, but the transfers of both players do make some sense.

Though it's not a specific position, there are a couple of avenues Drinkwitz and his staff could take while addressing portal needs. Whether it's someone they can develop into a starter or someone who can play right away, that player will have to be ready to compete at whichever position he plays.

"If somebody leaves and that provides us an opportunity — either to add the best player available, or maybe to add a younger guy who can come in and develop — or if we feel like we need to create some competition because certain players aren’t achieving at the level we want them to, and we need to challenge them... because the only thing better than competition is a lot of competition — then yeah, we may factor that in,” Drinkwitz said. 

At the end of the day, if you aren't going to compete for a starting spot on Drinkwitz's team, there may not be a spot for that player. It's a fine line because depth players do want to go find more playing time, like Lang and Pyne, but they still played a role in elevating the competitive level of the team.

"Anybody that can help us win the SEC Championship, we would be open to,” Drinkwitz said. 

The presence of the transfer portal is now a constant each year, but the rules revolving around it seem to either be nonexistent or constantly changing. That makes it hard for teams to adapt, especially when it's happening on the fly.

However, teams, coaching staffs and universities have no choice but to change with the times if they want to compete. In Missouri's case, that's especially important, being in the SEC. So far, it would be a fair assessment to say that Drinkwitz and his team haven't fallen behind at all and have navigated a new college landscape properly.

“We’ve tried to adapt and use the rules the best way possible,” Drinkwitz said. “I think there’s zero doubt that a big part of our success the past three or four years has been our ability to embrace NIL, embrace the transfer portal, and use it as a net positive. Be adaptable.”

Drinkwitz and the Tigers appear to be in a good spot heading into the summer and eventually the fall. He has plenty of depth at multiple positions, with no clear weaknesses jumping out as obvious.