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Mizzou's Eli Drinkwitz trades play-calling for the job's bigger demands

From the day Missouri hired football coach Eli Drinkwitz in December 2019, the school lauded his expertise as an offensive brainiac, calling the 36-year-old “one of college football’s top offensive minds” in his introductory news release.

Whether that remains true is beside the point as Drinkwitz prepares for his fourth and most pivotal season as the captain of Mizzou’s ship. But the No. 1 line on his credentials back when Mizzou hired him from Appalachian State has lost some heft.

Drinkwitz’s three Missouri teams have produced a few all-SEC playmakers — former tailback Tyler Badie and wideout Dominic Lovett, now at Georgia — but were ranked only Nos.