Bring your Tigers football, basketball and recruiting questions, and talk to Eli Hoff in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Transcript
Eli ±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýGood morning and happy Thursday, all! Thanks for coming by this week's Mizzou chat. I'll take your questions and thoughts for the next couple of hours here, so... what have you got?
µþ°ù±ð³Ù³Ù´Ç:ÌýHas the NCAA placed limits on the total amount of money a college can use for NIL and is there a single player limit. I worry that college football will go the way of the Major League Baseball in that the schools with 100,000 seat stadiums and rich alumni will simply buy all the best players.
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýThe short answer is no, and that it's already going that way.
There will be a limit on revenue sharing, once that takes effect, with a cap of sorts likely in the $22 million range (though I think that will go up each year to some degree, as those things do). But while that's a cap for that specific form of compensation for athletes, at the highest level of college sports, it's really the floor — you'll see schools stack NIL on top of that. The cost is only going to keep going up. And there just are only so many schools that can realistically keep pace to be competitive. The SEC and Big Ten seem to be pulling away in that regard. There will be degrees of investment and spending within those conferences as well. But I don't think there's a way to come back from this kind of split when the path forward is what it is.
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µþ°ù±ð³Ù³Ù´Ç:ÌýLuther Burden is constantly put in motion, but very rarely is thrown the ball. He is a once in a decade player for Mizzou and it seems like they are wasting his talent and limited time at Missouri.
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýIt took Mizzou 31 plays to get him a touch against Auburn. That just can't happen. I fully understand that teams are trying to take him away and he's priority No. 1 for opposing defenses. I also understand that there's a lot I don't know about football. But to me, the simple tenet of giving your generational talent the football seems like a good core philosophy for this offense.
Eli Drinkwitz talked about Burden's muffed punt being a well-intentioned error because he was frustrated and wanted to make a play. Maybe if he'd gotten the ball a few more times before that point, a mistake like that doesn't happen. But letting a 30-play stretch at any point in a game pass by without a Burden touch is the sort of thing that costs a team wins.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:ÌýWhat do you think the big issue was last year with the men’s basketball team. And have we corrected that issue
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýOn one level, the big issue was injuries. So many guys got hurt, which stunted both development for young players and the ability of some veteran players to contribute. I'm not saying Mizzou would've been a Sweet Sixteen team with everyone healthy, but I think it would've at least, like, won a conference game. So in that sense, I think there's optimism that the injury bug just can't be as bad as it was last year.
On the court, I'd say the biggest issue was post play. Not having a reliable center cost Missouri on the boards, in having that as a scoring option and in being able to defend down there. I don't think the Tigers need an elite center, even, just someone viable. Josh Gray coming in should help. He at least has the size and experience, so there's a base level of competence. Peyton Marshall has the size, too. He'll have to adjust to the college game, but that should help too. This is no knock on Aidan Shaw, but I think if he doesn't have to come in and play the 5, Mizzou has done what it's needed to at the center position.Ìý
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:Ìýit was great to see a lot of Mizzou fans at the UMass game. I know it’s not a party, but as an alarm, it was great to see Mizzou out here.
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI couldn't reliably put a number on it, but there was a strong showing of Mizzou fans at that game. One half of the stadium was occupied by what seemed to be almost exclusively Missouri folks. I imagine if you're an alum on the east coast or in New England (or wanted an excuse for a trip out there in the fall), it was cool to see your team in that neck of the woods. I personally had a blast visiting that part of the country for the first time.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:ÌýIs gates on the hot seat if we don’t make the NCAA tournament
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýSome of this will depend on Laird Veatch's expectations for the men's hoops program this year, but I'm inclined to think no. I'm not really sure what the job security bar is for Dennis Gates this season. I think his seat would be quite hot if he doesn't win a conference game again, but I'm not sure what threshold you say Mizzou absolutely needs to hit. Making it back to the tournament would obviously be a big step for him and this program, but I think a respectable showing in SEC play is the more reasonable expectation.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:ÌýWho has been your favorite person to interview so far at Mizzou
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýThis is a fun one. I've gotten to talk with offensive coordinator Kirby Moore individually at a couple of media days, and that's always fun. He knows a ton. I think my favorite football assistant to talk to, though, is cornerbacks coach Al Pogue. He's funny, genuine and always has some really good insight. On the basketball side, Coach Nutt is full of wisdom and energy — and he got to ring the bell last week after his cancer treatment, which is just wonderful to see. Player wise, Darius Robinson was the gold standard last year. Just a great dude who was thoughtful when he spoke with media.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:Ìýhow is Kobe doing.
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýKobe Brown was a DNP in the Clippers' season-opener last night. Seems like he'll be pushing for a spot on the roster and in the back end of the rotation again this season.
´³±ð°ù±ð³¾²â:ÌýI know a lot of people, you and Ben included, have compared Cook to his numbers from last year. But last year he had a good O-line. Have you compared him to 2022 when he had poor pass protection and TE's and RB's were being used as extra blockers? How does he stack up with that Brady Cook? ... I also feel like this is yet another season where in December/January Drinkwitz is going to reveal that Cook was actually playing hurt all season. After his injection against Auburn I think that became undeniable. And I realize you're asking Drinkwitz about injuries; there's nothing more we can do.
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýMaybe that is the fairest way to do it. Here are his per-game stats and percentages for those two seasons... 2022: 210.7 pass yards per game, 64.8% comp, 1.08 TDs, 0.54 INTs, 45 rush yards, 0.46 rush TD. 2024: 220.7 pass yds per game, 63.1%, 1 TD, 0.14 INT, 16.7 rush yds, 0.57 rush TDs.
So, basically: Slightly more yardage, a comparable but slightly down completion percentage, about the same number of passing TDs, way fewer interceptions, less rushing yardage but more scores on the ground.Ìý
Cook mentioned during an on-air interview with a KC radio station last week that he'd been dealing with some lower-body stuff, which confirms a lot of folks' suspicions — and goes against what Cook and Drinkwitz had said. That was before this ankle sprain, too. But now at least it's clear that he's dealing with an injury, so no dodging that now.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:ÌýDo you think our issue in basketball is talent or not the appropriate coaching?
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýI think it was evident last year that there just weren't the pieces to be a high-level team. Replacing Kobe Brown, for example, required talent and not just scheme. A player like Noah Carter struggled to step into that role. That's not to say there weren't coaching plans that didn't work out, but I do think there was a lack of talent that could round out a rotation. And again, injuries are a factor there.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:Ìýhow is our basketball recruiting looking for next yea
Hoff:ÌýFour-star PG Aaron Rowe, who plays locally at Father Tolton in Columbia, remains the only commitment. Mizzou's going after a couple other players, but this won't be another five-man recruiting class. It seems like it'll be just a few guys who the staff really likes as developmental pieces.
µþ´Ç»å³Ù¾±²Ô:ÌýWhat is up with our poor pass protection when we pass?
±á´Ç´Ú´Ú:ÌýMizzou lost two veterans on the left side of the offensive line. Replacing them was always going to be tough. Cayden Green is in just his second year of college football. Marcus Bryant is making the jump from SMU to the SEC. That has caused some growing pains and a step back from last year.
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