KCKingdom
Fansided

Missouri football: 3 reasons to watch Mizzou’s Trajan Jeffcoat

By Jacob Milham

Dec 12, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Trajan Jeffcoat (18) celebrates after a play against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Trajan Jeffcoat (18) celebrates after a play against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Missouri Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz walks on the field during warm ups before a game between Tennessee and Missouri at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.100320 Tenn Mo Jpg
Missouri Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz walks on the field during warm ups before a game between Tennessee and Missouri at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020.100320 Tenn Mo Jpg /

Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz has his first season with the Missouri football team behind him. Does Drinkwitz’s growth as a head coach help Jeffcoat?

Drinkwitz came into Missouri as a highly-coveted head coach. He had only one season of head coaching experience, leading Appalachian State to a 12-1 season in 2019. However, the jump from the Sun Belt to the SEC is undeniably a large skill gap. Still, his Tigers arguably overperformed in 2020 with a 5-5 record, including a win over defending national champions LSU. This is a slight improvement over record predictions by The Kansas City Star.

Any positives are welcomed to a program that last won a bowl game in 2014 and had a winning record in 2018.

Drinkwitz has taken this momentum onto the recruiting trail, scooping up 12 commitments in his 2022 class, as of July 13. 247 Sports currently ranks the 2022 class as 18th in the country, a noticeable jump from 2020 (51st in the country) and 2021 (27th in the country).

Drinkwitz has alos managed to surround himself with quality coaches and coordinators, including former NFL head coaches Scott Linehan and Steve Wilks. While neither achieved much success at that level, the experience and knowledge alone is a gift to the Tigers.

A conventional sense is that success on the field is built by coaching and recruiting. Drinkwitz’s quick path to Missouri has shown he can coach with the best in the country. Can he now surround players, like Jeffcoat, with stellar recruits?

Home/Missouri Tigers