SEC Media Days: Everything Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said at the podium in Atlanta

Eli Drinkwitz addressed the masses from the SEC Media Days podium Monday afternoon in Atlanta.

The Missouri head football coach also received a shoutout from the conference's leader.

"Eli is the owner of the largest Jordan shoe collection of anyone in the FBS," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "We asked him not to wear his hoodie today."

Among a range of subjects, Drinkwitz expounded on the state of college football and posed a philosophical approach to the future of the game.

Here's what Drinkwitz said at the podium:

More: Quarterbacks, recruiting and more: What Eli Drinkwitz told local media at SEC Media Days

Drinkwitz's philosophical question for college football

In Drinkwitz's opening remarks, he touched on how college football has changed.

This has been evident with conference realignment, how players transfer between schools more than ever and how they can now earn money.

Drinkwitz still puts the romantic aspects of college football to the forefront.

"It's such an incredible game that we have," Drink said. "Through great moments, through tailgates, through bitter rivalry defeat, through incredible rivalry wins, it's what makes college football awesome.

"It's my hope that we don't lose sight of that. I know that the college football world and college athletics is changing. For any of you Simpson fans, I'm not the old man yelling at the clouds that we want to go back to the way it was."

Drinkwitz identified how decisions are made as the biggest question for the sport.

"What are the guiding principles for college athletics moving forward?" he said. "I hope it's bigger than TV deals guiding principles."

Present-day college football includes name, image and likeness and the transfer portal, things Drinkwitz said were "much-needed."

But Drinkwitz said it's time for college football to set a clear course for the future.

"The question is what do we want college football to look like moving forward," he said.

Where Mizzou currently stands

While college football has changed as a whole, the same can be said for Missouri football in Drinkwitz's first two seasons.

Now, in year three, he wants to see the culture he's instilled at the forefront.

"There is a continuity to our program," Drinkwitz said of establishing that culture, while acknowledging roster and coaching changes. "This is how we do it around here."

Missouri has added a transfer player at every position on the defensive side of the ball, he said.

"There's an understanding on what we expect on the offensive and defensive side of the ball," Drinkwitz said. "We've added 19 transfers to our program to balance our roster from people that have left to also enhance our competition."

Missouri will be improved on defense, he vowed.

The offensive line will also be a force, he said.

The team's biggest question revolves around who's playing quarterback.

"We know that whoever wins that job will be prepare to be a starting quarterback in the SEC," Drinkwitz said. "I'm very excited about the football team."

On facing Auburn, where his career started

Drinkwitz's college coaching career began at Auburn in 2010 as a quality control coach. He will face that same team Sept. 24 to open Missouri's SEC schedule.

That game will mean a little bit more as it will remind Drinkwitz of lessons he learned from mentor Gene Chizik and how those have helped shape his career.

It also reminds Drinkwitz of some of the sacrifices those closest to him have made in order to help him get to where he is.

"She worked a job and took care of our daughter while I was working a job with no insurance," Drinkwitz said of his wife, Lindsey.

Opening with Auburn will be a difficult test for Missouri. It will be on the road against new head coach Bryan Harsin, who's in his second season at the helm.

The tale of the tape will trump the personal feelings Drinkwitz has.

"It'll be a real test for us," he said.

More: SEC summer size-up: What to know about Auburn, Mizzou’s first 2022 conference opponent

Expectations for Kris Abrams-Draine

One of the biggest breakout players from the 2021 season was Kris Abrams-Draine.

The receiver-turned-cornerback scored on special teams and intercepted passes as the nickel cornerback for Missouri.

Now, he's ready for a new role.

"He's in the best shape of his life," Drinkwitz said. "A model representation of what we have to do in recruiting. We were able to utilize relationships to get him out of Spanish Fort (Ala.), a guy who played quarterback in high school. When we signed him, we signed him as an athlete. Probably could have easily kept him at wide receiver, but felt like we had a need on the defensive side of the ball."

In year two as a cornerback, Drinkwitz said Abrams-Draine will move on from being a nickel cornerback and play more on the outside.

"I can't say enough positive things about him," Drinkwitz said. "This year he's going to play more corner."

Mizzou's presence statewide

Drinkwitz has re-established Missouri as a major recruiting player in the Show-Me State, pulling some of the best players from across the state.

Now, he wants to align with where the state's professional teams have gone.

"We have to align with that championship vision," Drinkwitz said. "We all need to be Missouri Tigers fans."

He then spoke of the past winners in Missouri. He followed that with a statement that it's time to add a championship in Columbia.

"The Chiefs, Cardinals, Royals, Blues have all won championships," Drinkwitz said. "It's Mizzou's time to embrace that same standard."

On renewing rivalries with Texas and Oklahoma

In the summer of 2021, Oklahoma and Texas made waves by announcing their move from the Big 12 to the SEC.

The two will reunite with former Big 12 foe Missouri by 2025.

Drinkwitz was in favor of reviving the rivalries.

"I'm all for it," Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz noted how the beauty of college football lies in the rivalries and pageantry of the game. He doesn't want either of those aspects lost as the sport stays in search of bigger contracts and more money.

"I'm for playing consistent games," Drinkwitz said. "I'm for playing consistent opponents, building a consistent level of expectations.

"When you have a constant rotation, I don't know how you'll be able to do that."

More: Kwiecinski: Past Mizzou leaders deserve Tigers fans' thanks in wake of conference shakeups

On recruiting the transfer portal

Missouri was a benefactor of the transfer portal. Nineteen players will swap from one uniform to a Missouri Tigers helmet, jersey and more in 2022.

Players from the quarterback position, all the way to safety, visited and committed to Missouri. Some, like Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon, visited but didn't commit. Others, like Clemson safety Joseph Charleston, did commit.

"It's all about the right fit," Drinkwitz said.

Whether a player is the right fit comes with a handful of questions, Drinkwitz said, before providing some examples.

Does Missouri have a need for that position? Can that player compete? If they played at their previous school, did they start? What was their role? Why are they leaving? Are they going to be happy with competing and the role they'll have at Missouri?

Right now, Drinkwitz said Missouri has properly vetted a lot of those questions.

"We have a lot of guys come, we had a lot of guys visit," Drinkwitz said. "I feel really good about the fit of our football team right now."

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: SEC Media Days 2022: Everything Eli Drinkwitz said at the podium