Why Mizzou football players stayed committed for Cotton Bowl in age of CFB opt-outs

There was a common consensus among Missouri’s veteran crew when the Tigers’ Cotton Bowl berth was first announced on Sunday, Dec. 3.

This class started this job, and it went through the fog and mire that lingered over the past.

Now, that same group is going to see it through.

Mizzou football is in Arlington, Texas, where it will play in its first New Year’s Six bowl game in program history. When the No. 9-ranked Tigers (10-2) walk onto the field Friday at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, for a much anticipated matchup with No. 7 Ohio State, they’ll do so at as close to full strength as possible.

“All the other seniors have decided (as of right now),” MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz said on Dec. 3, “that they want to finish this thing out and play, so I don’t anticipate having any issues.”

The head coach was more or less right.

A long list of seniors are eligible and likely to hear their name called in April’s NFL Draft, including (but not limited to) defensive end Darius Robinson, cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and running back Cody Schrader.

Other than Rakestraw and Hopper, who have been ruled out of the game due to injuries that also held them out of the end of the regular season, MU looks set to field each and every one of its starters. Even portal entrants, Drinkwitz said, were eligible to participate with the team through the bowl if they chose.

That’s a far cry from years gone by.

In 2021, at the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, just down the road from AT&T Stadium, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said he held out then-star running back Tyler Badie to protect him as he prepared for the NFL Draft.

In 2022, the Tigers went to Tampa, Florida, for the Gasparilla Bowl against Wake Forest a far sight from full strength, as leading wide receiver Dominic Lovett transferred to Georgia and three starters on defense opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Not this year, and not this class.

“We wanted to (end) on a great note,” left tackle Javon Foster, who will be playing his final game in black and gold, said on Dec. 3. “I’ve been here — there’s been a lot of ups and downs, you know, so just having and finishing a season out with a great team is a blessing, honestly.”

The No. 7 Buckeyes aren’t quite as resolute in their commitment to the Cotton Bowl.

OSU starting quarterback Kyle McCord recently announced that he is transferring to Syracuse.

The Buckeyes are still waiting to see whether leading receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., projected among the top five picks in the upcoming draft, will play or opt out. Same deal for leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson ... and edge rusher J.T. Tuimoloau ... and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg.

Each questionable player, except for Harrison, reportedly practiced Tuesday morning. Harrison was present but did not suit up.

“They are a blue-blood program with elite players … in every aspect of the program,” Drinkwitz said last Wednesday. “Regardless of who’s left, who’s there, coach (Ryan) Day and his staff do an excellent job schematically and in player development. It’s going to be a very difficult contest for us.”

Still, Day’s team is bringing plenty of firepower to Jerry World.

Devin Brown, a sophomore and former top-50 overall recruit, is expected to start at quarterback. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and cornerback Denzel Burke — both projected first-round draft picks — are confirmed as participants. Same for defensive end Jack Sawyer, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and corner Jordan Hancock.

That’s plenty of the core of the defense that is second in the nation in points allowed, holding opponents to an average of 11 points per game in the regular season.

The focus from the team in Columbia is mostly inward.

It’s a different look to the 6-6, pre-Christmas bowl games Mizzou has been to for the past couple of years. It’s a different team. The Tigers have a third top-25-ranked recruiting class in four seasons arriving in 2024. As of Tuesday, Missouri has landed seven promising transfers. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore were awarded with contract extensions, though the details are not yet public.

“I’d say the vibe around the program and the vibe in CoMo is a lot better compared to a year ago today,” quarterback Brady Cook said on Dec. 19.

A win over Ohio State would make Missouri an 11-2 team in a season it started the year with the acronym STP — “something to prove” — as its mantra.

Winning the Cotton Bowl would prove plenty heading into a season in which the playoff expands to 12 teams … not that the Tigers need to prove much anymore.

“At this point, for this game, the Cotton Bowl — you know, it’s showtime,” Cook said. “You know, take the P off (of STP), it’s just ST: It’s showtime. So that’s our mindset. We’re gonna go out there and we’re gonna put on a show.”

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.