Missouri Tigers Football

Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz offered a frank response when asked how much communication he had with fellow SEC coaches regarding the results of COVID-19 testing.

"It's kind of a free-for-all," Drinkwitz told reporters, explaining that the conference doesn't have a policy about programs exchanging information on testing results.

Prior to the Tigers' season-opening loss to Alabama, Drinkwitz disclosed his team would have 69 scholarship players available, with some out because of COVID-19. He demanded more transparency across the board.

"This is a public health issue, not a competitive issue," Drinkwitz told reporters. "This is not an injury we're trying to keep. People should know what's happening within our football program as it relates to the pandemic. That to me is more important than, you know, whatever competitive advantage it might be to win or lose a football game."

He did not want to go above his head when I asked if it disappoints him that there isn't a uniform report released by SEC each week as far as availability. Drinkwitz has been most transparent coach in SEC with COVID-19 testing results. https://t.co/sJcp85Qoza

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 30, 2020

His comments called to mind when LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said Sept. 15 he thought "most" Tigers players had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger reported in June that at least 30 Tigers had been placed into quarantine, but Orgeron's revelation still qualified as a surprise.

If this is true, is Orgeron admitting that: a. LSU basically never had a protocol; b. LSU had a protocol and it was an unmitigated failure?

— Joel D. Anderson 🆓 (@byjoelanderson) September 15, 2020

This isn't a problem isolated to the SEC, though. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said Sept. 8 he wasn't going to announce COVID-19 testing results, arguing it would put his team at "a competitive disadvantage."

ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach reported Sept. 3 that "almost half" of Power Five programs "declined to share data about how many positive tests their programs have had."

"Many of the schools that declined to give data to ESPN cited federal student privacy laws, university protocols and other confidentiality considerations, although legal experts say those laws shouldn't be applied to such a request because the data wouldn't identify specific students," they wrote.

The University of Missouri football team dedicated Wednesday to leading a peaceful protest and registering to vote in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing May 25.

"Today we decided that action is what causes change," head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, who was hired in December, said in a statement. "Our integrity is when words and actions come into alignment. So we did that—our players led a powerful walk to the courthouse where we took a knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, to honor the life of George Floyd and demand justice. This isn't political. It's a human rights issue."

Drinkwitz added that 62 student-athletes registered to vote.

pic.twitter.com/zL1rWuMhRf

— Eliah Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) June 3, 2020

Together. ✊🏾✊🏽✊🏿✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/OnVPe31rb6

— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) June 3, 2020

Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk released a statement Sunday:

"Together, we will make a difference in the fight to end prejudice, racism and injustice."#Mizzou AD Jim Sterk pic.twitter.com/U0xrO0Tf2o

— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) May 31, 2020

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in the custody of Minneapolis police. Officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been fired, knelt on the back of Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds before he was ultimately pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A charge of second-degree murder was added Wednesday—when the other three officers present at the scene were formally charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Mizzou's campus in Columbia, Missouri, was previously the site of protests in 2015 after then-student government president Payton Head shared he had been the target of racist behavior. The football team took part in the protests, and university president Tim Wolfe ultimately resigned.

Missouri defensive lineman Antar Thompson was suspended indefinitely following his arrest Sunday, the school confirmed to Souichi Terada of the Kansas City Star.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Dave Matter, the arrest resulted from a pair of alleged traffic violations around 9 p.m. CT Friday. An officer from Missouri's campus police tried to stop Thompson for a violation. Ten minutes later, a second officer attempted to stop Thompson for speeding.

Officers declined to pursue the redshirt senior since they were already aware of his identity. He was placed into custody Sunday and charged with resisting arrest and operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner.

Thompson was automatically suspended under Missouri school policy because his resisting arrest charge was a Class D felony.

Thompson and his Tigers teammates are unable to practice after the SEC suspended all athletics activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban was initially in place through April 15 but extended to May 31 earlier this month.

The St. Louis native has made eight appearances over two years for Missouri after signing with the school out of junior college in 2018.

The University of Missouri has reportedly fired head football coach Barry Odom after the Tigers posted a 6-6 record during the 2019 regular season, which ended Friday with a win over Arkansas.

Gabe DeArmond of PowerMizzou reported the news Saturday, which was confirmed by Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel.

Missouri announced associate head coach Brick Haley would be the interim head coach. 

Odom played college football for Missouri as a linebacker from 1996 to 1999 and started his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant with the program in 2003.

After a three-year stint at Memphis (2012-14), he returned to the Tigers as defensive coordinator in 2015 and was promoted to head coach in 2016 following the retirement of Gary Pinkel.

The 43-year-old Oklahoma native led Mizzou to a 25-25 record across four seasons, including a 13-19 mark in SEC play. The Tigers also lost their bowl game each of the past two years.

Odom said following the team's 24-14 victory over the Razorbacks that he wasn't sure what the future held with his team ruled ineligible for a bowl amid speculation about his job status.

"No idea," Odom told reporters Friday. "I'm just going to wake up in the morning and go to work."

The program's new coach will first be tasked with trying to bolster the Tigers' 2020 recruiting class, which currently ranks 12th in the 14-team SEC, per 247Sports.

Missouri could benefit from moving in a new direction, as its last double-digit-win campaign came in 2014, which also marked the last season it won a bowl game.

Missouri Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant will not return to Saturday's game against the Troy Trojans after suffering a left leg injury just before halftime, according to Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

With just more than one minute remaining in the second quarter, Troy senior defensive tackle Travis Sailo delivered a late hit to the back of Bryant's left leg on a six-yard touchdown pass.

Kelly Bryant hit from behind and grabs his leg. He's still down. Doesn't look good.

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) October 5, 2019

Bryant completed 12 of 19 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions, running for 20 yards and a score as well. He exited the game with the Tigers up 42-7.

After spending three-plus seasons at Clemson, Bryant is in his first season at Mizzou. He has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,246 yards and 11 touchdowns with three interceptions in five games, totaling 123 yards and one touchdown with his legs as well.

The graduate transfer has led the Tigers to a soon-to-be 4-1 record.

The extent of Bryant's injury was not clear, but if it is serious, it would be a major blow to the Mizzou offense. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Powell replaced Bryant against Troy. He entered the game with 22 career pass attempts.

Mizzou's upcoming schedule features SEC tilts against visiting Ole Miss and at Vanderbilt and Kentucky before an open week. The Tigers will not face their first ranked opponent until Nov. 9, when they travel to Athens to take on No. 3 Georgia.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Don't forget what's important, Kelly Bryant tells himself, over and over. Don't wander into murky uncertainty and forget why you're here.    

From Clemson to Mizzou—and no turning back.

He stares into the cold, unforgiving mirror in the bathroom of his campus apartment, the one place he can't hide and the one place the truth glares back without hesitation or explanation.

"I've been tested over and over," Bryant says. "Sometimes I think, Is there something You have been telling me that I'm not understanding?"

The notes and Bible verses pasted around his reflection in the glass are the roadmap to one last chance, to now or never.

"Only I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." — Jeremiah 28:11

No regrets. Stay focused. Remember your why.

"My why is why I'm here, why I do the things I do," Bryant says.

Why he's a thousand miles from home at Missouri.

Stuck behind generational quarterback Deshaun Watson at Clemson in 2015 and 2016, Bryant had an inconsistent junior season as a starter in 2017—though still leading Clemson to the College Football Playoff—then was beaten out by another generational quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, in 2018. To protect a final season of eligibility, he left Clemson four games into 2018, transferring to Missouri in December amid controversy and second-guessing. Then in January, weeks after arriving in Columbia, he received a text from Missouri coach Barry Odom about an unplanned team meeting.

Less than an hour later, the latest indignity in his star-crossed college career came into focus: Missouri was hit with NCAA sanctions, eliminating any postseason play for the 2019 season.

"Remember your why," Bryant says again, slowly. "Why you're here. Why you do the things that you do."

He stops, and the wound opens and begins to seep, and there's no hiding it now. "Sometimes you want to ask, Why me? But I know everything happens for a reason."

The reason now is simple: play his final season of eligibility in the SEC against the best competition in college football and prepare for the NFL. Success with the former will translate to growth toward the latter.

One season without looking up at Watson, or looking behind at Lawrence. One season when it's all about Kelly Bryant.

One season to show everyone—Clemson, his critics and NFL personnel—that he's far from finished.

"He struggled to throw the ball in 2017. There's no other way to say it," one NFL scout tells Bleacher Report. "There has to be a transformation or he's not playing in this league."

How's that for now or never?

It's not like Bryant hasn't dealt with pressure already. After waiting two seasons behind Watson, who brought Clemson its first national title in 35 years and left as the greatest player in school history, Bryant was being pushed out by another program-defining player. This time, a freshman (Lawrence), who had played in all of four games and had to be bailed out in one of them (vs. Texas A&M).

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney made the decision—"Maybe the toughest decision I've made as a coach; Kelly Bryant is a special guy," he says—and Bryant was vilified on social media as a player who quit on his teammates after deciding to leave Clemson and preserve a season of eligibility.

"Some of the stuff he heard was awful," says Bryant's longtime quarterbacks coach, Ramon Robinson. "People who have no idea what's going on are saying things that no one needs to hear. He has taken every rock that has been thrown at him and has kept punching. Then that big boulder hit, and he kept fighting."

So while Clemson rolled through the ACC and then through the CFP to win the national championship and become the first FBS team with 15 wins in a season, Bryant earned his degree in history and youth studies and set out to find another spot to play his final season.

He watched every Clemson game and stayed connected to his teammates. He even continued to text support to Lawrence, because why wouldn't he? It's not Lawrence's fault it ended like it did, and Lawrence was the key to helping Bryant's teammates—with whom he worked and sweat and dreamed for four seasons—win a national championship.

"When it first happened, it had me in a real bad place mentally, especially not playing," Bryant says. "You get used to a routine that you've been doing all of your life, and now you're like, What am I supposed to do? I'm looking at Saturdays, and everybody is playing and I'm taking recruiting visits. I'm looking at those games and thinking, I'm supposed to be there.

"The one thing I learned above all else during that time was: 'Don't take anything for granted. Never get comfortable.'"

Remember your why.

That as much as anything was why he chose Missouri. He could've played just about anywhere but forced himself to embrace the unknown and learn a vastly different, NFL-style offense under quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Derek Dooley.

Every coach told him they'd prepare him for the NFL. Dooley showed him how he helped 2019 second-round draft pick Drew Lock embrace an offense that mirrored what the Dallas Cowboys use: intermediate play-action passes, throwing with a moving pocket and more focus on deep throws.

"Didn't take long to realize he throws a beautiful deep ball," Odom says. "He has been sold short on his ability to throw the ball down the field. That's going to be a weapon for us."

Four months into his one-year shot with Missouri, a group of more than 20 friends and family members arrived in Columbia to watch Bryant play in Missouri's spring game. Aunts and uncles and cousins on both sides of his family. His sister, brother-in-law, dad, mom and grandma.

And eight of his former Clemson teammates.

Position competitions rarely work themselves out easily and are particularly hard on quarterbacks. There's only one on the field, and shared duty almost never works.

When players eventually leave, the idea of what was is quickly and dutifully eliminated.

"We all know this is a business. There are no hard feelings," Clemson wideout Tee Higgins says. "We love Kelly. He's our brother. I can't wait to see his future."

Bryant is 15 practices into this last-chance stop, and completed 12 of 17 passes for 150 yards in limited work during the spring game. He'll have four weeks of fall camp before he takes control of a Missouri team that won eight games last year—and lost another two on the final possession of the game (South Carolina and Kentucky).

The school has appealed its postseason ban, and there's a chance it could be overturned and the team's postseason eligibility restored. Still, this was a business move.

NFL personnel need to see more of Bryant the thrower. Reading defenses, anticipating throws, throwing with accuracy.

He has 16 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 470 career passing attempts, and in his only season as a full-time starter at Clemson, he completed 65.8 percent of his passes in a quarterback-friendly spread system.

"He has a long way to go, but I love those guys who get gut-punched and the adversity just steels them," another NFL scout tells B/R. "His arm is more than strong enough for our league, and coaches at both [Clemson and Missouri] rave about his football IQ and leadership. He desperately needs a full season of [game] tape where he's showing he can consistently make NFL throws."

Days after the spring game, Odom is in his office that overlooks a multimillion-dollar renovation of Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium and trying to explain his hesitation with accepting graduate transfers. They're one-time, short-term fixes, he says.

They have to be unique players with charismatic personalities who blend with your locker room and don't create division. They must be uncommon.

When Odom met Bryant, he immediately began to see specific traits of the one quarterback he says he places above all others in his time as a player, assistant coach and head coach at Missouri, the player who holds nearly all of the school's major passing records and has played 10-plus seasons in the NFL.

"Chase Daniel had the most impressive football IQ of any player I've ever been around," Odom says. "That guy knows the ins and outs of every play call, everybody's job on that play, the look from the other side, what we're seeing from the [defensive] front, how the safeties were rotating. It was amazing. You'd sit there in a room and listen to him talk to the receivers or offensive line coaches, and it was like he was a mad scientist or something."

Odom leans back and laughs, then quickly sits up and turns eerily serious.

"There's a lot of that in Kelly Bryant," he continues. "He has the calmness, he knows he's in charge, and everyone else knows it, too. You either have it or you don't."

Back in Bryant's apartment, the book Jesus Calling sits on a bedside table, dog-eared and worn with inspirational Bible passages and stories that help him understand the strange and surreal path that has brought him here.

"Your life is not falling apart," a passage reads. "It's falling into place."

Never lose hope. Remember your why.

"Sometimes things aren't as bad as they seem," Bryant says. "You always want to have good days, but that's not reality in life. It's crazy how I got here, but I'm at peace. Now it's time to go play."

Kelly Bryant thought he found a comfortable spot for his final season of college football.

After an eight-win season in 2018, Missouri has a promising group of returning skill-position talent. Since the offense would be losing quarterback Drew Lock to the NFL, Bryant saw a great opportunity. He could make this fringe SEC contender a real threat.

But then the NCAA dropped its arbitrary hammer.

A one-year bowl ban is the main penalty levied for academic fraud committed by a former athletic department tutor. Barring a successful appeal―don't hold your breath―Missouri will not be eligible for postseason play in 2019.

No current players were involved, yet the punishment could've spelled disaster. Along with all seniors on the team, Bryant would be allowed to transfer freely and be eligible immediately.

However, per Matt Connolly of The State, the dual-threat quarterback decided he's going to stay in Columbia. Plus, Alex Schiffer of the Kansas City Star noted Missouri coach Barry Odom said no upperclassman has informed him of plans to leave.

For better or worse, the veterans are sticking out a difficult year.

And the Tigers might only need a couple of favorable bounces to become a national story during the 2019 season.

Barry Odom: "Nobody's sitting around saying, 'Poor, pitiful Missouri.' I guarantee that. So, bring it on."

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) February 1, 2019

Bryant isn't an All-American-caliber quarterback or a stunning NFL prospect. But the only reason he lost a starting job at Clemson was the replacement, Trevor Lawrence, is both of those things. Bryant's versatility can shine in a similar system.

The Tigers return a 1,200-yard rusher in Larry Rountree III, and receiver Johnathon Johnson has consecutive 700-yard seasons. Jalen Knox and Kam Scott are emerging big-play threats, and Arkansas transfer Jonathan Nance bolsters the depth of the rotation. Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam passed up the NFL but could've been a top prospect at his position.

Additionally, Missouri returns three starting offensive linemen, with left tackle Yasir Durant and All-SEC right guard Tre'Vour Wallace-Simms as foundational pieces.

This offense has high scoring potential.

Granted, the Tigers might need it. They're retooling the defensive front after the departures of Terry Beckner Jr. and Walter Palmore. Most of the secondary is back, but Missouri was tied for 92nd nationally in yards allowed per pass (7.7), with 24 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions. That unit must improve significantly.

It sure is possible, though. Take a peek at the schedule. What you don't notice on the 2019 slate is important.

Missouri's 2019 schedule was released today. Two open dates next year: pic.twitter.com/RWbyN4IcPr

— Daniel Jones (@daniel_m_jones) September 18, 2018

No Alabama. No Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State or Texas A&M in sight. The Tigers' crossover games with the SEC West are Ole Miss and Arkansas, who combined for one SEC victory last year.

Plus, five of Missouri's first six games are at home. The program is just 19-19 under Odom yet 13-8 in Columbia during that time.

If the Tigers can navigate a rebuilding West Virginia team, mid-tier SEC foes in South Carolina and Ole Miss and then Power Five killer Troy, they could start 6-0―maybe even 8-0. Road trips to Vanderbilt and Kentucky should be winnable games.

But don't take our word for it; none of Athlon, CBS Sports, ESPN or Sports Illustrated list any of Missouri's first eight opponents in an early Top 25. Breakout teams will emerge, but that's a favorable slate.

Unlikely? Sure. We're not predicting an 8-0 record for Missouri. But 6-2 heading into showdowns with Georgia and Florida wouldn't look so bad, either. Upsetting one of those teams could have a massive impact in the SEC East race, too.

Even if the NCAA penalties stand and Missouri is ineligible for a bowl, the AP poll can still feature the Tigers. Bryant has a legitimate chance to help the program earn a Top 15 ranking.

Bryant and his fellow seniors deciding to stay put could turn an unfortunate outlook for Missouri into a memorable season.

It just might end in November.

        

Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

The University of Missouri has been hit with multiple sanctions, including a one-year postseason ban for the football program, stemming from academic violations. 

The NCAA announced the Division I Committee on Infractions panel found a former Missouri tutor violated NCAA rules on ethical conduct, academic misconduct and academic extra benefits rules by completing coursework for 12 student-athletes. 

Punishment for the violations includes a 2019-20 postseason ban for the football team, five percent reduction in scholarships for the football, baseball and softball teams during the 2019-20 academic year and vacation of records in the three sports that the student-athletes competed in while academically ineligible. 

Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk announced the school will appeal the NCAA's ruling:

Mizzou will appeal ncaa ruling. Jim Sterk comment: pic.twitter.com/M636Z4KwJV

— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) January 31, 2019

Former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant announced in December he was transferring to the Tigers. 

Per Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News, since Bryant's remaining eligibility is also one year, he could transfer to a different school without penalty under NCAA bylaws.

However, per Matt Connolly of the Kansas City Star, Bryant intends to stay at Missouri and is already taking part in offseason workouts with the team. 

The coursework completed by the tutor for most of the student-athletes included online assignments, quizzes and exams. 

The tutor told the school and NCAA enforcement staff during her interview that an academic coordinator reached out to her and said one particular student needed to pass a course in order to graduate.

She also helped two football players on a math placement exam that explicitly states it must be taken alone without anyone providing assistance. 

Additional sanctions for Missouri will include three years of probation, a 10-year show-cause order for the tutor and various recruiting restrictions for the 2019-20 academic year.