Missouri has made its hire of former Appalachian State coach Eli Drinkwitz official. On Tuesday, several Missouri players shared to the media why they like Drinkwitz as the hire.

“I think he’s a player’s coach,” Tigers wide receiver Banister Barrett said. “He enjoys being around his team, and he’s just a goal-driven person.

“He told us last night that he’s going to go work for us 365-24/7 and if we ever need anything over this break or anything. We just met the guy, and he’s offering help for us and stuff. You know that’s important.”

It’s also important that the Missouri players like the hire of Drinkwitz because the national media has been skeptical of it. He has only one year of head coaching experience and that came at Appalachian State this season. While he led the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and the Sun Belt championship, Appalachian State went 11-2 last season under Scott Satterfield, who continued the success of the program from Jerry Moore.

Drinkwitz served as N.C. State offensive coordinator from 2016-18. He was also Auburn’s quarterback coach from 2010-11. That’s his only coaching experience in the Power 5.

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