Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz met with reporters at the SEC’s annual spring meetings in Florida on Tuesday morning.
Among the topics discussed was the new punt formation rule that will be in effect for the 2026 college football season. The rule limits coaches’ abilities to disguise fake punt formations by making players near the snapper ineligible receivers when jersey number exceptions are used. Here’s the full rule change from the NCAA:
On punts where jersey number exceptions (players who do not wear numbers 50-79) are used, the snapper and two adjacent linemen on either side who are lined up in (or touching) the tackle box are ineligible receivers by position and become exceptions to the numbering rule when the snapper takes his position. This clarifies which players are eligible receivers in the formation.
Numerous Big Ten coaches, including Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, have been vocal about their disagreement with the change. Drinkwitz, suffice it to say, has no sympathy.
“Complain about something that you could have been a process to,” Drinkwitz said Tuesday, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “Maybe they find a local judge to allow them to use whatever process they want to use.”
Mizzou will be looking for a bounce-back season in 2026 after going 8-5 in 2025. The Tigers will open the upcoming campaign against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 3.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
