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[00:04]
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[00:35]
Host/Interviewer
We're here. SEC Media Days Cody Goodwin, Power Mizzou first time in person. What's up, man?
[00:41]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, no talk to you guys a little bit. Following all your work, following the reaction to some of the lists that you guys are putting out. But no, happy to be here. Appreciate you guys reaching out.
[00:49]
Host/Interviewer
What's the biggest thing you learned about Missouri yesterday? Day one.
[00:54]
Cody Goodwin
Biggest thing or most important thing?
[00:55]
Host/Interviewer
Yeah, most important.
[00:56]
Cody Goodwin
Most important thing. Well, obviously, the Hardy News took, you know, know, precedence and, and Drinkwitz was making his rounds yesterday, and he was saving that one for the main stage. Right. I think he started on Sirius xm. He did a couple of TV hits. He talked with us early in the morning. He did the electronic room here where he got to talk to a handful of other media. And every time we asked him, he's like, just wait, just wait. And so, you know, hey, Ahmad Hardy, for those who maybe haven't seen it yet, officially able to start the return to football protocol of his recovery. Right. Took, you know, gunshot in May, had a couple of surgeries, recovering. So it sounds like he's. Things are trending up, right? Because all offseason we're kind of like we don't know if he's going to play, how much he's going to play, what the whole return to, you know, play protocol looks like. And so finally got some clarity on that. Drinkwood said it's about going to probably be another five to eight weeks, which still a little hazy, right, because you look at the calendar, that could be before week one against Arkansas, Pine Bluff. That can also be after Kansas, which is week two. So when will we see him? Not 100% sure, but he's going to play this season. Sounds like he's going to play in the month of September, it sounds like, which is, you know, that's. That's cool, man. That's a heck of a story when it comes to college football.
[02:03]
Co-host/Analyst
That's the first thing we did. We like, well, how. How many weeks is eight weeks? And then we started doing math and we're like, wait a minute, that's getting into the season.
[02:09]
Cody Goodwin
So.
[02:11]
Co-host/Analyst
But realistically, do we even need him for Kansas?
[02:14]
Cody Goodwin
I, I said, hey, Kansas is an important game. Kansas is an important game in Missouri. That's a game they want to win. Especially what they're going back to Lawrence for the first time and lord knows when, you know, because they had the 14 year break and even before then that game was always played in Kansas City. So first time, long time in Lawrence. I don't know if they'll need him for that game. Kansas has quite a few question marks on their roster, especially at quarterback. Jalen Daniels is no longer there. They have some dudes on defense, but just, you know, I, I'm. If I'm Missouri, I don't know that I'm necessarily worried about that game. So the big one for me is at the end of September, another road game in Starkville against Mississippi State. That's the one where it's like, okay, if you need him back early in the season, that's. That's probably the one.
[02:57]
Host/Interviewer
Now I realize they've overhauled at offensive coordinator bringing in Chip Lindsey.
[03:01]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, they have overhauled quite a bit of the offensive staff. So in addition, you know, they brought in Chip Lindsay as the offensive coordinator because Kirby Moore is now at Washington State and he took a couple of assistants with him. So Drink had to hire a new quarterbacks coach. Pulled Garrett Riley after the thing happened with him at Clemson. So Broyles award winner, really talented developer of quarterback. So that's nice to have along with Chip. Those two guys excellent when it comes to developing quarterbacks and coaching quarterbacks. But then also Drink had to hire a new tight ends coach, Alex Atkins, who longtime offensive line coach brought him in to coach the tight ends. But he was also part of the offensive brain trust at Florida State in 2023 when the Seminoles went 13, 0 on the ACC. So a lot of, lot of high level offensive brains in that room on that staff. And obviously the ultimate goal is to get plus level play out of the quarterback, but then also offense as a whole to be able to press a few more buttons this season than they did last year.
[03:55]
Host/Interviewer
Do you think it's fair to say that that's admitting that we haven't got the most out of a quarterback position in Columbia though, that he's. The fact that he's overhauled it and how much confidence does all that brain trust give you that they'll get the most out of Austin Simmons?
[04:07]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, I think it's, I think it's a clear admission that hey, like the quarterback position has not been as good and I mean really last season the quarterback position was not what they needed it to be in some of those bigger games, right? You look at the Alabama game like two picks in the fourth quarter when they still had a chance to win that game. Vanderbilt, obviously, Bo got hurt, but Matt Zollers wasn't to the point in his development where he could be effective coming in. I know he had that, you know, oh, so close at home area at the end of the game. But then, you know, Bo comes back for the Oklahoma game and they could not move the ball at all. Like, that was just. I don't. I know Oklahoma's defense is nasty, but like Mizzou couldn't do anything. So the goal was to not only identify their guy, which, you know, Drink has had trouble doing that. Right. He's always identified the guys. You know, he got Jaden Daniels to campus, he got Fernando Mendoza to campus, but could never seal the deal. And what was most intriguing about this portal cycle and getting Simmons was that Simmons was his guy from the get go. And he identified him, got him. He's got him here. And then on top of that, you know, maybe fortuitous because Kirby ultimately left for a head coaching job, but, you know, he was able to bring in a lot of quarterback savvy coaches. You know, Chip Lindsay, you look at his track record. Drake May, Jarrett Stidham, Nick Mullins, he identified Bo Nix first on the recruiting trail. And then Garrett Riley, what he was able to do with Max Duggan at TCU that year, they went to the national championship game. So bringing in those guys to really, you know, not just make, you know, not just bring quarterback to where it's not a weakness, but to really, I think, try and make it a strength that I think will do wonders for this offense and it just raises the ceiling of the team as a whole.
[05:33]
Co-host/Analyst
Well, speaking of strength, I feel like you lost a lot of it there in the draft. You know, this is a defense that's. That's turning out, especially the secondary. So, you know, I feel like when we see some of these over unders or expectations of Mizzou, a lot of people are saying, yeah, but they're replacing so much. What do you. What do I know? We got a few transfers coming in, but what do you think about this defense right now going into camp?
[05:55]
Cody Goodwin
I, you know, about the. When it comes to the offense, I'm cautiously optimistic. When it comes to the defense, I'm cop. I'm cautiously optimistic for different reasons. And I think honestly the biggest reason is that Corey Batoon, third year defensive coordinator each of the last two years, Mizzou's had a top 30 defense in the country. I think last year they were top 10 overall. Like, nasty pass rush, NFL players on the back end. Obviously, Josiah Trotter was cleaning up everything in the middle, like that was. That's as good a defense as Mizzou has probably ever had, you know. But then the magic number this offseason when it comes to Mizzou's defense is zoomed. Zero regular returning starters coming back. So that doesn't mean the cupboard is totally bare. Right. Like, there's a lot of. You look at the spine of the defense. Marquis Gracial is coming back in the middle. Excellent run defender. Can he add some pass rush juice? I think that might make a little bit of difference on that D line. Darris Smith, the Georgia transfer, you know, he sat behind Zion Young and Damon Wilson last year. Now it's his time. He's put on close to 25 pounds this off season in preparation to play. You know, almost might be different, £25, you know, but that's a guy that they're really excited about. Nick Rodriguez, who was here yesterday when Mizzou was talking, you know, they love him at linebacker. And they went and got Auburn's Robert Woodyer Jr. You know, that's another violent guy in the middle that they really like. And then in the secondary, they've got Santana Banner, who didn't start but played. Starting capable snaps like he played almost 500 snaps more. More than 500 snaps last season. Excellent, excellent athlete. They also went and got Chris Graves Jr. From Ole Miss. There's your CB one right on. On one side. And so the secondary pieces are going to be interesting to follow the first few weeks. You know, how many bodies, what's the rotation look like on the defensive line, both inside and outside? So I need to kind of see the puzzle come together. But I'm a believer in Cory Batun, just what he's been able to do the last couple years.
[07:39]
Host/Interviewer
So we've highlighted a lot of positives. One potential negative, though, Right tackle. Sounds like he had suffered a setback, according to Drink, in his rehab process. How big a blow could that be?
[07:49]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, when we were talking earlier, you know, Ahmad Hardy is the biggest news that came out yesterday. I would argue that Drake, Josh Atkins injury, or I guess his injury setback is what Drink told us that might be the most important, you know, because we could. I mean, you talk about all the positives. Look at the offense, right? Like Austin Simmons. Yeah, he probably. I need to see a little bit more out of him maybe needs to be a little bit more, you know, consistent when it comes to throwing the ball. And also, like, the guy just hasn't played a lot. So, like, there's that factor of it, too. But the receivers look good. The running backs, now that Hardy's really in the fold, look good. The tight ends, all of those guys are back. The offensive line, they three returning starters, and they really beefed it up through the portal. Josh Atkins was supposed to be part of that. What was interesting, I think, about him is that he's. He's a dude with a lot of experience, right? 6th year guy. He has started 39 career games between a year at Hawaii. In the last two years at Arizona State, he was part of the Big 12 championship team that got to the playoff and gave Texas a run for their money. All of those starts were at left tackle. And so they went and got him to move him to right tackle. And that it's not as easy as it sounds, right? Different dominant legs, slightly different technique, but then also with Simmons being a lefty, the right side, your blind side. So, like uber important. And it was already going to be interesting. He suffered an injury at the end of spring ball, and then Drink told us yesterday he suffered a setback. And so he had hoped to get him back, you know, late September, early October, just in time for that SEC push. Now we're not sure how much he's going to play this year. And so who are the guys that are going to step up in his place? We think Luke Work, who's a Mississippi State transfer. He's got good experience. He's played in 20 career games, eight starts. Maybe a little bit better inside than outside, but he has that experience, so he'll probably get the first crack at first team right tackle. And then behind him is a guy, Logan Reichert. He's from Kansas City. He's been in the program, developing behind the scenes, just hasn't played a ton. And so that, you know, when it comes to offensive line worries me a little bit, especially when you're talking about your blind side. So, you know, there's a lot to like about this offense and I think they have the chance to really take some steps forward this season. But if that right tackle situation is not solved by the time they get to SEC play, that could really hamper the whole operation. And that, to me is a little nerd. Like, it's. I'm nervous a little bit and I'm
[09:55]
Co-host/Analyst
not saying Drink is in this category yet, but I do think that being an elite Coach comes with not only identifying young talent, but also coaching. And one thing, I mean, you can't argue is the man knows how to get some coordinators. Now, this Chip Lindsay, this one kind of I wasn't seeing coming, but clearly he sees something there more than I do. Is there.
[10:17]
Cody Goodwin
What.
[10:18]
Co-host/Analyst
What do you think that's going to bring to this offense?
[10:20]
Cody Goodwin
I think, I mean, he specifically wants Chip Lindsey in to really elevate the passing game, right? Like the combination of Chip Lindsay, Garrett, Riley, Austin, Simmons. Right. Like, they want to get more vertical. They want to be able to take the top off the defense a little bit, you know, and they've got, you know, in addition to bringing in a quarterback that can make all those throws, they have talented receivers, right. Kaden Lee, they brought over from Ole Miss, he's more of a slot guy. But then you look on the outside, Caleb Goody, the Cincinnati transfer, one of the fastest players in college football. They want him to kind of be the deep threat, the vertical threat. But then also Donovan aloud returning sophomore, played quite a bit last year as a freshman. He has an insane catch radius. He can run routes all levels of the field. So they've got good options to really, I think, crack open the pass game. So, I mean, Jamal Roberts at running back, capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. All their tight ends are back, including, including Brett Norfleet, who five touchdown receptions last year. He was a freshman all American a few years ago. Yak monster, right? Like, they're able to get that dude in space and, you know, he's able to either hurdle or maybe shouldn't run through people anymore because he has some shoulder injuries going on. But, you know, that's a guy that's. That's a capable athlete and a capable weapon for that offense. So they brought in Chip and Garrett and Austin to, you know, if they're able to hit the. On the passing game in the ways that they weren't able to last year, it raises the ceiling of the offense, allows them to press a few more buttons because, I mean, last year they could really only press like two or three buttons, like Ahmad Hardy, the occasional rollout to Brett Norfleet, and then Kevin Coleman somewhere in the middle of the field. And they were really good at pressing those buttons. But to win in the SEC, you got to be able to press 6, 7, 8, 9, maybe even 10 buttons consistently. And so the hope is that by bringing in Simmons, by surrounding him with coaches that have a history of quarterback development, they'll be able to be a little bit More versatile that way.
[12:00]
Host/Interviewer
Well, you kind of quickly glossed over something that I really wanted to highlight there. Austin Simmons has not played a lot, and I think everybody knows, you know, Ole Miss and all that, but I don't know how many Missouri fans are aware. I believe he skipped multiple years of high school to enroll early. He's a very young guy, and we all know about the drive against Georgia. That's like John Elway mythical status at this. I mean, he was awesome, but last year didn't get it done in brief period. So I don't know, can he really come in and be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC without that experience?
[12:35]
Cody Goodwin
There's. There's a level of show me, right? Like, Missouri is the show me State, wink, wink. Like, Austin Simmons has to show me a little something before I really buy into it. Like, the. The intangibles are there. Like, the arm strength is incredible. He was named the starter at the end of spring ball, which is something Drinkwoods doesn't normally do. But he admitted, like, he let the quarterback battle linger into the off season and into fall camp last year, and he thought that kind of hindered the team a little bit. So, hey, you brought this guy in. He showed you over 13 practices that he can be that dude. Let him lead the team through the off season. So everything we've heard, glowing reviews. I've actually got a story coming up on Power Mizzou here before Too Much Longer. Like, Austin Simmons wasn't here in Tampa, but Mizzou talked about him quite a bit. Like, Drinkwitz basically was asked about Simmons at every single media stop that he had. So it's I there. I think he can be better than what they had at the quarterback position last year. But there's still an element of I need to see him do it before I really, truly buy in that he can be the guy that Mizzou believes he can be. Because you're right. Like, he. Matt Zollers was a true freshman last year. He has more career snaps played than Austin Simmons, who has been in college for. This will be his fourth season. Right. And I know he's a little bit of a rare case. He was. I mean, he's really smart, right? Like, that's another part of what makes him really intriguing. He graduated high school early, early in Rolly at Ole Miss, groomed under Jackson Dart and Lane Kiffin. Like, if Lane Kiffin thinks you can be the starting quarterback of a team that ultimately got to the national semifinals, there's some obvious talent there. But there's still a, again, I need to see it. And that's, you know, because you look at Austin Simmons stats, he hasn't played a lot. And when he has played little up and down, right, like completing less than 60% of his passes, six touchdown passes, five interceptions. So, you know, can he clean some of that up? Can Lindsay and Riley gets the most out of him and turn him into a plus level player? That's, that's one of, going to be one of the intriguing parts about the early part of the season. But I, especially the first two road games against Kansas and Mississippi State, you
[14:24]
Co-host/Analyst
know, we went to nine SEC games and in that rotation we kind of, we kind of moved the game. Arkansas Razorbacks, you're going to have them October 31st, Halloween. Is that, do you think that's because they're not really a rivalry or is that.
[14:40]
Cody Goodwin
Well, there's a trophy involved. There's a trophy involved.
[14:43]
Co-host/Analyst
Right?
[14:43]
Cody Goodwin
Like that's, you know, I, it's funny all the, all the, everybody at Mizzou was asked about that yesterday because, you know, they're used to playing Arkansas at the end of the season. So it's, it's strange. But they were also like, we don't control the schedules. Like, what are we supposed to do about it? So like it's, it's going to be weird, you know, but at the same time, like it's, if Mizzou can take care of business in the way that I think they can and they can, you know, get to November with the chance to play some meaningful football, part of that is taking care of business against Arkansas. But that also could potentially tee up a really big game at the end of November against Oklahoma. And you know, fortunate for Mizzou, this rotation, they get them at home. So yeah, it's going to be strange, it's going to be weird. But that's, you know, them's the break sometimes when it comes to scheduling.
[15:22]
Host/Interviewer
I'm sure you saw Drink, I believe it was at the spring meetings where he was like chucking it up with Paul about getting all these extensions. I heard him yesterday say something to the effect of, you know, I don't think I deserve the extensions that I got. But he was joking, obviously. But do you think that is, that is him being comfortable or being confident that this team is going to exceed expectations because you just don't hear all that or is that just Drink being Drink with his snappy one liners?
[15:51]
Cody Goodwin
It's probably all somewhere in the middle, right? Because that guy, he's incredibly Comfortable on tv. Like, I watched that hit with Fine Bomb when they were down at spring meetings, and I was like, man, this dude's gonna be really good on TV someday, right? And then literally as I thought that, he cracked the joke to find Bomb. He's like, if I don't start beating top 25 teams, they're gonna put me on TV with you, right? So, yeah, I mean, he's really comfortable on tv. Like, he's really comfortable in front of a mic talking to us, talking to everybody that's been here, right? Like, he understands that this week is a TV show for the conference, and he's an entertainer. That's why he, everywhere he went, he's like, pay attention to the main stage. I'll give you your hardy update, but I'm gonna do it on the big one. Right? So he understands that. So I think there's that element to it. But I also think there might be some tempering of expectations, maybe, maybe more cautious than optimistic about this year's team because there's a lot that he has to replace. And he has said multiple times, like the lack of production and the lack of experience, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It's a little worrisome coming into the year. Right. Because you just. These guys have played, but just not a ton. And so you need to see them play more. They need to get those reps. But before you can really, I think, truly buy into what they have on the defensive side of the ball. And again, I'm a believer in Corey Baton, but there is an element of, okay, I need to see this. What's the rotation look like? Who's going to solidify the other corner spot? Who are going to be the other safeties? What's the D line rotation look like? So, you know, that's I th the first three games. Drink talked about this too, yesterday. Like, there's no easing into the schedule. They really need to start fast. One, to build some momentum before they go to Starkville at the end of September. But two, like, you know, figure out the offensive identity. What can Simmons do and not do? What's he comfortable with? What are the rotations look like on defense? Like, there's a lot of things they still need to figure out earlier in the year.
[17:28]
Co-host/Analyst
Yeah. And we got a lot of Mizzou cousins, brother. And I'll tell you, they. They enjoyed those 10 win seasons.
[17:34]
Cody Goodwin
Oh, yeah.
[17:35]
Co-host/Analyst
And I felt like last year absolutely ripped their heart out. And. And if we're flirting with eight wins again this year, I don't know what the, what the attitude will be like over there.
[17:46]
Cody Goodwin
There.
[17:47]
Co-host/Analyst
Can I talk a little optimism, just. Best case scenario, if, if the stars align, Austin Simmons hits. Do. Do you think that this could be a team that's talked about in the playoffs late November, if, if the stars align and everything?
[18:00]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, I, I think there's, there's the chance that I, I've always kind of viewed success for this Mizzou season not as like, what's a final record, but, like, can you get to November and play meaningful football games? Right? Because I think I. Most Mizzou fans, if you ask them, you look at this schedule, it's tough, man. Like, I think ESPN's FBI had it like, one of the 20th, like, top 20 toughest schedules in the country, at least on paper, coming into this season. And you look at it and it's like, okay, they've got to play four playoff teams. Like, four teams that were in the playoffs a year ago. Ole Miss, A and M, Oklahoma, Georgia, and that's not counting Texas, who's probably going to be the preseason number one team. And that also doesn't include the road trip to Mississippi State. And I know Kansas might have some questions this year, but, like, that game's in Lawrence. That's a rivalry game. That's going to matter. So it's, it's not going to be an easy schedule. And so, you know, drink with being a little bit cautiously, maybe more cautious than optimistic. Like, I can understand where he's coming from, but, you know, success for Mizzou, like, I don't know, how do you, how do you make. No. The November games count? Like, you probably got to get to November at 6 and 2 at least, right? Because that, that positions you if you find a way to win out. And November is going to be tough because they get Texas at home at Georgia, Kentucky at home, Oklahoma at home. That's not easy. But if you get to, if you get to November at 6 and 2, you at least give yourself a chance, right? Because then people can see, okay, if they do find a way to win out, that's 10 and 2 with some really, really good wins. I think that would put them in the thick of the conversation. If you want to take it a step better than that. If you want to be really optimistic, get to November at 7 and 1, because then that gives you a little bit of, like, you're not walking so much of a tightrope in order to stay in that playoff conversation.
[19:34]
Co-host/Analyst
Is there one game that you're looking at, like, we got to get this one. For us to have a successful season, we've got to get this one.
[19:42]
Cody Goodwin
Most Mizzou fans would like to finally get A and M, but for whatever reason, A and M has drinks number. No, I mean, like, I hate to go all coach speak on you guys, but like the, the first two road games, like Kansas, because it's Kansas, it's a rivalry game. We like to assign. Like, oh, that's a big test. Kansas is a pop quiz to me. Like, what's. Okay. Like, what's this team really made of? Like, I must. I think they're going to win, but how do they look when they do it right? And then the next road game in Starkville, where Mississippi State last year beat Arizona State, took Texas and Tennessee to ot. Those cowbells are fierce, man. So that, to me is the first test. Like, when you go down to Starkville, can you win it? And how do you look when you do it? That's going to tell me a lot about this Missouri team and I think will set the pace for the rest of the year.
[20:21]
Host/Interviewer
Hey, over at Power of Mizzou, I know you've been doing a hundred day countdown. Anything like maybe a favorite moment or something you learned? Just something very interesting. Anything stand out among the 100 day countdown or so?
[20:32]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah. Well, hey, 44 days kickoff, by the way, that was, that was this morning's number. No, man, that's been really fun because that's. So I'm originally from Kansas City. Like, I grew up in the thick of, you know, Kansas City is a pro sports town, right? Chiefs, Royals. Occasionally when the soccer teams are good, like, they, they tend to take precedence over the three colleges, you know, Mizzou, Kansas, K State. And so I, I grew up in the mid middle of all that and then I went to go to school at Iowa. Don't tell Sankey. I, I promise I'm. I'm not a Big Ten agent. I promise. But, like, went to school, had to learn how to write, and I hadn't been back since. And so being back here covered Mizzou. This is the first time I've lived in the state of Missouri since I left for college, which was, you know, 2011. So the 100 day countdown for me, like, not only was it a chance to just like, okay, we're gonna riff on the off season, we're gonna just write some stories and stuff, but, like, it really kind of allowed me to reconnect with the Mizzou fan base and like the Mizzou football program and so, like, we. I got the opportunity to really tell like, a lot of cool, like, history stuff, like telling the story of like, Johnny Roland and, you know, wrote some thoughts on Tony Temple. You know, I, I recap the entire 1960 season, which is like a real interesting season in Mizzou history because they, they went nine and oh, they lost to Kansas at the end of the year. But Kansas used an ineligible player. So technically that game is a win in the record books. Except Kansas's record book, they still count it as a win, but, like, that made them 10, 0. And if, you know, that was back when they declared the national champ before the bowl games. And Mizzou was number one in the country going into that game against Kansas. So, like, that ineligible player cost Mizzou a national championship. And so, like, getting to recount that story and like, reading all the archives of the players on that team, you know, looking back at some of these things, like, I found a one story that I wrote, though. I thought the one I'm most proud of, I think it was 84 days left, the 84th game in program history. Back in 1901, Mizzou played a game against what is now Central Missouri, a D2 team. Back then, I think they were like Warrensburg Teachers College. They, it was a 10 forfeit. If you ask Mizzou, they won the forfeit. If you ask ucm, they won the forfeit. And so, like, I went back and looked at like, well, why are they disagreeing? And like, there was a disagreement on like, player eligibility and like, those guys can't play. And UCM's like, we're gonna play these guys anyway. So Mizzou walked off the field and like, I'm looking back at all these old archives of like, why, you know, why did this go the way it went? And like, that's. It's just been kind of fun to like, dig into the history because, like, you know, during the season we don't have time to do fun stuff like that during the off season. It's like I'm staring at a blank slate and I'm like, how do I fill it? And I'm probably not gonna do a hundred day countdown again, but I'm glad I did it this time because it's just, it's fun to like, dig in and tell fun stories like that now that I have the time. Right.
[23:04]
Co-host/Analyst
Cool. Yeah. I mean, Auburn's got all those national titles they just put up overnight. Maybe I should. I do want to ask because last time we were out there, Infamous game, Oklahoma, when we had the fumble and the stadium's changed. So if somebody's coming out there right now, what is, I guess what's your favorite addition or favorite part of the new stadium here?
[23:26]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, I mean, the big one is like the north end zone, right? And we've not gotten to walk through there yet. They're still finishing some stuff just to make sure safety protocols before they allow media to walk through there. But it's a $250 million project and it totally revamps the stadium. I don't know how long it's been since you guys have been back to fro Field, but what they remodeled was basically the Rock M hill. Behind the north. Yeah, behind the north end zone. Like it used to just be a grassy hill, right? Like there's the joke where like Clemson, they'd hand out tickets and it's, you know, GG green grass. Go have a seat. Right. Like that was kind of what it was for Missouri. Like my senior year of high school, I drove in to Columbia at like 4am when game day was in town before they beat number one Oklahoma. And I sat on that hill and I rushed the field like it was. I was there. And so like they replaced that with this massive revenue generating, you know, end zone that's got suites and boxes and all sorts of fun stuff, you know, but it's also like, it's kind of, you know, ads. What's the. What's the line? Like the football programs? The front porch of the university for Mizzou. That's actually true. Like when you get off i7 and you drive down stadium toward campus, the first thing you see is that brand new north end zone facility. And it's cool. Like the. Some of the. Part of the design on the outside is, you know, like Mizzou has the columns right there in campus and then downtown Columbia. So they, they organize the windows back there. They don't look exactly like the columns, but like it's kind of a nod to the columns. Like they've got six concrete pillars up there. So that's really cool. Like that's what they get to see, you know. And then on top of that, like you're going to have like 20 or 25,000 more people in the stands for these football games. So because the last couple of years because of the construction, they haven't had full stadiums. They've only had, I think like 50 or 56,000 people. So it's finally going to be jam packed. I think it was Nick Rodriguez was saying yesterday he's like, yeah, Mr. Brightside in the fourth quarter, the whole town's going to be able to hear it because everybody's going to be able to go crazy about that. So. So that'll be fun. They've already got a few night games scheduled for Rofield. I know the opener against Pine Bluffs at night, but I think the Kentucky game later in the season, that's going to be the SEC 745 Special. So that's going to be really cool. I'm excited to kind of see that and really feel the fullness of Ferrofield again.
[25:26]
Host/Interviewer
All right, last thing for you, Cody. Really appreciate your time all week. Our coverage is brought to you by Tennessee legend, the best Tennessee whiskey you could buy. So we're asking everybody for their Tennessee legend. Boldest prediction for the SEC could be Missouri. Could be anything. SEC related. You got a. What's your boldest take heading into the season?
[25:45]
Cody Goodwin
I don't know how bold this is, but I think. I think I. I think Ole Miss and Texas A and M are the two teams to watch. Those were both playoff teams last year. One of them is going to take a significant step back and the other one's going to be just fine. And I'm of the belief that Ole Miss is the team that's going to be just fine. Like, I'm full believer in Trinidad Chambliss. I think he's not only the best quarterback in the sec, but probably the best in the country coming back this year. And that's a team that, you know, between Texas and like the SEC championship tends to run through Athens, you know, And I know Lane is doing whatever he's doing down in Baton Rouge. They're going to be a fun team to watch this year, but I don't think Ole Miss is going anywhere, guys. I don't know if they're going to actually, like be in the Atlanta for the SEC championship game, but I would not be shocked at all if they one, got back to the playoff and two made another run. So that's. I don't know if that's a bold take. I don't know if there's a bold prediction, but as long as Trinidad is there, I think I believe in Ole Miss because he can take care of the offense, Pete Golding can take care of the defense, and it could be a fun year in Oxford.
[26:42]
Host/Interviewer
All right, Cody, before you go, tell our audience how to follow you and how to find all your work over at Power Mizzou.
[26:46]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, man. PowerMizzou.com part of the 24.7Sports Network. We're literally the 100 day countdown. We are riding stuff every single day. And now that we've got through this song and dance, we've got stuff coming to Preview the upcoming 2026 season. So and then on socials, I'm. I'm on Twitter mostly odygoodwin, Twitter X whatever the heck we're calling it now. So it's I think it's going to be a fun season in Colombia. I don't know if it's going to be a successful season, but I think it's going to be a fun one. So come along and enjoy the ride with us.
[27:11]
Co-host/Analyst
Thank you.
[27:21]
Bank of America Announcer
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[28:18]
Co-host/Analyst
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[28:21]
Cody Goodwin
Get ready for spicy chicken maxing because
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Co-host/Analyst
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[28:43]
Cody Goodwin
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[28:45]
Host/Interviewer
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[28:46]
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[28:47]
Cody Goodwin
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[28:48]
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Summary7 min read

That SEC Football Podcast

Episode: Cody Goodwin of PowerMizzou: Could Mizzou be a Playoff Contender?
Date: July 31, 2026
Host: Michael Bratton (SEC Mike)
Guest: Cody Goodwin (PowerMizzou)
Theme: An in-depth preview of the 2026 Missouri Tigers football team, exploring whether Mizzou could contend for a playoff spot, roster changes, coaching hires, key injuries, defensive and offensive outlooks, schedule analysis, and some program history.

Episode Overview

This episode features Cody Goodwin of PowerMizzou breaking down the Missouri Tigers' prospects for 2026. Topics include the rehabilitation of key player Ahmad Hardy, a coaching staff overhaul, the outlook for quarterback Austin Simmons, the rebuilding defense, potential obstacles, and the path to SEC and playoff relevance. The conversation candidly addresses reasons for both optimism and concern, blending analysis, anecdote, and Mizzou history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ahmad Hardy’s Return: An Emotional Boost

[00:53] The biggest offseason storyline: Ahmad Hardy, who was shot in May, is officially able to begin his return-to-play protocol after multiple surgeries.
- “It sounds like...things are trending up...he’s going to play this season...in the month of September.” — Cody Goodwin ([01:22])
- Timeline: Estimated 5–8 weeks until return, unclear if he’ll be available for the Arkansas-Pine Bluff or Kansas game.
- The team and community rallying around his recovery.

2. Offensive Overhaul & Staff Changes

[03:01] Mizzou revamped the offensive staff:
- Chip Lindsey (Offensive Coordinator): Replacing Kirby Moore, brings experience developing high-level QBs (Drake Maye, Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix).
- Garrett Riley (QB Coach): Broyles Award winner, known for developing Max Duggan at TCU.
- Alex Atkins (Tight Ends Coach): Formerly at FSU, brings championship experience.
- “A lot of high-level offensive brains...to get plus level play out of the quarterback, but also the offense as a whole.” — Cody Goodwin ([03:43])
[04:07] Cody frames the staff changes as an admission the QB spot hasn’t met expectations, especially in big games last year.
- “Quarterback position has not been as good...Bo got hurt, Matt Zollers wasn’t there yet, and then against Oklahoma they could not move the ball at all.” — Cody Goodwin ([04:23])

3. Quarterback Spotlight: Austin Simmons

[12:00] The team is all-in on Austin Simmons, a young, high-upside QB who skipped multiple years of high school, yet has limited college experience.
- “There’s a level of show me, right? Like, Missouri is the show me state, wink, wink. Austin Simmons has to show me a little something before I really buy into it.” — Cody Goodwin ([12:34])
- Simmons has arm talent and high football IQ but needs to improve consistency and avoid turnovers. The staff is building the offense around him.
- Noted Simmons was Drinkwitz's clear target from the outset, unlike prior transfer pursuits.

4. Defensive Rebuild & Key Personnel

[05:54] Mizzou’s defense is facing a near-total overhaul.
- “Zero regular returning starters coming back,” but Cody is cautiously optimistic due to coordinator Corey Batoon’s strong record.
- Key players: Marquis Gracial (run-stuffer), Darris Smith (Georgia transfer, bulked up), Nick Rodriguez (linebacker), Robert Woodyard Jr. (Auburn transfer), Santana Banner (experienced DB), Chris Graves Jr. (CB1 from Ole Miss).
- The defensive line and secondary rotations remain major question marks, but Batoon’s track record inspires some belief.

5. Offensive Line Concerns: Right Tackle Uncertainty

[07:38] Right tackle Josh Atkins suffered a setback in injury recovery—potentially Mizzou’s most important player loss.
- “He was supposed to be part of that [O-line revitalization]...With Simmons being a lefty, the right side is your blind side, so like, uber important.”
- Next men up: Luke Work (Mississippi State transfer) and Logan Reichert (developing but untested).
- “If that right tackle situation is not solved by the time they get to SEC play, that could really hamper the whole operation.” — Cody Goodwin ([09:43])

6. Scheme Evolution: More Vertical/Versatile Passing Attack

[10:20] Chip Lindsey’s hiring aims to make the offense more vertical and multi-dimensional.
- “Last year they could really only press like two or three buttons...to win in the SEC you got to be able to press six, seven, eight, maybe even ten buttons consistently.” — Cody Goodwin ([11:41])
- Weapons: Kaden Lee (slot from Ole Miss), Caleb Goody (Cincinnati transfer, speedster), Donovan Alou (sophomore with big catch radius), Brett Norfleet (dynamic tight end).
Balance and versatility in passing attack are expected to supplement strong RB room led by Jamal Roberts.

7. Schedule Analysis & Path to “Meaningful November”

[18:00] The 2026 schedule is brutal—ESPN ranks it among the top 20 toughest. Four games against prior-year playoff teams (Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia), plus Texas, and a rivalry trip to Kansas.
- “Success for this Mizzou season...can you get to November and play meaningful football games?” — Cody Goodwin ([18:02])
- For playoff contention: Get to November at 6–2 for a shot, 7–1 for “not walking a tightrope.”
- Key early “pop quizzes”: At Kansas and at Mississippi State.

8. Program History & Stadium Upgrades

[20:32] Cody’s “100 Day Countdown” at Power Mizzou featured deep dives on classic Mizzou moments:
- The 1960 national title that wasn’t (due to Kansas’s ineligible player).
- Odd forfeits and eligibility disputes from early 1900s football.
- Cody’s reconnection with the program as a journalist and fan.
[23:25] Major stadium improvements—$250 million North End Zone project adds modern amenities, more seats, and nods to campus history (the iconic columns).
- “You’re going to have 20 or 25,000 more people in the stands for these football games...it’s finally going to be jam packed.” — Cody Goodwin ([24:18])
- Night games and a revitalized home-field atmosphere anticipated.

9. Eli Drinkwitz's Demeanor: Cautious Optimism

[15:50] Drinkwitz’s media personality and humor discussed; he seems comfortable, but his comments reflect caution about defensive inexperience.
- “He’s incredibly comfortable on TV...but there might be some tempering of expectations.” — Cody Goodwin ([15:50])
- Importance of a fast start with no “easing in” to the schedule.

10. Bold SEC & Ole Miss Prediction

[25:45] Cody’s “Tennessee Legend” bold take:
- “Ole Miss and Texas A&M are the two teams to watch. One will take a significant step back and the other’s going to be just fine...I’m of the belief that Ole Miss is the team that’s going to be just fine.” — Cody Goodwin ([25:50])
- High praise for QB Trinidad Chambliss and coach Lane Kiffin; expects Ole Miss to remain nationally relevant.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Ahmad Hardy...it’s a heck of a story when it comes to college football.” — Cody Goodwin ([01:37])
“Quarterback position has not been as good...Drink has had trouble [identifying and landing his guy].” — Cody Goodwin ([04:11])
“Zero regular returning starters coming back [on defense]. That doesn’t mean the cupboard is totally bare...” — Cody Goodwin ([06:42])
“Missouri is the show me State, wink, wink. Austin Simmons has to show me a little something before I really buy into it.” — Cody Goodwin ([12:34])
“If that right tackle situation is not solved by the time they get to SEC play, that could really hamper the whole operation.” — Cody Goodwin ([09:43])
“Success for this Mizzou season...can you get to November and play meaningful football games?” — Cody Goodwin ([18:02])
“I think Ole Miss...is the team that’s going to be just fine...full believer in Trinidad Chambliss.” — Cody Goodwin ([25:50])

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:53 – Ahmad Hardy’s Recovery
03:01 – OC/Staff Overhaul
04:07 – Quarterback Room Analysis
05:54 – Defense Rebuild
07:38 – Right Tackle Injury Update
10:20 – Offensive Scheme & Playmaking
12:00 – Austin Simmons: Talents & Risks
14:24 – Schedule, Rivalries, and November Outlook
15:21 – Drinkwitz: Personality & Caution
18:00 – Playoff Math & November Contention
20:21 – Favorite "100 Day Countdown" Stories
23:25 – Stadium Renovations
25:45 – SEC Bold Predictions

Conclusion

This episode offered a detailed, honest preview of Mizzou’s season with plenty of nuance—highlighting intriguing new staff, critical injury hurdles (especially at right tackle), a new-look passing game, and a defense that needs to gel quickly under Cory Batoon. Cody Goodwin set realistic expectations: Mizzou’s path to the playoff will require early momentum and near-flawless execution amidst an extremely challenging schedule, but the program has weapons and coaching potential to stay in the mix. Plus, with a historic stadium overhaul and engaged fan base, it’s set to be a memorable fall in Columbia.

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Transcript57 lines

[00:04]
Bank of America Announcer
Good morning, students. Soccer teaches us teamwork, leadership, geometry, art, physics, and a lifetime of lessons we can take with us long after we leave the field. That's why bank of America and US Soccer are committed to helping bring soccer to every school. Soccer is officially in session. Raise your hand to help bring soccer to schools@bofa.com SocceratSchools Foreign.
[00:35]
Host/Interviewer
We're here. SEC Media Days Cody Goodwin, Power Mizzou first time in person. What's up, man?
[00:41]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, no talk to you guys a little bit. Following all your work, following the reaction to some of the lists that you guys are putting out. But no, happy to be here. Appreciate you guys reaching out.
[00:49]
Host/Interviewer
What's the biggest thing you learned about Missouri yesterday? Day one.
[00:54]
Cody Goodwin
Biggest thing or most important thing?
[00:55]
Host/Interviewer
Yeah, most important.
[00:56]
Cody Goodwin
Most important thing. Well, obviously, the Hardy News took, you know, know, precedence and, and Drinkwitz was making his rounds yesterday, and he was saving that one for the main stage. Right. I think he started on Sirius xm. He did a couple of TV hits. He talked with us early in the morning. He did the electronic room here where he got to talk to a handful of other media. And every time we asked him, he's like, just wait, just wait. And so, you know, hey, Ahmad Hardy, for those who maybe haven't seen it yet, officially able to start the return to football protocol of his recovery. Right. Took, you know, gunshot in May, had a couple of surgeries, recovering. So it sounds like he's. Things are trending up, right? Because all offseason we're kind of like we don't know if he's going to play, how much he's going to play, what the whole return to, you know, play protocol looks like. And so finally got some clarity on that. Drinkwood said it's about going to probably be another five to eight weeks, which still a little hazy, right, because you look at the calendar, that could be before week one against Arkansas, Pine Bluff. That can also be after Kansas, which is week two. So when will we see him? Not 100% sure, but he's going to play this season. Sounds like he's going to play in the month of September, it sounds like, which is, you know, that's. That's cool, man. That's a heck of a story when it comes to college football.
[02:03]
Co-host/Analyst
That's the first thing we did. We like, well, how. How many weeks is eight weeks? And then we started doing math and we're like, wait a minute, that's getting into the season.
[02:09]
Cody Goodwin
So.
[02:11]
Co-host/Analyst
But realistically, do we even need him for Kansas?
[02:14]
Cody Goodwin
I, I said, hey, Kansas is an important game. Kansas is an important game in Missouri. That's a game they want to win. Especially what they're going back to Lawrence for the first time and lord knows when, you know, because they had the 14 year break and even before then that game was always played in Kansas City. So first time, long time in Lawrence. I don't know if they'll need him for that game. Kansas has quite a few question marks on their roster, especially at quarterback. Jalen Daniels is no longer there. They have some dudes on defense, but just, you know, I, I'm. If I'm Missouri, I don't know that I'm necessarily worried about that game. So the big one for me is at the end of September, another road game in Starkville against Mississippi State. That's the one where it's like, okay, if you need him back early in the season, that's. That's probably the one.
[02:57]
Host/Interviewer
Now I realize they've overhauled at offensive coordinator bringing in Chip Lindsey.
[03:01]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, they have overhauled quite a bit of the offensive staff. So in addition, you know, they brought in Chip Lindsay as the offensive coordinator because Kirby Moore is now at Washington State and he took a couple of assistants with him. So Drink had to hire a new quarterbacks coach. Pulled Garrett Riley after the thing happened with him at Clemson. So Broyles award winner, really talented developer of quarterback. So that's nice to have along with Chip. Those two guys excellent when it comes to developing quarterbacks and coaching quarterbacks. But then also Drink had to hire a new tight ends coach, Alex Atkins, who longtime offensive line coach brought him in to coach the tight ends. But he was also part of the offensive brain trust at Florida State in 2023 when the Seminoles went 13, 0 on the ACC. So a lot of, lot of high level offensive brains in that room on that staff. And obviously the ultimate goal is to get plus level play out of the quarterback, but then also offense as a whole to be able to press a few more buttons this season than they did last year.
[03:55]
Host/Interviewer
Do you think it's fair to say that that's admitting that we haven't got the most out of a quarterback position in Columbia though, that he's. The fact that he's overhauled it and how much confidence does all that brain trust give you that they'll get the most out of Austin Simmons?
[04:07]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, I think it's, I think it's a clear admission that hey, like the quarterback position has not been as good and I mean really last season the quarterback position was not what they needed it to be in some of those bigger games, right? You look at the Alabama game like two picks in the fourth quarter when they still had a chance to win that game. Vanderbilt, obviously, Bo got hurt, but Matt Zollers wasn't to the point in his development where he could be effective coming in. I know he had that, you know, oh, so close at home area at the end of the game. But then, you know, Bo comes back for the Oklahoma game and they could not move the ball at all. Like, that was just. I don't. I know Oklahoma's defense is nasty, but like Mizzou couldn't do anything. So the goal was to not only identify their guy, which, you know, Drink has had trouble doing that. Right. He's always identified the guys. You know, he got Jaden Daniels to campus, he got Fernando Mendoza to campus, but could never seal the deal. And what was most intriguing about this portal cycle and getting Simmons was that Simmons was his guy from the get go. And he identified him, got him. He's got him here. And then on top of that, you know, maybe fortuitous because Kirby ultimately left for a head coaching job, but, you know, he was able to bring in a lot of quarterback savvy coaches. You know, Chip Lindsay, you look at his track record. Drake May, Jarrett Stidham, Nick Mullins, he identified Bo Nix first on the recruiting trail. And then Garrett Riley, what he was able to do with Max Duggan at TCU that year, they went to the national championship game. So bringing in those guys to really, you know, not just make, you know, not just bring quarterback to where it's not a weakness, but to really, I think, try and make it a strength that I think will do wonders for this offense and it just raises the ceiling of the team as a whole.
[05:33]
Co-host/Analyst
Well, speaking of strength, I feel like you lost a lot of it there in the draft. You know, this is a defense that's. That's turning out, especially the secondary. So, you know, I feel like when we see some of these over unders or expectations of Mizzou, a lot of people are saying, yeah, but they're replacing so much. What do you. What do I know? We got a few transfers coming in, but what do you think about this defense right now going into camp?
[05:55]
Cody Goodwin
I, you know, about the. When it comes to the offense, I'm cautiously optimistic. When it comes to the defense, I'm cop. I'm cautiously optimistic for different reasons. And I think honestly the biggest reason is that Corey Batoon, third year defensive coordinator each of the last two years, Mizzou's had a top 30 defense in the country. I think last year they were top 10 overall. Like, nasty pass rush, NFL players on the back end. Obviously, Josiah Trotter was cleaning up everything in the middle, like that was. That's as good a defense as Mizzou has probably ever had, you know. But then the magic number this offseason when it comes to Mizzou's defense is zoomed. Zero regular returning starters coming back. So that doesn't mean the cupboard is totally bare. Right. Like, there's a lot of. You look at the spine of the defense. Marquis Gracial is coming back in the middle. Excellent run defender. Can he add some pass rush juice? I think that might make a little bit of difference on that D line. Darris Smith, the Georgia transfer, you know, he sat behind Zion Young and Damon Wilson last year. Now it's his time. He's put on close to 25 pounds this off season in preparation to play. You know, almost might be different, £25, you know, but that's a guy that they're really excited about. Nick Rodriguez, who was here yesterday when Mizzou was talking, you know, they love him at linebacker. And they went and got Auburn's Robert Woodyer Jr. You know, that's another violent guy in the middle that they really like. And then in the secondary, they've got Santana Banner, who didn't start but played. Starting capable snaps like he played almost 500 snaps more. More than 500 snaps last season. Excellent, excellent athlete. They also went and got Chris Graves Jr. From Ole Miss. There's your CB one right on. On one side. And so the secondary pieces are going to be interesting to follow the first few weeks. You know, how many bodies, what's the rotation look like on the defensive line, both inside and outside? So I need to kind of see the puzzle come together. But I'm a believer in Cory Batun, just what he's been able to do the last couple years.
[07:39]
Host/Interviewer
So we've highlighted a lot of positives. One potential negative, though, Right tackle. Sounds like he had suffered a setback, according to Drink, in his rehab process. How big a blow could that be?
[07:49]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, when we were talking earlier, you know, Ahmad Hardy is the biggest news that came out yesterday. I would argue that Drake, Josh Atkins injury, or I guess his injury setback is what Drink told us that might be the most important, you know, because we could. I mean, you talk about all the positives. Look at the offense, right? Like Austin Simmons. Yeah, he probably. I need to see a little bit more out of him maybe needs to be a little bit more, you know, consistent when it comes to throwing the ball. And also, like, the guy just hasn't played a lot. So, like, there's that factor of it, too. But the receivers look good. The running backs, now that Hardy's really in the fold, look good. The tight ends, all of those guys are back. The offensive line, they three returning starters, and they really beefed it up through the portal. Josh Atkins was supposed to be part of that. What was interesting, I think, about him is that he's. He's a dude with a lot of experience, right? 6th year guy. He has started 39 career games between a year at Hawaii. In the last two years at Arizona State, he was part of the Big 12 championship team that got to the playoff and gave Texas a run for their money. All of those starts were at left tackle. And so they went and got him to move him to right tackle. And that it's not as easy as it sounds, right? Different dominant legs, slightly different technique, but then also with Simmons being a lefty, the right side, your blind side. So, like uber important. And it was already going to be interesting. He suffered an injury at the end of spring ball, and then Drink told us yesterday he suffered a setback. And so he had hoped to get him back, you know, late September, early October, just in time for that SEC push. Now we're not sure how much he's going to play this year. And so who are the guys that are going to step up in his place? We think Luke Work, who's a Mississippi State transfer. He's got good experience. He's played in 20 career games, eight starts. Maybe a little bit better inside than outside, but he has that experience, so he'll probably get the first crack at first team right tackle. And then behind him is a guy, Logan Reichert. He's from Kansas City. He's been in the program, developing behind the scenes, just hasn't played a ton. And so that, you know, when it comes to offensive line worries me a little bit, especially when you're talking about your blind side. So, you know, there's a lot to like about this offense and I think they have the chance to really take some steps forward this season. But if that right tackle situation is not solved by the time they get to SEC play, that could really hamper the whole operation. And that, to me is a little nerd. Like, it's. I'm nervous a little bit and I'm
[09:55]
Co-host/Analyst
not saying Drink is in this category yet, but I do think that being an elite Coach comes with not only identifying young talent, but also coaching. And one thing, I mean, you can't argue is the man knows how to get some coordinators. Now, this Chip Lindsay, this one kind of I wasn't seeing coming, but clearly he sees something there more than I do. Is there.
[10:17]
Cody Goodwin
What.
[10:18]
Co-host/Analyst
What do you think that's going to bring to this offense?
[10:20]
Cody Goodwin
I think, I mean, he specifically wants Chip Lindsey in to really elevate the passing game, right? Like the combination of Chip Lindsay, Garrett, Riley, Austin, Simmons. Right. Like, they want to get more vertical. They want to be able to take the top off the defense a little bit, you know, and they've got, you know, in addition to bringing in a quarterback that can make all those throws, they have talented receivers, right. Kaden Lee, they brought over from Ole Miss, he's more of a slot guy. But then you look on the outside, Caleb Goody, the Cincinnati transfer, one of the fastest players in college football. They want him to kind of be the deep threat, the vertical threat. But then also Donovan aloud returning sophomore, played quite a bit last year as a freshman. He has an insane catch radius. He can run routes all levels of the field. So they've got good options to really, I think, crack open the pass game. So, I mean, Jamal Roberts at running back, capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. All their tight ends are back, including, including Brett Norfleet, who five touchdown receptions last year. He was a freshman all American a few years ago. Yak monster, right? Like, they're able to get that dude in space and, you know, he's able to either hurdle or maybe shouldn't run through people anymore because he has some shoulder injuries going on. But, you know, that's a guy that's. That's a capable athlete and a capable weapon for that offense. So they brought in Chip and Garrett and Austin to, you know, if they're able to hit the. On the passing game in the ways that they weren't able to last year, it raises the ceiling of the offense, allows them to press a few more buttons because, I mean, last year they could really only press like two or three buttons, like Ahmad Hardy, the occasional rollout to Brett Norfleet, and then Kevin Coleman somewhere in the middle of the field. And they were really good at pressing those buttons. But to win in the SEC, you got to be able to press 6, 7, 8, 9, maybe even 10 buttons consistently. And so the hope is that by bringing in Simmons, by surrounding him with coaches that have a history of quarterback development, they'll be able to be a little bit More versatile that way.
[12:00]
Host/Interviewer
Well, you kind of quickly glossed over something that I really wanted to highlight there. Austin Simmons has not played a lot, and I think everybody knows, you know, Ole Miss and all that, but I don't know how many Missouri fans are aware. I believe he skipped multiple years of high school to enroll early. He's a very young guy, and we all know about the drive against Georgia. That's like John Elway mythical status at this. I mean, he was awesome, but last year didn't get it done in brief period. So I don't know, can he really come in and be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC without that experience?
[12:35]
Cody Goodwin
There's. There's a level of show me, right? Like, Missouri is the show me State, wink, wink. Like, Austin Simmons has to show me a little something before I really buy into it. Like, the. The intangibles are there. Like, the arm strength is incredible. He was named the starter at the end of spring ball, which is something Drinkwoods doesn't normally do. But he admitted, like, he let the quarterback battle linger into the off season and into fall camp last year, and he thought that kind of hindered the team a little bit. So, hey, you brought this guy in. He showed you over 13 practices that he can be that dude. Let him lead the team through the off season. So everything we've heard, glowing reviews. I've actually got a story coming up on Power Mizzou here before Too Much Longer. Like, Austin Simmons wasn't here in Tampa, but Mizzou talked about him quite a bit. Like, Drinkwitz basically was asked about Simmons at every single media stop that he had. So it's I there. I think he can be better than what they had at the quarterback position last year. But there's still an element of I need to see him do it before I really, truly buy in that he can be the guy that Mizzou believes he can be. Because you're right. Like, he. Matt Zollers was a true freshman last year. He has more career snaps played than Austin Simmons, who has been in college for. This will be his fourth season. Right. And I know he's a little bit of a rare case. He was. I mean, he's really smart, right? Like, that's another part of what makes him really intriguing. He graduated high school early, early in Rolly at Ole Miss, groomed under Jackson Dart and Lane Kiffin. Like, if Lane Kiffin thinks you can be the starting quarterback of a team that ultimately got to the national semifinals, there's some obvious talent there. But there's still a, again, I need to see it. And that's, you know, because you look at Austin Simmons stats, he hasn't played a lot. And when he has played little up and down, right, like completing less than 60% of his passes, six touchdown passes, five interceptions. So, you know, can he clean some of that up? Can Lindsay and Riley gets the most out of him and turn him into a plus level player? That's, that's one of, going to be one of the intriguing parts about the early part of the season. But I, especially the first two road games against Kansas and Mississippi State, you
[14:24]
Co-host/Analyst
know, we went to nine SEC games and in that rotation we kind of, we kind of moved the game. Arkansas Razorbacks, you're going to have them October 31st, Halloween. Is that, do you think that's because they're not really a rivalry or is that.
[14:40]
Cody Goodwin
Well, there's a trophy involved. There's a trophy involved.
[14:43]
Co-host/Analyst
Right?
[14:43]
Cody Goodwin
Like that's, you know, I, it's funny all the, all the, everybody at Mizzou was asked about that yesterday because, you know, they're used to playing Arkansas at the end of the season. So it's, it's strange. But they were also like, we don't control the schedules. Like, what are we supposed to do about it? So like it's, it's going to be weird, you know, but at the same time, like it's, if Mizzou can take care of business in the way that I think they can and they can, you know, get to November with the chance to play some meaningful football, part of that is taking care of business against Arkansas. But that also could potentially tee up a really big game at the end of November against Oklahoma. And you know, fortunate for Mizzou, this rotation, they get them at home. So yeah, it's going to be strange, it's going to be weird. But that's, you know, them's the break sometimes when it comes to scheduling.
[15:22]
Host/Interviewer
I'm sure you saw Drink, I believe it was at the spring meetings where he was like chucking it up with Paul about getting all these extensions. I heard him yesterday say something to the effect of, you know, I don't think I deserve the extensions that I got. But he was joking, obviously. But do you think that is, that is him being comfortable or being confident that this team is going to exceed expectations because you just don't hear all that or is that just Drink being Drink with his snappy one liners?
[15:51]
Cody Goodwin
It's probably all somewhere in the middle, right? Because that guy, he's incredibly Comfortable on tv. Like, I watched that hit with Fine Bomb when they were down at spring meetings, and I was like, man, this dude's gonna be really good on TV someday, right? And then literally as I thought that, he cracked the joke to find Bomb. He's like, if I don't start beating top 25 teams, they're gonna put me on TV with you, right? So, yeah, I mean, he's really comfortable on tv. Like, he's really comfortable in front of a mic talking to us, talking to everybody that's been here, right? Like, he understands that this week is a TV show for the conference, and he's an entertainer. That's why he, everywhere he went, he's like, pay attention to the main stage. I'll give you your hardy update, but I'm gonna do it on the big one. Right? So he understands that. So I think there's that element to it. But I also think there might be some tempering of expectations, maybe, maybe more cautious than optimistic about this year's team because there's a lot that he has to replace. And he has said multiple times, like the lack of production and the lack of experience, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It's a little worrisome coming into the year. Right. Because you just. These guys have played, but just not a ton. And so you need to see them play more. They need to get those reps. But before you can really, I think, truly buy into what they have on the defensive side of the ball. And again, I'm a believer in Corey Baton, but there is an element of, okay, I need to see this. What's the rotation look like? Who's going to solidify the other corner spot? Who are going to be the other safeties? What's the D line rotation look like? So, you know, that's I th the first three games. Drink talked about this too, yesterday. Like, there's no easing into the schedule. They really need to start fast. One, to build some momentum before they go to Starkville at the end of September. But two, like, you know, figure out the offensive identity. What can Simmons do and not do? What's he comfortable with? What are the rotations look like on defense? Like, there's a lot of things they still need to figure out earlier in the year.
[17:28]
Co-host/Analyst
Yeah. And we got a lot of Mizzou cousins, brother. And I'll tell you, they. They enjoyed those 10 win seasons.
[17:34]
Cody Goodwin
Oh, yeah.
[17:35]
Co-host/Analyst
And I felt like last year absolutely ripped their heart out. And. And if we're flirting with eight wins again this year, I don't know what the, what the attitude will be like over there.
[17:46]
Cody Goodwin
There.
[17:47]
Co-host/Analyst
Can I talk a little optimism, just. Best case scenario, if, if the stars align, Austin Simmons hits. Do. Do you think that this could be a team that's talked about in the playoffs late November, if, if the stars align and everything?
[18:00]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, I, I think there's, there's the chance that I, I've always kind of viewed success for this Mizzou season not as like, what's a final record, but, like, can you get to November and play meaningful football games? Right? Because I think I. Most Mizzou fans, if you ask them, you look at this schedule, it's tough, man. Like, I think ESPN's FBI had it like, one of the 20th, like, top 20 toughest schedules in the country, at least on paper, coming into this season. And you look at it and it's like, okay, they've got to play four playoff teams. Like, four teams that were in the playoffs a year ago. Ole Miss, A and M, Oklahoma, Georgia, and that's not counting Texas, who's probably going to be the preseason number one team. And that also doesn't include the road trip to Mississippi State. And I know Kansas might have some questions this year, but, like, that game's in Lawrence. That's a rivalry game. That's going to matter. So it's, it's not going to be an easy schedule. And so, you know, drink with being a little bit cautiously, maybe more cautious than optimistic. Like, I can understand where he's coming from, but, you know, success for Mizzou, like, I don't know, how do you, how do you make. No. The November games count? Like, you probably got to get to November at 6 and 2 at least, right? Because that, that positions you if you find a way to win out. And November is going to be tough because they get Texas at home at Georgia, Kentucky at home, Oklahoma at home. That's not easy. But if you get to, if you get to November at 6 and 2, you at least give yourself a chance, right? Because then people can see, okay, if they do find a way to win out, that's 10 and 2 with some really, really good wins. I think that would put them in the thick of the conversation. If you want to take it a step better than that. If you want to be really optimistic, get to November at 7 and 1, because then that gives you a little bit of, like, you're not walking so much of a tightrope in order to stay in that playoff conversation.
[19:34]
Co-host/Analyst
Is there one game that you're looking at, like, we got to get this one. For us to have a successful season, we've got to get this one.
[19:42]
Cody Goodwin
Most Mizzou fans would like to finally get A and M, but for whatever reason, A and M has drinks number. No, I mean, like, I hate to go all coach speak on you guys, but like the, the first two road games, like Kansas, because it's Kansas, it's a rivalry game. We like to assign. Like, oh, that's a big test. Kansas is a pop quiz to me. Like, what's. Okay. Like, what's this team really made of? Like, I must. I think they're going to win, but how do they look when they do it right? And then the next road game in Starkville, where Mississippi State last year beat Arizona State, took Texas and Tennessee to ot. Those cowbells are fierce, man. So that, to me is the first test. Like, when you go down to Starkville, can you win it? And how do you look when you do it? That's going to tell me a lot about this Missouri team and I think will set the pace for the rest of the year.
[20:21]
Host/Interviewer
Hey, over at Power of Mizzou, I know you've been doing a hundred day countdown. Anything like maybe a favorite moment or something you learned? Just something very interesting. Anything stand out among the 100 day countdown or so?
[20:32]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah. Well, hey, 44 days kickoff, by the way, that was, that was this morning's number. No, man, that's been really fun because that's. So I'm originally from Kansas City. Like, I grew up in the thick of, you know, Kansas City is a pro sports town, right? Chiefs, Royals. Occasionally when the soccer teams are good, like, they, they tend to take precedence over the three colleges, you know, Mizzou, Kansas, K State. And so I, I grew up in the mid middle of all that and then I went to go to school at Iowa. Don't tell Sankey. I, I promise I'm. I'm not a Big Ten agent. I promise. But, like, went to school, had to learn how to write, and I hadn't been back since. And so being back here covered Mizzou. This is the first time I've lived in the state of Missouri since I left for college, which was, you know, 2011. So the 100 day countdown for me, like, not only was it a chance to just like, okay, we're gonna riff on the off season, we're gonna just write some stories and stuff, but, like, it really kind of allowed me to reconnect with the Mizzou fan base and like the Mizzou football program and so, like, we. I got the opportunity to really tell like, a lot of cool, like, history stuff, like telling the story of like, Johnny Roland and, you know, wrote some thoughts on Tony Temple. You know, I, I recap the entire 1960 season, which is like a real interesting season in Mizzou history because they, they went nine and oh, they lost to Kansas at the end of the year. But Kansas used an ineligible player. So technically that game is a win in the record books. Except Kansas's record book, they still count it as a win, but, like, that made them 10, 0. And if, you know, that was back when they declared the national champ before the bowl games. And Mizzou was number one in the country going into that game against Kansas. So, like, that ineligible player cost Mizzou a national championship. And so, like, getting to recount that story and like, reading all the archives of the players on that team, you know, looking back at some of these things, like, I found a one story that I wrote, though. I thought the one I'm most proud of, I think it was 84 days left, the 84th game in program history. Back in 1901, Mizzou played a game against what is now Central Missouri, a D2 team. Back then, I think they were like Warrensburg Teachers College. They, it was a 10 forfeit. If you ask Mizzou, they won the forfeit. If you ask ucm, they won the forfeit. And so, like, I went back and looked at like, well, why are they disagreeing? And like, there was a disagreement on like, player eligibility and like, those guys can't play. And UCM's like, we're gonna play these guys anyway. So Mizzou walked off the field and like, I'm looking back at all these old archives of like, why, you know, why did this go the way it went? And like, that's. It's just been kind of fun to like, dig into the history because, like, you know, during the season we don't have time to do fun stuff like that during the off season. It's like I'm staring at a blank slate and I'm like, how do I fill it? And I'm probably not gonna do a hundred day countdown again, but I'm glad I did it this time because it's just, it's fun to like, dig in and tell fun stories like that now that I have the time. Right.
[23:04]
Co-host/Analyst
Cool. Yeah. I mean, Auburn's got all those national titles they just put up overnight. Maybe I should. I do want to ask because last time we were out there, Infamous game, Oklahoma, when we had the fumble and the stadium's changed. So if somebody's coming out there right now, what is, I guess what's your favorite addition or favorite part of the new stadium here?
[23:26]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, I mean, the big one is like the north end zone, right? And we've not gotten to walk through there yet. They're still finishing some stuff just to make sure safety protocols before they allow media to walk through there. But it's a $250 million project and it totally revamps the stadium. I don't know how long it's been since you guys have been back to fro Field, but what they remodeled was basically the Rock M hill. Behind the north. Yeah, behind the north end zone. Like it used to just be a grassy hill, right? Like there's the joke where like Clemson, they'd hand out tickets and it's, you know, GG green grass. Go have a seat. Right. Like that was kind of what it was for Missouri. Like my senior year of high school, I drove in to Columbia at like 4am when game day was in town before they beat number one Oklahoma. And I sat on that hill and I rushed the field like it was. I was there. And so like they replaced that with this massive revenue generating, you know, end zone that's got suites and boxes and all sorts of fun stuff, you know, but it's also like, it's kind of, you know, ads. What's the. What's the line? Like the football programs? The front porch of the university for Mizzou. That's actually true. Like when you get off i7 and you drive down stadium toward campus, the first thing you see is that brand new north end zone facility. And it's cool. Like the. Some of the. Part of the design on the outside is, you know, like Mizzou has the columns right there in campus and then downtown Columbia. So they, they organize the windows back there. They don't look exactly like the columns, but like it's kind of a nod to the columns. Like they've got six concrete pillars up there. So that's really cool. Like that's what they get to see, you know. And then on top of that, like you're going to have like 20 or 25,000 more people in the stands for these football games. So because the last couple of years because of the construction, they haven't had full stadiums. They've only had, I think like 50 or 56,000 people. So it's finally going to be jam packed. I think it was Nick Rodriguez was saying yesterday he's like, yeah, Mr. Brightside in the fourth quarter, the whole town's going to be able to hear it because everybody's going to be able to go crazy about that. So. So that'll be fun. They've already got a few night games scheduled for Rofield. I know the opener against Pine Bluffs at night, but I think the Kentucky game later in the season, that's going to be the SEC 745 Special. So that's going to be really cool. I'm excited to kind of see that and really feel the fullness of Ferrofield again.
[25:26]
Host/Interviewer
All right, last thing for you, Cody. Really appreciate your time all week. Our coverage is brought to you by Tennessee legend, the best Tennessee whiskey you could buy. So we're asking everybody for their Tennessee legend. Boldest prediction for the SEC could be Missouri. Could be anything. SEC related. You got a. What's your boldest take heading into the season?
[25:45]
Cody Goodwin
I don't know how bold this is, but I think. I think I. I think Ole Miss and Texas A and M are the two teams to watch. Those were both playoff teams last year. One of them is going to take a significant step back and the other one's going to be just fine. And I'm of the belief that Ole Miss is the team that's going to be just fine. Like, I'm full believer in Trinidad Chambliss. I think he's not only the best quarterback in the sec, but probably the best in the country coming back this year. And that's a team that, you know, between Texas and like the SEC championship tends to run through Athens, you know, And I know Lane is doing whatever he's doing down in Baton Rouge. They're going to be a fun team to watch this year, but I don't think Ole Miss is going anywhere, guys. I don't know if they're going to actually, like be in the Atlanta for the SEC championship game, but I would not be shocked at all if they one, got back to the playoff and two made another run. So that's. I don't know if that's a bold take. I don't know if there's a bold prediction, but as long as Trinidad is there, I think I believe in Ole Miss because he can take care of the offense, Pete Golding can take care of the defense, and it could be a fun year in Oxford.
[26:42]
Host/Interviewer
All right, Cody, before you go, tell our audience how to follow you and how to find all your work over at Power Mizzou.
[26:46]
Cody Goodwin
Yeah, man. PowerMizzou.com part of the 24.7Sports Network. We're literally the 100 day countdown. We are riding stuff every single day. And now that we've got through this song and dance, we've got stuff coming to Preview the upcoming 2026 season. So and then on socials, I'm. I'm on Twitter mostly odygoodwin, Twitter X whatever the heck we're calling it now. So it's I think it's going to be a fun season in Colombia. I don't know if it's going to be a successful season, but I think it's going to be a fun one. So come along and enjoy the ride with us.
[27:11]
Co-host/Analyst
Thank you.
[27:21]
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[28:18]
Co-host/Analyst
Yeah, Maxing is so maxing right now bro.
[28:21]
Cody Goodwin
Get ready for spicy chicken maxing because
[28:23]
Co-host/Analyst
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[28:43]
Cody Goodwin
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[28:45]
Host/Interviewer
Taxon included.
[28:46]
Co-host/Analyst
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[28:47]
Cody Goodwin
or a combination with any other offer.
[28:48]
Co-host/Analyst
Discount.

Cody Goodwin of PowerMizzou: Could Mizzou be Playoff Contender?

Cody Goodwin of PowerMizzou: Could Mizzou be Playoff Contender?

That SEC Football Podcast

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ahmad Hardy’s Return: An Emotional Boost

2. Offensive Overhaul & Staff Changes

3. Quarterback Spotlight: Austin Simmons

4. Defensive Rebuild & Key Personnel

5. Offensive Line Concerns: Right Tackle Uncertainty

6. Scheme Evolution: More Vertical/Versatile Passing Attack

7. Schedule Analysis & Path to “Meaningful November”

8. Program History & Stadium Upgrades

9. Eli Drinkwitz's Demeanor: Cautious Optimism

10. Bold SEC & Ole Miss Prediction

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Conclusion

That SEC Football Podcast

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ahmad Hardy’s Return: An Emotional Boost

2. Offensive Overhaul & Staff Changes

3. Quarterback Spotlight: Austin Simmons

4. Defensive Rebuild & Key Personnel

5. Offensive Line Concerns: Right Tackle Uncertainty

6. Scheme Evolution: More Vertical/Versatile Passing Attack

7. Schedule Analysis & Path to “Meaningful November”

8. Program History & Stadium Upgrades

9. Eli Drinkwitz's Demeanor: Cautious Optimism

10. Bold SEC & Ole Miss Prediction

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Conclusion