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Eli Drinkwitz is one of the quirkier head coaches in the Southeastern Conference. The Missouri leader demonstrated that oddball behavior at SEC Media Days on Tuesday.
Drinkwitz attempted to highlight a Tiger player while using a highly questionable acronym. That praise didn’t land with most listeners as his phrasing sounded anything but football relat onlineed.
The player referenced was incoming transfer Cayden Green. A former Oklahoma Sooner, the offensive lineman comes to CoMo with big expectations.
Not only did he appear in 11 games as a true freshman, but he was named a team captain in that rookie year while earning All-America honors.
He transferred to Missouri this offseason, giving him an opportunity to participate in spring practice.
“We’re very excited about his length, speed and athleticism and we’re also excited about his tenacity,” Drinkwitz said about his new addition.
Green’s apparently made an impact on his head coach, though Drinkwitz used a much different phrase to praise the 6-5, 320-pound lineman on Tuesday.
Eli Drinkwitz said Cayden Green has STIs…
Size, toughness, and instincts.
Eli Drinkwitz: “Cayden Green has STIs — size, toughness and instincts”
????????
— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) July 16, 2024
The acronym sparked an immediate online response.
“That’s better than size, toughness, and determination…”
“I’ve heard players like that are infectious.”
“I take it he’s been testing positively.”
Analogy aside, Green expects to factor immediately into the Missouri offense, though his transfer decision didn’t come without drama. After switching his affiliation to the Tigers, a number of Oklahoma fans targeted the big man’s father online.
Sooner flooded his business account with negative reviews, enraged with Green’s decision.
It wouldn’t influence the transfer, and Green seems to have made himself quite comfortable in Columbia. As for his head coach, it’s far from the first time he’s demonstrated cringey behavior.
Lane Kiffin called him out for some questionable recruiting antics this offseason, while fans roasted him for a corny interaction with Josh Heupel after his team took down Tennessee last year.
Those only added to a seemingly never-ending list of awkward moments in the head coach’s past.
Eli Drinkwitz made an impression at this year’s SEC Media Days. We’re not sure his star player will appreciate it, though!