One week from today, our Tigers take the podium in Tampa. Mizzou is part of the Day 1 lineup at SEC Media Days on Monday, July 20, alongside Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, and it marks the unofficial kickoff of a 2026 season carrying as much anticipation as any in recent memory. Between a new starting quarterback, a beloved star working his way back, and a rebuilt Memorial Stadium celebrating its 100th birthday, Eli Drinkwitz will have no shortage of talking points.
The Rundown
- Mizzou appears at SEC Media Days in Tampa on Monday, July 20, the first day of the four-day event
- Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons was named the starting quarterback coming out of spring practice
- Star RB Ahmad Hardy is rehabbing from a May gunshot wound with the goal of playing in 2026; no timetable has been set
- The season opens September 5 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, debuting the $250 million north end zone in Memorial Stadium’s 100th year
Simmons Steps to the Mic as QB1
For the first time in a while, Mizzou heads to media days with the quarterback question already answered. Drinkwitz named Austin Simmons the starter after the final spring practice, saying the 6-foot-4 lefty separated himself in two-minute and red-zone work. Simmons arrived from Ole Miss, where he opened 2025 as the starter before an ankle injury derailed his season. He beat out Matt Zollers, UConn transfer Nick Evers, and freshman Gavin Sidwar for the job. Expect Simmons to field plenty of questions in Tampa about leading an SEC offense that will need him ready from day one.
The Ahmad Hardy Question
The topic every reporter in the room will raise: Ahmad Hardy. Our SEC rushing champ — 1,649 yards in 2025, second-most in the country — was shot in the left leg at a concert in Mississippi in May. The good news has kept coming since: successful surgery, a quick hospital release, and a return to Columbia to begin rehab with the stated goal of playing this season. The program has been careful to call his timeline unknown, and that’s the honest answer. Whatever Drinkwitz says Monday about Hardy’s progress will be the headline of Mizzou’s media day.
A Stadium Worth Talking About
The backdrop to all of it is Memorial Stadium turning 100 — and looking newer than ever. The $250 million north end zone renovation debuts this fall, and our Tigers carry a program-record 20-game home sellout streak into the opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on September 5. Single-game tickets hit the public later this month, so if you want in on year 100, don’t sleep.
The Takeaway
Media days don’t win games, but they set the tone. Mizzou arrives with a named QB1, a top-two national rusher fighting to get back on the field, and a home venue that’s never been louder or better. Monday in Tampa is our first real glimpse of how Drinkwitz plans to frame this season — and whether the Hardy news keeps trending the right way.
Sources: On3 | CBS Sports | MUTigers.com
