Mizzou has an answer at the one offensive line spot that could not stay unsettled. With fall camp down to its final practices, Eli Drinkwitz said he’s comfortable handing the starting right tackle job to Mississippi State transfer Luke Work — a bigger deal than it sounds, because new starting quarterback Austin Simmons is left-handed, which makes right tackle his blind side. The job opened up when Arizona State transfer Josh Atkins, the presumed starter, hit a setback with a leg injury that may cost him most of the season.
The Rundown
- Mizzou opens the 2026 season Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
- Drinkwitz has said he feels good about Mississippi State transfer Luke Work sliding in at right tackle.
- Josh Atkins, the Arizona State transfer brought in for that spot, suffered a leg injury and a subsequent setback; his return timeline is now murky.
- RB Ahmad Hardy is still rehabbing and has not been a full participant in camp.
Why Right Tackle Is Suddenly the Job That Matters
For most of the last decade, Mizzou fans have been trained to obsess over left tackle. Not this year. Simmons throws left-handed, so the pass rusher he never sees is coming off the right edge — and that flips the entire protection conversation. Every year a first-year starter takes over under center, the fastest way to ruin him is to let him get hit from a direction he can’t feel coming. Getting Work settled with three practices left, instead of rotating bodies into Week 1, is the kind of quiet win that shows up in November.
Losing Atkins hurts. He was the veteran the staff went and got specifically for this problem. But Work arrives from Mississippi State with SEC reps already on his résumé, and right guard Curtis Peagler — who’s lined up next to him all camp — has been openly complimentary about how quickly Work has fit into the room. Interior linemen don’t hand out that kind of praise casually.
The Line Around Him
This is a re-tooled front, not a rebuilt one. Cayden Green is back anchoring the left side as one of the best offensive linemen in the country, and Peagler returns at right guard after breaking through as a starter last season following three years of waiting his turn. That’s real continuity on two-fifths of the line, with a new center and new right tackle folded in around it. If the interior holds up the way it did a year ago, Work only has to be solid — not spectacular — for this group to function.
Still Waiting on Hardy
The Ahmad Hardy watch continues, and we should all keep our expectations honest. Drinkwitz has not offered a firm return date, and after two-plus weeks of camp the message has stayed consistent: Hardy is progressing in the weight room and in speed training, still doing rehab work, still not a full participant. He was spotted at practice earlier this month watching his teammates rather than taking reps. Losing a consensus All-American who ran for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall would be a gut punch for any offense — but the good news is Mizzou stocked the running back room deep enough to survive a slow start for him.
The Takeaway
Camp is closing with more answers than questions on offense, and that’s exactly the order you want them in. Simmons has his blind side covered, the line has an identity, and the defense has spent three weeks getting live reps against a unit that safety Trajen Greco says can genuinely sling it. Sept. 3 can’t get here fast enough. MIZ.
Sources: ABC 17 News (KMIZ) | Missouri Tigers On SI | PowerMizzou (247Sports)
