Eli Drinkwitz will be entering his sixth season as Mizzou football coach this fall. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

COLUMBIA, MO — University of Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz and three members of the team will represent the Tigers at the 2025 SEC Football Kickoff Media Days, July 14-17, at the Omni Hotel at Centennial Park and the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, next week.

The Southeastern Conference announced Tuesday the 48 student-athletes who have been chosen by its 16 league schools to attend the main preseason event. Mizzou, along with Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas A&M will hold its media availability on Thursday, July 17.

Drinkwitz will be joined by grad students Daylan Carnell and Connor Tollison, along with senior Zion Young for the event.

Daylan Carnell will be entering his third season as Mizzou’s starting free safety when the season begins this fall. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Carnell enters his third season as the Tigers’ starting safety and in 43 career games (26 starts), has registered 133 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, four interceptions, 20 pass breakups, four caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries and nine quarterback pressures. He’s posted 33 games with two-plus tackles and nine contests with five-plus tackles, including a career-high eight against Middle Tennessee in 2023.

The Indianapolis, Ind., product has logged one interception in contests with Florida (2022), New Mexico State (2022), Arkansas (2022) and Tennessee (2023) and returned two for a touchdown in contests with New Mexico State and Tennessee. Carnell has carded one pass breakup on 16 occasions, including a career-best two against Vanderbilt (2022), Wake Forest (2022), Boston College (2024) and Oklahoma (2024) and enters 2025 tied for 16th in career pass breakups and tied for 19th in passes defended.

Mizzou center Connor Tollison is back in 2025, after suffering a season-ending knee injury last season. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Tollison returns to the field after sustaining a season-ending injury nine games into the 2024 season. The Tigers’ four-year starting center has compiled 2,356 career snaps in 37 games (35 starts).

The Jackson, Mo., native blocked for an offense that finished 10th nationally and second in the league in red zone offense, converting 46-of-50 opportunities (.920).

He also anchored an offensive line that led the SEC and ranked seventh nationally in time of possession (32:54) and ranked fourth and seventh in the conference in TFLs allowed (4.62) and sacks allowed (2.00) per game, respectively. Additionally, he helped Mizzou rank fifth in the country and second in the league in passes had intercepted with only five on the year.

Zion Young had five sacks and 12 quarterback pressures for Missouri last season. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Young enters his second season as one of Mizzou’s starting defensive ends, after transferring from Michigan State prior to the 2024 season. In 33 career games (24 starts), Young has registered 89 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, three pass breakups, one caused fumble, one fumble recovery and 12 quarterback pressures.

He’s posted 28 games with one-plus tackle and 16 contests with three-plus tackles, including a career-best seven against Michigan (2022) and Vanderbilt (2024). The Atlanta native has carded 1.0 tackles for loss in seven contests and logged 1.0 sack four times.

Additionally, Young has recorded one caused fumble against South Carolina (2024), while his lone fumble recovery occurred against Oklahoma, which he returned for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds to go in the Tigers’ heart-stopping win over the Sooners.

Zion Young scores the game-winning touchdown in Mizzou’s win over Oklahoma last season. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Missouri will officially begin the 2025 season on Thursday, August 28, when it hosts the “Kickoff in CoMo” home opener against Central Arkansas. Kickoff that evening at Faurot Field is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.

2025 MIZZOU TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTVRadio
August 28, 2025 (Thursday)6:30 pmHomeCentral ArkansasFaurot FieldTiger Radio Network
September 6, 2025 (Saturday)2:30 pmHomeKansasFaurot FieldTiger Radio Network
September 13, 2025 (Saturday)3 pmHomeLouisianaFaurot FieldTiger Radio Network
September 20, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeSouth CarolinaFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
September 27, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeMassachusettsFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
October 11, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeAlabamaFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
October 18, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayAuburnAuburn, Ala. / Jordan-Hare StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
October 25, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayVanderbiltNashville, Tenn. / FirstBank StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
November 8, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeTexas A&MFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
November 15, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeMississippi StateFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
November 22, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayOklahomaNorman, Okla. / Memorial StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
November 29, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayArkansasFayetteville, Ark. / Razorback StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network