Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz was named Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year on Monday. (Photo: Cedric Williams)

Terrance Williams
Staff Writer

University of Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz was named SEC Coach of the Year and seven players earned all-conference honors, the Associated Press announced on Monday.

Drinkwitz is the second Missouri coach to win the SEC Coach of the Year award. Former coach Gary Pinkel won the award in 2014.

The honor comes as more high praise for Drinkwitz, who in his fourth season at Mizzou, has led the Tigers to a 10-2 record — just the the fifth time Missouri football has won 10 games in a season — and its first New Year’s Six bowl game berth, a trip to Dallas, Texas to play Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

The seven players that also received All-SEC honors were CB Kris Abrams-Draine, WR Luther Burden III, OT Javon Foster, DE Darius Robinson, RB Cody Schrader, who were all first-team selections, and G Cam’Ron Johnson and K Harrison Mevis, who were second-team honorees.

Mizzou’s five first-team selections matched Alabama for most in the league.

The No. 9-ranked Tigers’ 10-2 regular season was the school’s first double-digit win season since 2014. MU went 6-2 in SEC games and won both the Mayor’s Cup over South Carolina and Battle Line Rivalry over Arkansas.

Abrams-Draine was a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Thorpe Awards and leads the SEC with 16 passes defended and 12 PBUs. His four interceptions matched a career best and he has accepted an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Burden emerged as one of the most electrifying players in the country, ranking among the nation’s leaders in yards after contact. He was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff and Maxwell Awards. He averaged just under 100 yards per game (99.8) and was third in the league with 1,197 yards on 83 catches with eight touchdowns.

Foster and Johnson helped anchor an offensive line which paved the way for a 3,000-yard passer (QB Brady Cook), a 1,000-yard receiver (Burden) and 1,000-yard rusher (Schrader). The OL group is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award and ranks third in the SEC for sacks allowed.

Mevis is the first Mizzou player to score 400+ points via kicking. He closed the regular season by connecting on 14-straight field goal attempts and made 80-percent of his kicks this season (24-of-30). A two-time SEC Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 18 and Nov. 20), he hit game winners of 61 and 30 yards to beat Kansas State and Florida, respectively.

He holds the Mizzou career records for scoring (403 points), field goals made (86) and 50-yard field goals made (13). He also ranks eighth all-time in the SEC in points scored and third in career field goals (86) in the conference.

Robinson had a standout season after returning for an extra year and learning to play a new position on the edge. His 7.5 sacks rank sixth in the league while his 12.0 tackles for a loss sits eighth. He added 41 tackles, five QB hurries, a forced fumble, recovery and was a two-time SEC Player of the Week.

Schrader led the SEC in rushing, won the Burlsworth Trophy and is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. The league’s leading rusher by more than 30 yards per game, Schrader has 1,499 yards on 247 carries, including earning the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honor for his 205-yard performance vs. Tennessee the weekend of Nov. 11.

The nation’s second-leading rusher has 13 rushing touchdowns and has scored in nine straight games after a 217-yard outing vs. Arkansas to close the regular season.

2023ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM

Offense
WR — Malik Nabers, LSU, 6-0, 200, Jr., Youngsville, Louisiana
WR — Luther Burden III, Missouri, 5-11, 208, So., St. Louis, Missouri
T — Javon Foster, Missouri, 6-5, 319, grad, Detroit
T — JC Latham, Alabama, 6-6, 360, Jr., Oak Creek, Wisconsin
G — Tate Ratledge, Georgia, 6-6, 310, Jr., Rome, Georgia
G — Tyler Booker, Alabama, 6-5, 352, So., New Haven, Connecticut
C — Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia, Jr., 6-4, 310, New Orleans
TE — Brock Bowers, Georgia, 6-4, 240, Jr., Napa, California
QB — Jayden Daniels, LSU, 6-4, 210, Sr., San Bernardino, California
RB — Cody Schrader, Missouri, 5-9, 214, graduate, St. Louis, Missouri
RB — Ray Davis, Kentucky, 5-10, 216, Sr., San Francisco
PK — Will Reichard, Alabama, 6-1, 194, grad, Hoover, Alabama
All-Purpose — Ainias Smith, Texas A&M, 5-10, 200, grad, Missouri City, Texas

Defense
DE — James Pearce Jr., Tennessee, 6-5, 242, So., Charlotte, North Carolina
DE — Darius Robinson, Missouri, 6-5, 296, grad, Southfield, Michigan
DT — Marcus Harris, Auburn, 6-3, 295, Sr., Montgomery, Alabama
DT — Deone Walker, Kentucky, 6-6, 348, So., Detroit
LB — Dallas Turner, Alabama, 6-4, 252, Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Florida
LB — Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M, 6-3, 230, Jr., Covington, Louisiana
LB — Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State, grad, 6-2, 245, Maplesville, Alabama
CB — Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri, 5-11, 178, Jr., Mobile, Alabama
CB — Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama, 6-1, 195, Jr., Birmingham, Ala.
S — Malaki Starks, Georgia, 6-1, 205, So., Jefferson, Georgia
S — Jaylin Simpson, Auburn, 6-1, 178, Sr., Brunswick, Georgia
P — Matthew Hayball, Vanderbilt, 6-1, 187, grad, West Adelaide, Australia

SECOND TEAM

Offense
WR — Xavier Legette, South Carolina, 6-3, 227, Sr., Mullins, South Carolina
WR — Brian Thomas, LSU, 6-4, 205, Jr., Walker, Louisiana
T — Will Campbell, LSU, 6-6, 325, So., Monroe, Louisiana
T — Gunner Britton, Auburn, 6-6, 312, Sr., Conway, South Carolina
G — Joshua Braun, Arkansas, 6-6, 348, Jr., Live Oak, Florida
G — Cam’Ron Johnson, Missouri, 6-4, 305, Jr., Houston
C — Cooper Mays, Tennessee, 6-3, 305, Sr., Knoxville, Tennessee
TE — Rivaldo Fairweather, 6-4, 251, Jr., Lauderhill, Florida
QB — Jalen Milroe, Alabama, 6-2, 220, So., Katy, Texas
RB — Quinshon Judkins, Mississippi, 5-11, 210, So., Pike Road, Alabama
RB — Jaylen Wright, Tennessee, 5-11, 210, Jr., Durham, North Carolina
PK — Harrison Mevis, Missouri, 5-11, 243, Sr., Warsaw, Indiana
All-Purpose — Barion Brown, Kentucky, 6-1, 166, So., Nashville; Xavier Legette, South Carolina, 6-3, 227, Sr., Mullins, South Carolina

Defense
DE — Princely Umanmielen, 6-5, 255, Jr., Manor, Texas
DE — Landon Jackson, Arkansas, 6-7, 281, Texarkana, Texas
DT — Justin Eboigbe, Alabama, 6-5, 292, Sr., Forest Park, Georgia
DT — Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia, 6-3, 320, Sr., Stone Mountain, Georgia
LB — Jett Johnson, Mississippi State, 6-2, 230, grad, Tupelo, Mississippi
LB — Chris Braswell, Alabama, 6-3, 255, Sr., Baltimore, Maryland
LB — Debo Williams, South Carolina, 6-1, 232, Jr., Smyrna, Delaware
CB — Terrion Arnold, Alabama, 6-0, 196, So., Tallahassee, Florida
CB — Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky, 6-0, 196, So., West Bloomfield, Michigan
S — Javon Bullard, Georgia, 5-11, 195, Jr., Milledgeville, Georgia
S — Caleb Downs, Alabama, 6-0, 203, Fr., Hoschton, Georgia
P — Jeremy Chrawshaw, Florida, 6-4, 200, Jr., New South Wales, Australia

Offensive Player of the Year — Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Defensive Player of the Year — Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State

Coach of the Year — Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri

Newcomer of the Year — Caleb Downs, S, Alabama
___

AP All-SEC Voting Panel: Emily Adams, The Greenville (South Carolina) News; Kayla Anderson, WKRN-TV, Nashville, Tennessee; Matt Baker, St. Petersburg Times; Robert Cessna, Bryan-College Station Eagle; John Clay, Lexington Herald Leader; Adam Cole, Opelika-Auburn News; Garland Gillen, Fox 8 (WVUE-TV), New Orleans; Stephen Hargis, Chattanooga Times Free Press; Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star; Stefan Krajisnik, Jackson Clarion-Ledger; Tom Murphy, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Advocate; Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner-Herald; Creg Stephenson, al.com.