"Obviously he has the STIs": Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz has hilarious acronym to describe Tigers OT's abilities
During the SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz praised offensive lineman Cayden Green, a recent transfer from Oklahoma. Speaking about Green's daily consistency, Drinkwitz shared how excited he is for what Cayden brings to the program.
Drinkwitz emphasized Green’s key traits, saying he possesses the "STIs":
"Excited about what Cayden brings to our program. He's very consistent in his approach every single day. Obviously he has the STIs -- size, toughness, and instincts -- to be an elite player."
Even though Eli Drinkwitz was trying to praise Cayden Green, his choice of the acronym STI might have been ill-advised, as it is commonly abbreviated as sexually transmitted infection, per the World Health Organization.
Drinkwitz lauded the player for his versatility and humble approach and talked about the strong relationship between Green and offensive lines coach Brandon Jones.
“Demonstrated that capability last year on the field," Drinkwitz said. "And so for us he's provided a lot of position flexibility. I've been very impressed with the humbleness of his approach. Him and coach Jones have a tremendous relationship.
“They are consistently communicating about him being a tackle or a guard and what's best for our team and what's best for him. And ultimately he just wants to win and wants to be a part of our football team."
After Green entered the transfer portal and visited several schools, Missouri ultimately proved to be the right fit for him. Eli Drinkwitz said they had recruited Green in high school and expressed satisfaction with securing him:
"We recruited Cayden heavily in high school. He entered the transfer portal. He took visits to a couple of different schools, and ultimately we ended up getting — we were the right fit for him.”
Eli Drinkwitz sets forward-looking agenda at SEC Media Days
Entering his fifth year, the Missouri coach took to the stage at the Southeastern Conference Media Days on Tuesday and spoke about the team's need to develop chemistry and toughness.
Eli Drinkwitz acknowledged achievements from the previous season, including a Cotton Bowl victory and a strong NFL draft showing. He highlighted the team's academic performance and tied it all back to the upcoming season's goals.
"We have to go and develop our own team chemistry," Drinkwitz said. "We have to go figure out what it means to be a tough, physical football team. We’ve got to understand what kind of poise it’s going to take to play and execute under pressure — and we have a difficult task ahead of us.
"With that being said, in order for us to accomplish our goals this season, our football team has a lot of growth to make."
Throughout his opening statement, Drinkwitz maintained a pragmatic approach and talked about the importance of growth and improvement within the team.