DALLAS — Missouri and OU have had their fair share of recent recruiting battles.
First, the Tigers landed former Sooners wide receiver Theo Wease out of the transfer portal following the 2022 season. Then, Missouri landed the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class per 247Sports’ Composite rankings, Williams Nwaneri, over the Sooners.
But the former rivalry that will be renewed this season when OU travels to face Missouri Nov. 9, was ramped up further following the 2023 regular season when talented Sooners freshman offensive lineman and former top-100 recruit Cayden Green transferred to the Tigers.
“We have competitive recruiting battles with everybody in the SEC,” Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said on Tuesday the main stage at SEC Media Days. “… I think there’s too much made of it. In the SEC, there’s only about 100 players you can actively recruit who are good enough to play in this league, and maybe not even that many based on each position. So you’re going to be in battles against each other and we don’t ever take those personal.
“It’s great for the fans and social media but for us, it’s another quality opponent on our schedule that we’re going to have to play at our absolute best in order to have any type of opportunity to win.”
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Drinkwitz opened up about of Green’s departure from OU and eventual commitment to the Tigers during his annual speech Tuesday.
“We recruited Cayden heavily in high school,” Drinkwitz said. “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.
“Excited about what Cayden brings to our program. He’s very consistent in his approach every single day. Obviously he’s got the STI, size, toughness and instincts, to be an elite player. Demonstrated that capability last year on the field. 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.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz downplays OU football recruiting battles
The Oklahoman
