Missouri Tigers football is preparing for its first SEC game of the season, and the biggest storyline surrounds South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The preseason All-SEC first-team selection and Heisman hopeful exited last week’s 31-7 loss to Vanderbilt after taking a hit from linebacker Langston Patterson, who was ejected for targeting.
As Sellers’ health remains the dominant question entering the Mayor’s Cup showdown, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz addressed the situation directly ahead of the Week 4 game. While Shane Beamer offered no firm update beyond the mandated availability report, Drinkwitz was careful not to let his team dwell on speculation.
HC Eli Drinkwitz on LaNorris Sellers and the Quarterback Question
Drinkwitz made it clear that obsessing over Sellers’ status isn’t productive for his locker room.
He emphasized why Sellers has earned so much attention: “LaNorris Sellers was preseason All-SEC first team for a reason. That’s because he’s a legitimate player, beat us in a two-minute drive last year. I mean, preseason frontrunner for the Heisman. I don’t… whether he’s healthy or not, he is an elite player.”
“You know, concussion protocol is what it is. You know, when he’s clear, he is a hundred percent healthy,” Drinkwitz said on his recent appearance on Sirius XM’s show with Peter Burns and Chris Doering.
“Worrying about who plays quarterback… it’s a distraction.”
@CoachDrinkwitz talked to @PeterBurnsESPN & @ChrisDoering about preparing for a dangerous Gamecocks offense regardless of who’s behind center.
@MizzouFootball | #MIZ | #SECThisMorning pic.twitter.com/vc0DFkEvyM
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) September 19, 2025
By framing Sellers as elite while downplaying the guessing game, Drinkwitz simultaneously respects the opponent and refocuses his team on preparation. He also noted Missouri’s approach is scheme-based, not individual-dependent:
“I think the whole distraction for us is worrying about who plays quarterback is that exactly that, it’s a distraction. Throughout the week you attack scheme, you don’t necessarily attack an individual player. So, you know, I think for us, we’re assuming that LaNorris is going to be the quarterback and everything we do is in preparation for that. We’ll adjust if different. We’ve played against Luke before. Luke’s played quarterback against us.”
Drinkwitz pointed to backup Luke Doty, who stepped in against Vanderbilt. He views Doty as a capable stand-in who wouldn’t fundamentally change South Carolina’s offense.
That point was expanded further when Drinkwitz discussed Doty’s style: “And he’s a very similar-style quarterback to LaNorris. He’s an excellent pocket quarterback who creates an added dimension with his feet. They’re going to run him. That’s why he’s the backup quarterback so that their assimilation of offense doesn’t really change. So I haven’t allowed any of us to really worry about that.”
Drinkwitz Acknowledges Missouri Faces a Significant Challenge
Drinkwitz then shifted attention to South Carolina’s broader offensive talent and made his confession:
“I mean, they have some really, really good players on offense. They have a freshman All-American at the left tackle position. They have a seventh-year running back who I think is a dynamite player, and Nyck Harbor is an elite wide receiver. So the challenges are enormous on that side of the ball.”
Whether Sellers plays or not will be revealed in coming days — an update on his availability is expected soon — though it’s highly unlikely that the star signal-caller will miss the upcoming game. For now, as per the injury report, he’s marked as questionable.
Still, his potential return adds intrigue as the Gamecocks prepare for a ranked, undefeated Missouri squad that has looked strong through three weeks.
For Drinkwitz, the message is simple: Missouri won’t let speculation distract from preparation. With Sellers questionable but trending toward playing, the Tigers will brace for both quarterbacks while locking in on South Carolina’s playmakers.