Missouri's offense has controlled the trenches in recent seasons, thanks in large to the scheme implemented by offensive line coach Brandon Jones. He's helped churn out loads of top-tier talent since his arrival at Missouri ahead of the 2023 season, including but not limited to Cayden Green, Keagen Trost, Connor Tollison and Armand Membou.
Tollison was a standout in Missouri's program, as he was a four-year starter at center and was largely succesful during his time in Black and Gold. He exhausted eligibility and headed to the NFL over the offseason, meaning the Tigers will be tasked with a new finding a new starting center for the first time since Jones' arrival.
Instead of sifting the transfer portal for a lineman with previous experience at center, Missouri opted to stick with an in-house option, shifting Dominick Giudice, who started the 2025 season at left guard, to center.
Although it's in the extremely early stages, the decision seems to be working to Missouri's advantage.
"On the offensive side of the ball, I want to say I'm extremely proud of Dominick Giudice," Drinkwitz said. "Dom has done an excellent job transitioning from guard to center and really establishing the mentality and work ethic of our offensive line, and therefore the identity and work ethic of our team.
Aug 28, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Dominick Giudice (56) at the line of scrimmage against the Central Arkansas Bears during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Making the shift to from guard to center puts weight on Giudice individually for him to adapt when needed and learn a new position. It puts even more weight on him as a leader- as the starting center and one of the oldest players on Missouri's roster, he'll need to step up as a strong voice on the team. Once again, it seems to be working out.
"Dom has done an excellent job of making sure everybody has bought in, doing extra," Drinkwitz said. "One of our core values is doing more than what's expected. Dom is doing that with the offensive line."
While members of the line like Cayden Green and Curtis Peagler return as proven starters who can hold down their individual positions, other positions aren't so solid. Josh Atkins, a three-year starter at Arizona State and Hawaii who was expected to start at right tackle, went down with a leg injury in spring practice and was expected to be back in September or October. According to Eli Drinkwitz on Monday, Atkins suffered a "setback" to the injury in early June and will now miss more time than originally expected, making the status of Atkins and the right tackle position as a whole a giant question mark.
While it'll be a collective effort to help replace Atkins' expected production, Giudice's leadership will be needed.
"You have guys like Cayden Green, Curtis Peagler, Tristan Wilson, Whit Hafer, who have been here, Jack Lange, who understand, Logan Reichert, who understand what it looks like," Drinkwitz said. "And then you've brought along the new guys, the transfers, Zach Owens, Luke Work, Josh Atkins. Very excited to see the ownership and the opportunity that that room has to continue to move our team forward."
Green, a returning captain from the 2025 season and among the nation's best tackles, will be another leader in the room. He believes his unit worked hard enough in the offseason to be rewarded for it come fall.
"I don't think anybody in the country has outworked us," Green said. "So I'm excited to see the fruits of that labor, because we're getting it in every day. There's never a day that goes by we're not doing something to get better."
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X , Facebook , YouTube and Instagram for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/missouri as Mizzou's Offensive Line has Found a New Leader in Dominick Giudice .
