COLUMBIA, Mo. — The NCAA has been shaken up quite a bit after a significant conference realignment between the Big 12, Big 10 and Pac-12.

Arizona, Arizona State and Utah all decided to leave the Pac-12 recently and will join the Big 12 for the 2024 season.

The conference has already added a lengthy list of new teams with Oklahoma and Texas departing soon for the SEC.

The recent moves have led to conversations about the Missouri Tigers rejoining their old conference, but if Mizzou head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz has any say, it won’t be happening any time soon.

Drinkwitz stated his frustrations with the realignment, citing the neglect of the student-athletes as the main reason the realignment shouldn’t be viewed as a good thing.

“I thought the transfer window—I thought the portal was closed. Oh, that’s just for the student athletes. The adults in the room get to do whatever they want, apparently,” Drinkwitz said.

“My question is did we count the cost? I’m not talking about a financial cost, I’m talking about did we count the cost for the student-athletes involved in this decision. What cost is it to those student-athletes?”

Not only was Drinkwitz speaking for football teams, but athletes from all sports.

“We’re talking about a football decision but what about softball and baseball who have to travel cross-country?” Drinkwitz said. “Did we ask about the cost of them?” Do we know what the number one cause of mental health is: it’s lack of rest and sleep.”

Drinkwitz seems to make a point as there’ll be a lot more cross-country trips with the addition of teams to the Big 12.

“They travel commercial, they get done playing at four, they gotta go to the airport, they come back, it’s three or four in the morning, they gotta go to class. I mean, did we ask any of them?”

“I don’t worry at all about the game, the game is gonna be strong, football’s gonna be fine, we’ll all figure it out, but did we consider the people we are entrusted with? Did we consider the student-athlete?” Drinkwitz asked.

With conferences continuing to realign, it will be interesting to see what else takes place within the NCAA.