Missouri’s offensive line has a new face setting the tone in the middle, and early signs point to Dominick Giudice handling the job well.
The Tigers have built real strength up front under offensive line coach Brandon Jones, who arrived ahead of the 2023 season and has already helped develop names like Cayden Green, Keagen Trost, Connor Tollison and Armand Membou. That track record matters now, because Missouri had to replace a major piece when Tollison, a four-year starter at center, exhausted his eligibility and moved on to the NFL after the season.
Rather than chase a transfer with center experience, Missouri chose to keep the answer in-house. Giudice, who opened the 2025 season at left guard, moved over to center. It’s still early, but the switch appears to be giving the Tigers what they wanted.
"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.
That move asks a lot of Giudice on his own. Learning a new spot is one thing.
Becoming the voice in the middle is another. As one of the oldest players on the roster and now the starting center, he’s being asked to lead as much as he’s being asked to block, and Missouri sounds encouraged by how he’s handled it.
"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."
The line does have some stability around him. Green and Curtis Peagler return as proven starters, but the picture isn’t complete.
Josh Atkins, a three-year starter at Arizona State and Hawaii who was expected to take over at right tackle, suffered a leg injury in spring practice and was initially expected back in September or October. That timeline has now changed.
Drinkwitz said Monday that Atkins had a "setback" in early June and will miss more time than first thought, leaving right tackle as a major question.
That makes Giudice’s presence even more important, because Missouri will need the whole room pulling in the same direction while the right side gets sorted out.
"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 one of the nation’s best tackles, is part of that leadership group too. He said the work has already been put in and now the unit is waiting to see it pay off.
"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."
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