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Missouri football recently announced a contract extension for head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The Tigers' young leader has catapulted this program back to relevance in the vaunted SEC Conference. Missouri is coming off two straight seasons of ten wins or more and is expected to be a preseason-ranked team this year. And the athletic department wants the good times to continue after extending Drinkwitz's contract through 2029.
The 42-year-old gave a heart-warming reaction to this news in a recent press release.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the continued belief in our vision for Mizzou Football. The Board of Curators, President Choi, Laird Veatch and our donors and fans have shown a deep commitment to building a championship-caliber program. That means investing in the people throughout our building who work tirelessly for our student-athletes. I’m proud of the staff we’ve assembled and excited to keep pushing forward together.”
With Drinkwitz's name frequently mentioned whenever a highly profiled job opens up in the college football world, this is an excellent move by the Tigers. The Norman, Oklahoma native's career has been on a consistent upward trajectory, from successful offensive coordinator to a highly regarded head coach. Drinkwitz was even a quarterback coach at Auburn when they won the national championship in 2011. Eli then went on to serve as an offensive coordinator at Arkansas State and Boise State before returning to the Red Wolves to become their head coach.
In his one season with Arkansas State, the Tigers' head coach led the program to one of its greatest seasons ever, finishing 12-1 overall and winning the Sun Belt Championship. Missouri football subsequently did not hesitate to hire Drinkwitz right away after that tremendous season. And this program's loyalty to its new leader after a few uneven seasons has paid off in spades. In 2023, Drinkwitz was named SEC Coach of the Year, leading Missouri football to an 11-2 record, a top 10 season finish, and its first New Year's Six Bowl win at the Cotton Bowl.
The Tigers are now well-positioned to potentially contend for a College Football Playoff spot in 2025, facing a manageable schedule by SEC standards. The three matchups that stand out all take place at home against South Carolina, Alabama, and Texas A&M. Missouri football might only be able to afford losing one game to make the twelve-team field this year, but that possibility is not out of the question. These are conversations this program can realistically have with Drinkwitz at the helm over the next several years.
