Missouri Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz has been linked to several top college football jobs that have fallen vacant this season. Alongside Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin, Drinkwitz has been most closely linked to the vacant head coaching jobs at Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, and Penn State Nittany Lions.
Top College Football Target Linked With Contract Extension
Amid the speculation about his future at Missouri, Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger revealed on X that the Missouri Board of Curators was meeting on Wednesday to discuss extending Drinkwitz’s contract.
“The Missouri Board of Curators meeting on Wednesday is to authorize the university to move forward with a proposed – not finalized – new contract for coach Eli Drinkwitz, sources tell @YahooSports. There are several more steps in this process. No announcement is imminent,” Dellenger tweeted.
Drinkwitz signed a contract extension in July, earning him $9 million this season, steadily rising to $9.5 million at the end of his contract in 2029. Were he to be fired without cause, the Tigers would owe Drinkwitz 75% of his salary. If he were to depart the program after Dec. 2, he would owe Missouri $4 million, which would steadily decrease to $1 million at the end of his contract.
Drinkwitz Reveals Commitment to Missouri
Last week, before the Tigers clashed against the Oklahoma Sooners, Drinkwitz revealed his commitment to the program and rubbished speculation linking him to other college football programs, attributing the rumors to the team’s success in the past few seasons.
“You know, all of this stuff is just a distraction,” Drinkwitz said. “You know, I would like to remind everybody, including our fans, we absolutely love Mizzou. We love what we’re building. We’ve been to six straight bowl games. We’ve got a sellout streak going. Since I’ve been here, I’ve signed multiple extensions.
“In fact, I signed one this past summer. So all this speculation is really a tribute to them. And it’s really a tribute to our team’s success and their commitment to their team. That’s where my focus is going to remain, on our team and our current situation. And I’m not going to get into all that stuff, because, again, it’s just a distraction.”
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After leading the Tigers to a 10-3 record and the Music City Bowl last season, Mizzou currently has a 7-4 record this season after several losses to top-ranked teams in the past month, dropping their chances of making the College Football Playoff to just 0.01% according to PFSN’s College Football Playoff Meter. Overall, Drinkwitz has a 45-28 record in six years as head coach of Mizzou, which accounts for the clamor for his services across college football.
