Eli Drinkwitz isn’t going anywhere, and Missouri just made sure of it. The Tigers’ head coach agreed to a massive new contract extension on Thanksgiving Day that will keep him in Columbia through the 2031 season. It effectively shut down any speculation linking him to openings at LSU, Penn State, or Auburn.

The 42-year-old coach, who has led Missouri to back-to-back 10-win seasons and a 21-5 record since the start of 2023, took to social media with a simple message: “My family and I are thankful to be @Mizzou. The support from our President, the Board of Curators, AD, boosters, and fans is special!” This marks Drinkwitz’s third contract extension in just under two years, showing Missouri’s commitment to keeping one of the SEC’s rising coaching stars.​

Eli Drinkwitz’s new contract details

Missouri’s Board of Curators approved the six-year extension on Wednesday, November 26th, with the deal becoming official the following day. The new contract runs through the 2031 season and is worth $64.5 million in total guaranteed compensation. According to reports, the deal also includes an enhanced salary pool for Drinkwitz’s assistant coaches. It will reportedly make Missouri’s staff the fourth-highest paid in the SEC. 

This represents a significant upgrade from his previous contract. His last contract was signed just four months earlier in July 2025, which ran through 2029 and paid him an average of roughly $9 million annually.​

The timing of this extension is particularly notable. Drinkwitz’s name had surfaced in connection with multiple high-profile coaching searches around the country. Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch and the university administration moved quickly to lock down their coach before the regular season finale, sending a clear message that they view Drinkwitz as the long-term answer for Tiger football.​

Eli Drinkwitz’s salary

Under the new deal, Drinkwitz will earn an average annual salary of $10.75 million through 2031. It makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. Specific year-by-year figures haven’t been fully disclosed yet. But reports indicate he’ll make $10.25 million in 2026, representing a significant jump from his 2025 salary. This new contract elevates Drinkwitz into elite company among SEC coaches, where he’ll now compete financially with programs that have historically spent more on coaching salaries.​

Comparing this to his previous July 2025 extension, the raise is substantial. That deal paid him $9 million for the 2025 season, with incremental increases to $9.25 million in 2026-2027 and $9.5 million in 2028-2029. The new contract essentially gives him an additional $1.25 million per year on average. It totals roughly $18 million more over the life of the deal when you factor in the two extra years added through 2031. Missouri clearly wanted to make sure Drinkwitz’s compensation reflected his value in today’s coaching market, where programs like LSU were reportedly prepared to offer similar or higher figures to lure him away.​

Length of Eli Drinkwitz’s contract

The extension runs for six years, taking Drinkwitz through the 2031 season. This replaces his previous contract that was set to expire after the 2029 campaign, effectively adding two more years of security for both the coach and the program. 

His previous July 2025 extension was a five-year deal running through 2029, which itself had replaced a 2023 extension that went through 2028. Missouri has essentially reworked Drinkwitz’s contract three times in less than two years, first in December 2023, again in July 2025, and now in November 2025. And each time adding length and money to keep pace with his rising stock in the coaching world. The six-year commitment shows Missouri’s confidence that Drinkwitz is the right leader to sustain the program’s recent success.

Eli Drinkwitz’s buyout

Specific buyout details for the new November 2025 contract haven’t been publicly released yet, which is fairly common when contracts are initially announced. However, we can look at his previous contract structure to get a sense of what Missouri might have negotiated. Under his July 2025 deal, Drinkwitz would have owed Missouri $5 million if he left before December 1, 2025, with that figure dropping to $4 million through December 2027, $3 million through December 2028, and $1 million thereafter.​

On the flip side, if Missouri were to fire Drinkwitz without cause under the previous contract, the university would owe him 75% of his remaining base salary and non-salary compensation. That figure totaled approximately $28.8 million. 

Given that the new contract is worth significantly more ($64.5 million) and runs two years longer, it’s reasonable to assume the buyout protection has increased proportionally for both sides. Missouri likely structured the buyout to protect its investment while also giving Drinkwitz enough financial security to turn down overtures from other programs. Though we’ll need to wait for the full contract details to be released to know the exact figures.​

Eli Drinkwitz’s new $64.5 million contract represents a massive vote of confidence from Missouri in a coach who has delivered exactly what the program needed. It remains to be seen how Drinkwitz responds to this better financial incentive with his performance post-season.