Amid the hot coaching carousel, Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz stays in Columbia. Programs like Penn State, Auburn, LSU, and Florida, among others, were the reported suitors for the 42-year-old. But he maintained his stance of not leaving the Tigers and was rewarded with his fourth contract extension.

Missouri this year is 7-4 in the SEC and has a chance to finish with 8 wins with a win against Arkansas in Week 14. It’s monumental for the program since last year the team finished with 9 wins in the regular season, along with a bowl game win. These efforts of the head coach in his sixth season are not forgotten. Drinkwitz is now receiving a new six-year deal with an average salary of $10.7 million per season.

“Under his vision and leadership, Coach Drinkwitz has transformed the standard for Mizzou Football and united our entire program and fan base behind a clear pursuit of excellence,” said AD Laird Veatch. The university president also thanked Eli Drinkwitz for what he had done for the program.

“Coach Drinkwitz represents the excellence, integrity and ambition we strive for across our institution,” said President Mun Choi. “His leadership has united our community and state and positioned Mizzou Football for long-term success. We are proud to support him as he continues building a program that reflects the very best of the University of Missouri”.

Drinkwitz has signed a six-year extension now, with an average salary of $10.75 million. That places him amongst the most elite coaches like Dabo Swinney and Lincoln Riley, earning in the 8 figures and also making him the fifth highest paid head coach in the SEC. The extension was also approved by the program with a unanimous vote and will run till the 2031 season. Notably, Drinkwitz’s last contract paid him $9.5 million annually and was set to end in the 2025 season. The head coach, now, is grateful for the trust Missouri has put in him.

Eli Drinkwitz opens up on his contract extension

When Drinkwitz joined Missouri, starting from the 2020 season, the program was coming off a 6-6 season under Barry Odom. The program then struggled for relevance in a competitive SEC, and Drinkwitz gradually turned it around. The head coach has now surpassed Dan Devine’s record for most wins in a coach’s first five seasons and has already made three bowl game appearances. Not to mention the recruiting dominance that came along with the former Appalachian State head coach.

“My family and I believe deeply in the vision and leadership from our administration and are incredibly happy to continue calling Columbia our home,” said Drinkwitz. “I’m grateful for the unwavering support of President Mun Choi, the Board of Curators, led by Chair Todd Graves and incoming Vice Chair Bob Blitz, along with our athletics director, Laird Veatch,” concluded the head coach.

By all metrics, Drinkwitz has done an incredible job with the program, making it an SEC contender. In the 2024 cycle, the head coach pulled off a 21st-ranked class in the country that had 38% blue chip commits and five-star Williams Nwaneri. The next year was even better. Missouri landed an 18th-ranked class, and blue chips comprised a whopping 61% of the total commitments. That looks to continue in 2026, too. The head coach is currently sitting on a 22nd-ranked class nationally and would try to land some more high-profile commitments to finish in the top 20.

All in all, Drinkwitz deserves that $64.5 million contract and the program will see more accolades under his helm. An SEC championship place? Or a playoff berth? Nothing seems too far-fetched for the head coach at this point.