Mizzou extends Eli Drinkwitz’s contract through 2029
Nathalie Jones
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou Athletics is keeping football coach Eli Drinkwitz around Columbia for the foreseeable future. The athletic department announced a contract extension through 2029 for the leader of the Tigers, on Thursday.
The extension will also come with an enhanced salary pool for assistant coaches, strength and conditioning and football support personnel. In Coach Eli’s original contract in 2019, he was granted $6.4 million to use for that staff, but now, Athletic Director Laird Veatch has bumped it up to $12 million. It’s a jump up from the $9.8 million he was granted in his last extension, in 2022.
That contract also states that Drinkwitz will earn $8.5 million in 2025. Then, in 2026, that amount will increase to $8.75 million, followed by a bump up to $9.0 million in 2028.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the continued belief in our vision for Mizzou football,” Drinkwitz said in a press release. “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.”
Coach Drink will enter his sixth season at the helm in Columbia in 2025. He’s found quite a bit of success in his past two seasons, specifically. The Tigers are on a stretch of back-to-back 10-wins seasons, as the program has tallied 21 wins in just two years time. Overall, Drinkwitz has guided MU to a 38-24 overall record in five seasons, which surpasses legendary head coach Dan Devine’s program record for most wins in the first five years of a coaching tenure.
He also joins College Football Hall of Famer Gary Pinkel as one of the only two Mizzou head coaches with multiple 10-win seasons.
Drinkwitz and his staff have also shown the nation that they can consistency send players to the next level. The sixth-year head coach has led 17 Tigers to the NFL Draft. In 2021 and 2024, five and six players were selected, respectively, including first-rounder Darius Robinson and second-rounder Nick Bolton.
The leader of the Tigers is one of the coaches to watch in the 2025 season. In fact, he was already named to the Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List for the national coach of the year award. His 21-5 record since the 2023 season ties the third-best two-year stretch in program history. It’s a stretch which also includes an 11-3 run in Southeastern Conference action, a 13-1 mark at Faurot Field and a 2-0, a 10-1 record in one-score games and an undefeated two-year run in bowl games.
“The consistent progress we’ve seen under Coach Drinkwitz’s leadership is inspiring,” Veatch said in a press release. “This extension, along with increased investment in our coaching and support staff, reflects our commitment to sustaining success at the highest level. It’s all part of our ‘Will to Win’ — a clear statement that we’re building championship programs.”
Mizzou will look to build on that success even more in 2025 and even make some program history. No Tiger team has ever recorded three-straight 10-win seasons. Coach Drinkwitz and his team hope to be the first.
“Coach Drinkwitz is a transformational leader with a proven record of success in the SEC. He has brought Mizzou Pride back to our program,” said University of Missouri President Mun Choi. “We are proud to support his commitment to excellence and his drive to bring even more championships home to our state.”
The Tigers will kick off the 2025 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 28 at home against Central Arkansas. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.