COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou is splashing the cash.
Eli Drinkwitz, the coach who recently led the Tigers to an 11-win season, Cotton Bowl victory and was named the Southeastern Conference’s coach of the year, is now one of the conference’s highest-paid coaches.
He was already receiving the heftiest paycheck of any coach in MU’s history, but Drinkwitz’s new salary under a contract extension announced last week roughly ties him for fifth in the new 16-team SEC.
The new five-year deal, which runs through the 2028 season, will pay Drinkwitz $46 million, starting with $9 million in 2024. The Post-Dispatch obtained a copy of the extension through a public records request.
That’s up from the $6 million salary Drinkwitz received in 2023, part of a prior five-year, $32 million extension he signed during the 2022 football season.
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As is typical with coaching contracts, Drinkwitz will receive automatic raises. His guaranteed income will go up to $9.25 million in 2026 and $9.5 million in 2028. The coach’s base salary of $450,000 will remain consistent through the deal, but his non-salary compensation payments will grow every two years.
In the SEC, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin all earn roughly $9 million, according to published salary figures. Drinkwitz still trails LSU’s Brian Kelly (roughly $10 million), Georgia’s Kirby Smart (almost $11 million) and Alabama’s Nick Saban ($11.4 million).
If Drinkwitz leaves Missouri, he would have to pay a buyout of $5 million, an amount that decreases steadily over the course of the deal.
Should Mizzou fire Drinkwitz, it would owe him 75% of the remaining guaranteed compensation left on the deal, beginning with $7.5 million paid within 30 days and the rest spread out through 2028. That framework, which is more university-friendly and in line with a handful of other SEC coaches’ contracts, was added to Drinkwitz’s first contract extension.
The new contract also changes postseason incentives to reflect the arrival of a 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024.
Making it into the 12-team field would net Drinkwitz a bonus of $250,000. Advancing to the quarterfinals through a first-round win or bye ups that amount to $300,000. A semifinal appearance would earn Drinkwitz $450,000, while playing in the national championship game would pay out $600,000. Winning the title would bring around a $750,000 windfall.
Repeating as the SEC’s coach of the year would generate another $50,000 bonus.
Existing bonuses for making it to smaller-scale bowl games remain capped at $150,000. Advancing to the SEC Championship game would still give Drinkwitz $150,000, with $300,000 available should Mizzou win the conference.
Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, who signed an extension in December, is also getting a raise following an impressive first season directing the Tigers’ offense.
He received a two-year, $2.5 million deal that will pay $1.2 million in its first year. An automatic raise will bring Moore’s guaranteed compensation up to $1.3 million in 2025.
Signing the extension also earned Moore a $30,000 signing bonus.
Moore will now be one of a little more than two dozen SEC assistant coaches earning seven-figure salaries. His original contract with MU was a three-year, $2.625 million deal that paid him $800,000 in 2023.
If Moore leaves Mizzou to take another college coordinator position — like defensive coordinator Blake Baker did over the weekend — in 2024, he would have to pay the university a $850,000 buyout. That amount decreases to $425,000 in the deal’s second year. Taking a college head coach job or NFL assistant gig would allow Moore to walk without having to pay anything.
Baker, who also signed an extension in December before his surprise move to LSU, was on a fresh three-year, $6 million deal, as the Post-Dispatch previously reported. LSU reportedly signed Baker to a contract that will pay him $2.5 million a year, making him the nation’s highest-paid assistant, but Missouri was willing to amend Baker’s once again to compete with LSU’s offer, per a source familiar with negotiations.
Because he made a lateral move, Baker has to pay a $950,000 buyout.