The new contracts just keep on coming.
Fresh off a 11-2 season and Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State, the University of Missouri and football coach Eli Drinkwitz have agreed on a contract extension that runs through the 2028 season for the fourth-year leader of the program.
It’s the second contract extension for Drinkwitz in the last two seasons, following a pay bump in November 2022.
“You can’t do this alone, and our players, coaches and staff have worked tirelessly and believed in the process of building a championship program,†Drinkwitz said in a statement. “The passion of our fan base, alumni and donors is awesome, and we are proud to represent them. We are extremely grateful for the resources they provide and the continued investment from our administration in Mizzou Football. All of it has allowed us to get to where we are. Why stop now?â€
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While the exact terms of the new deal for Drinkwitz were not immediately available, he’s expected to receive a raise that will continue to keep him as the highest-paid coach of any sport in MU history. Other potential areas of contract restructuring include buyout packages, bowl and playoff incentives and the pool of money available for his assistant coaches.
His salary was $6 million this season, up from the $4 million tag he first signed to with Mizzou. Drinkwitz was the 12th-highest paid coach in the Southeastern Conference entering this football season, ahead of only Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea and now-former Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett.
A raise to the $9 million-per-year threshold, for reference, would put Drinkwitz roughly on par with the likes of Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin.
The last contract extension given to Drinkwitz was set to run through the 2027 season.
Drinkwitz’s contract extension follows fresh deals given to offensive coordinator Kirby Moore and defensive coordinator Blake Baker last week. Drinkwitz has been widely praised for both of their hires and for turning offensive playcalling over to Moore.
This year’s 10-2 regular season performance was the first time Drinkwitz engineered a winning record in Columbia. He was 17-19 through his first three seasons, never winning more than six games in a year, but now stands 28-21 after the Cotton Bowl victory Friday against Ohio State.
Drinkwitz was named the Southeastern Conference’s coach of the year in December after leading the Tigers to their best season in nearly a decade. Drinkwitz also has received plaudits as a recruiter, having brought heralded prospects such as Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Luther Burden III to Columbia with top-ranked defensive prospect Williams Nwaneri set to enroll ahead of next season.
“Well before the Cotton Bowl, the opening of the transfer portal and the early signing period, the Board of Curators decided to reward Coach Drinkwitz with a raise and an extension,†UM System Board of Curators Chair Robin Wenneker said. “This contract puts Coach Drink where he belongs, in the upper echelon of SEC head coach salaries.â€
Missouri signed Drinkwitz after the 2019 football season, which was Barry Odom’s last at the helm of MU.
Drinkwitz arrived from Appalachian State, where he was a head coach for one year. As an assistant, he coached at North Carolina State, Boise State and Arkansas State.