Who is Eliah Drinkwitz? Here are five things we know about Mizzou’s new football coach
After an eight-day coaching search, the Missouri Tigers and Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk are set to hire former Appalachian State coach Eliah Drinkwitz. The deal has not been signed yet and is also pending approval from the Missouri System Board of Curators.
That approval should come early Tuesday morning: the curators are set to meet at 8 a.m.
The likely hire comes after Sterk fired former coach Barry Odom, who amassed a 25-25 record through four years, on Nov. 30.
A Norman, Okla., native, Drinkwitz spent one year as head coach at Appalachian State after years of coaching as an assistant. He led the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and a second straight Sun Belt title with a 45-38 victory Saturday over Louisiana.
At Sterk’s news conference Nov. 30, he laid out his expectations for the football program: He wants a perennial Top 25 team with a shot at postseason play every year. With Drinkwitz’s hire, Sterk has now his own pick in place as Mizzou football’s top boss.
Here are five things to know about Mizzou’s next coach.
1. He’s young ...
Drinkwitz, 36, spent just one year at Appalachian State before committing to the move to Columbia. He’s been considered coach on the rise.
When Sterk discussed a list of coaches with school officials last Thursday, there was a theme: All four candidates were in their 50s. The list included Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson, Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz, Army coach Jeff Monken and Nevada coach Jay Norvell. Sterk’s eyes were on those with years of coaching on their resumes.
But Sterk went in another direction with Drinkwitz, who has little head coaching experience. That won’t necessarily haunt this hire, of course, but there are a number of unknowns about the future ahead of Mizzou and Drinkwitz. There is also the chance he connects with his players more easily than an older coach might.
... but he’s experienced
While Drinkwitz isn’t in his 50s like the others on Sterk’s list, he shares a similarity with them: He’s a coach whose pedigree is steeped in offense.
Drinkwitz is regarded as a sharp play-caller, guiding a Mountaineers offense that averaged 39.4 points per game — ninth-best in the nation.
Before Appalachian State, Drinkwitz spent three years as North Carolina State’s offensive coordinator. He also had stints at Arkansas State and Boise State in the same role. While there are still a lot of questions about how Drinkwitz will fare as a head coach in the highly competitive SEC, he brings a fair share of experience on the sidelines.
Recruiting unknowns
One of the first things Drinkwitz will focus on is recruiting. The early signing period runs from Dec. 18-20, meaning he only has a handful of days before recruits sign their National Letters of Intent.
Before Odom’s firing, MU had 18 football commitments. That number is down to 14 after several recruits de-committed; some others are still committed but are exploring other options. Drinkwitz will likely host a number of Mizzou recruits on an official visit — even as soon as this weekend — to pitch his vision of what Mizzou football can offer them.
Drinkwitz will confront recruiting restrictions and scholarship reductions in the wake of the NCAA’s denial of Missouri’s recent infractions appeal.
In just the next few weeks, Drinkwitz has a lot to deal with. But in the longer term, his ability to recruit will also be a question mark. He signed the No. 101-ranked recruiting class in 2019 with Appalachian State, according to 247Sports. It’s hard to find too many takeaways in that initial class, good or bad, besides that ranking.
In a football-crazed conference like the SEC, recruiting is crucial. How Drinkwitz sells Mizzou to recruits will be an interesting to watch.
Drinkwitz’s assistants
While Drinkwitz would almost certainly command the Tigers’ offense, what he does defensively will be worth watching, too.
Mizzou had a solid year under Odom and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters. The Tigers finished the regular season allowing just 19.4 points per game, 17th in the nation. Mizzou loses Jordan Elliott and DeMarkus Acy, but linebacker Nick Bolton and other talented players return next year.
Drinkwitz’s defensive coordinator at Appalachian State was Ted Roof, a veteran coach who’s coached at many schools. It’s unclear who from Appalachian State might follow Drinkwitz to CoMo, and if any of Odom’s assistants will stay with the program.
Mizzou, SEC connections
Drinkwitz doesn’t bring many Missouri connections to the job, but there are a few. A graduate of Arkansas Tech, he also coached at Arkansas State for two years. Arkansas is not Missouri, but that might give him at least a bit of familiarity with the region.
Drinkwitz is from Auburn coach Gus Malzahn’s coaching tree. He coached at Springdale (Ark.) High, where Malzahn coached before making the jump to Auburn. Drinkwitz also was a quality control assistant at Auburn under Malzahn, who was an offensive coordinator at the time.
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 10:28 AM.