From middle school to the SEC, Eli Drinkwitz’s rapid rise to becoming Mizzou’s coach
When Missouri Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz started college, he faced a decision: walk on the football team or pursue coaching.
Back in the early 2000s, the NCAA prohibited walk-on football players from using academic scholarships. And after tearing his labrum in high school and having it surgically repaired, Drinkwitz figured his playing days were behind him.
So Drinkwitz committed to coaching but with a small twist: When he graduated Arkansas Tech in 2004, becoming a college coach was never in the works.
“At that point, I wanted to be a head high school football coach,” Drinkwitz said.
Through twists and turns — including a huge assist from Auburn coach Gus Malzahn — Drinkwitz found himself addressing hundreds Tuesday during his introduction as Mizzou’s 33rd head football coach. Drinkwitz, considered one of the brightest minds in college football, has skyrocketed toward a power conference job.
At 36, he’s the youngest coach in the SEC and one of the youngest in Mizzou history. Head coaching experience is thin: he was at Appalachian State for one season, guiding the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and Sun Belt conference title last Saturday.
It’s been a whirlwind few days for Drinkwitz as he gushed about the “opportunity of a lifetime” Tuesday. But his career has followed a similar speedy path.
“When you start to dig into his background, I love that he was a high school coach,” Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk said. “I love that he was quality control (coach) at Auburn. Those steps along the way. Every place he’s been, he’s been a winner. He made the place better. Everyone we talked to, that was the common theme. The integrity, the character, all the values he represents.”
One of Drinkwitz’s first jobs was coaching Alma (Arkansas) Middle School in 2005, where he coached both the “green and gold team,” though he admits he can’t remember how they did.
Some bits of fortune landed him at Springdale (Arkansas) High in 2005, where he started as an assistant head coach, then served as offensive coordinator from 2006-09. It was the same high school Malzahn coached at before he made the jump to Auburn.
That connection led to Drinkwitz’s big break. In 2010, Malzahn offered him a job at Auburn as quality control assistant.
Though there were some downsides: a $15,000 salary and zero benefits. With his first of four daughters just two months old at the time, it was a major lifestyle change for Drinkwitz and his wife, Lindsey.
“We had to make a decision of whether or not we wanted to chase this dream of being a college football coach,” Drinkwitz said. “We chose to chase it. Sold our house, moved into an apartment.”
The break paid off. Drinkwitz is set to earn $4 million annually on a six-year contract at Mizzou, with other incentives and perks attached.
To this day, Drinkwitz said he owes Malzahn for a bulk of his success — especially because the Auburn coach introduced the up-tempo offense to Drinkwitz. The two bounced ideas off each other, Drinkwitz following Malzahn to Arkansas State in 2012 as a running backs coach.
When Malzahn left Arkansas State after a year, Bryan Harsin took over and kept Drinkwitz on staff as an assistant. That’s when Harsin’s philosophies mixed with Drinkwitz’s ideas, combining up-tempo principles with Harsin’s pro-style approach.
“When Coach Malzahn and I separated, that’s when my personal growth began,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s really where this offense began to take root and became my own. That’s really where it’s grown from. That’s kind of how that transition occurred.”
When Harsin left for Boise State, so did Drinkwitz. The two worked together until Drinkwitz left for North Carolina State’s offensive coordinator job, where he served from 2016-18.
For someone who never “dreamed” of becoming a college coach, Drinkwitz’s upward trajectory took him all over the United States.
Drinkwitz said he hears the noise about his youth and inexperience, potential knocks on him as he focuses on recruiting. However, being a devout Christian, Drinkwitz pointed to scripture as he said he remains unswayed.
There’s also his experience at Appalachian State. As a coordinator, he could focus on one side of the ball. In his lone season as the Mountaineers’ coach, Drinkwitz said he learned the little details that makes a coach successful long-term.
After agreeing to a six-year contract that comes with higher fan expectations, Drinkwitz said he’s focusing on the on-field product.
“I’d probably be a little bit overwhelmed right now,” Drinkwitz said if he was without his past experience. “Right now, I just don’t feel that way. I feel comfortable, calm. I’d say I feel steady.”