University of Missouri

Mizzou football hires president of player personnel, recruiting. He’s a familiar face

Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways

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  • Mizzou hires Jake Breske as president of player personnel and recruiting.
  • Breske returns to Columbia after five years at Tennessee.
  • Role aligns with Drinkwitz's staff expansion funded by his recent extension.

Along with seeking a new offensive coordinator following Kirby Moore's departure, Missouri posted a front office position on its job board this week. It didn't take long to fill it.

Mizzou confirmed in a news release Friday that it will hire Jake Breske as its president of player personnel and recruiting, a role similar to what he did at Tennessee for the last five seasons. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports was first to report the news.

The hire also marks a return to Columbia for Breske, as he worked in Missouri's recruiting department from 2016 to 2021. That stint included three years as the director of recruiting and one year under coach Eli Drinkwitz.

"I am thrilled to return to Mizzou and help coach Drinkwitz continue to construct a championship-caliber program," Breske said in the release. "The momentum the Tigers have built over the past six years is truly remarkable. I am excited and humbled to have the opportunity to come back and help build on that success."

Drinkwitz's recent contract extension granted him an extra $4 million to build his staff, and the hire of Breske seems to come from that pool. While not an assistant coach, the role could help implement strategies to improve Mizzou's recruiting processes.

In the job posting for a "chief recruiting officer," six key responsibilities were listed: recruiting strategy and personal evaluation (35%), recruiting operations and visit coordination (25%), recruiting administration and systems management (15%), branding, engagement and external relations (10%), program support and collaboration (10%) and other duties (5%).

"We are thrilled to bring Jake Breske back to our staff," Drinkwitz said. "Jake spent six years at Mizzou before his time at Tennessee and returns to lead our player personnel and recruiting departments. Jake has extensive experience in this role and a reputation for running an organized recruiting operation and being an elite talent evaluator. He has a background in coaching at both the college and high school level. Jake is a great fit for this role, and we are excited to welcome him back to Columbia."

This job is the second management position Drinkwitz has added to his staff in the calendar year, following the hire of Gaurav Verma as director of football strategy and finance back in August.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published December 20, 2025 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Mizzou football hires president of player personnel, recruiting. He’s a familiar face."

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