Multiple Mizzou staffers departing for Washington State after Kirby Moore hire
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Three Mizzou assistants and an NIL executive are leaving for Washington State.
- Departures include tight ends coach, offensive line, strength staff and NIL GM roles.
- Missouri will evaluate replacements after the bowl game; transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
Next year’s Missouri football coaching staff will have a different look.
Following former offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s move to be the head coach at Washington State, at least four Mizzou staff members are set to join him in Pullman, marking the first wave of departures from Eli Drinkwitz’s program this offseason.
Tight ends coach Derham Cato, assistant offensive line coach Jack Abercrombie, assistant director of football athletic performance Malcolm Hardmon and Every True Tiger Brands CEO Brad Larrondo are all leaving Columbia for roles with Moore’s new staff, according to multiple national reports.
Cato has spent the past three seasons coaching Missouri’s tight ends and brings prior experience in the Pacific Northwest, including an overlap with Moore at Washington. Abercrombie, who served as an assistant on Mizzou’s offensive line, is expected to become Washington State’s full-time offensive line coach.
Hardmon, a key piece of Missouri’s strength and conditioning staff, will step into Washington State’s strength and conditioning role.
The most significant departure, however, comes in the front office.
Larrondo, who has served as the CEO and general manager of Every True Tiger Brands, Missouri’s NIL partner, is leaving for a role with Washington State. He has been instrumental in building Mizzou’s NIL infrastructure and overseeing revenue-sharing management and third-party endorsement operations for Mizzou athletes.
Drinkwitz originally hired Larrondo in 2023 to oversee recruiting and external relations before elevating him to lead Every True Tiger. His departure comes just over a week before the football transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
Drinkwitz previously acknowledged staff movement was likely after Moore accepted the Washington State job.
“Could lose a couple more people off our staff from analyst roles as Coach Moore finalizes and puts his staff together,” Drinkwitz said Dec. 16. “It shouldn’t change the dynamic of what we do at all.”
In a post on X on Wednesday, Drinkwitz reaffirmed that sentiment.
“Good luck to Brad and thankful for all he did, but MIZZOU NIL was started way before Brad, and is a STRONG POSITION! Carry on!” Drinkwitz wrote.
Missouri is expected to begin evaluating replacements following its bowl game, with the most immediate on-field vacancy coming at tight ends coach.
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