Missouri finalized a deal to make Eliah Drinkwitz its head football coach.
“I’m excited for the opportunity of a lifetime to be the head football coach at Missouri,” Drinkwitz said in a statement released by the university on Tuesday. “‘This is a special place with special people. I know this is the Show-Me State, and I’m fired up to show this state what our football program is going to be all about. My wife, Lindsey, and our four girls are excited to join the Columbia community and be a part of Mizzou.”
Missouri went 6-6 in 2019 and fired Barry Odom after four seasons and a 25-25 record.
Drinkwitz guided the 20th-ranked Mountaineers to a 45-38 victory over Louisiana in the Sun Belt Conference championship last weekend to cap a 12-1 season.
Appalachian State fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with the move, pointing to a quote from Drinkwitz when he accepted the job stating it was not a “stepping stone” to a Power 5 position.
The Mountaineers averaged 39.4 points per game and 6.26 yards per play in 2019.
Drinkwitz began his coaching career as a disciple of Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. They worked together at Springdale (Ark.) High School, with Drinkwitz serving as Malzahn’s offensive coordinator.
Drinkwitz joined Appalachian State on Dec. 13, 2018, signing a five-year contract. The 36-year-old will now become the second-youngest head coach at a Power 5 school, behind only Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, who was born six months after Drinkwitz.
A native of Norman, Okla., Drinkwitz spent three years as North Carolina State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before joining the Mountaineers. He held the same positions at Boise State in 2015 after previously serving as tight ends coach.
He also spent time on the coaching staffs at Arkansas State (2012-13) and Auburn (2010-11).
