Eliah "Eli" Drinkwitz (born April 12, 1983) is an American football coach. He is the head coach of the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri, a position he has held since the 2020 season. Drinkwitz previously served as the head coach of the Appalachian State Mountaineers in 2019; prior to this, he was an assistant coach for the North Carolina State Wolfpack, the Boise State Broncos, the Arkansas State Red Wolves, and the Auburn Tigers.
 Drinkwitz at 2019 Sun Belt Media Day | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Missouri |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 37–24 |
| Annual salary | $9 million[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 12, 1983 Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Arkansas Tech (2004) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2005 | Alma HS (AR) (assistant) |
| 2006–2009 | Springdale HS (AR) (OC) |
| 2010–2011 | Auburn (QC) |
| 2012 | Arkansas State (RB) |
| 2013 | Arkansas State (co-OC/RB) |
| 2014 | Boise State (TE) |
| 2015 | Boise State (OC/QB) |
| 2016–2018 | NC State (OC/QB) |
| 2019 | Appalachian State |
| 2020–present | Missouri |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–25 (.662) |
| Bowls | 1–2 (.333) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Sun Belt (2019) 1 Sun Belt East Division (2019) | |
| Awards | |
| 1 SEC Coach of the Year (2023) | |
Coaching career
editAuburn
editAfter coaching at Springdale High School (Arkansas), where he coached with Gus Malzahn in 2004, Drinkwitz moved to Auburn in 2009 to work on football operations as the quality control coach, and was on the coaching staff when Auburn won the 2010 National Championship under Gene Chizik.[2]
Arkansas State
editIn 2012, after two successful seasons with Auburn, he followed Gus Malzahn to Arkansas State, where he spent the 2011 and 2013 seasons as running backs coach, and in 2013 also served as co-offensive coordinator.
Boise State
editIn 2014, when Arkansas State head coach Bryan Harsin became head coach at Boise State, Drinkwitz joined his staff as the tight ends coach. In 2015, he was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
NC State
editIn 2016, Drinkwitz was named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at NC State. He served in this position for three seasons, during which he won two bowl games and won 25 games. The Wolfpack also finished at #23 in the AP Poll in 2017.
Appalachian State
editOn December 13, 2018, Drinkwitz was hired as the head coach at Appalachian State University.[3] In his one season as head coach of the Mountaineers, he finished 12–1, with a victory over Louisiana in the 2019 Sun Belt championship.[4][5] He did not coach their bowl game.[6]
Missouri
editOn December 9, 2019, Drinkwitz was hired as the head coach of the Missouri Tigers,[7] replacing Barry Odom. In his first season with Mizzou, the Tigers compiled a record of 5–5, including a win over defending national champion LSU, who also finished 5-5.[8][9] In the 2021 season, Drinkwitz led Missouri to a 6–6 regular season record and an appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl, a 24–22 loss to Army.[10][11] In the 2022 season, Drinkwitz again led Missouri to a 6–6 regular season record.[12] Missouri qualified for the Gasparilla Bowl, where they lost to Wake Forest 27–17.[13] Drinkwitz led the Tigers to a breakout season in 2023, finishing the regular season 10–2 overall and 6–2 in the SEC. Missouri as a result would be selected to play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl, which Missouri won 14–3.[14] On December 31, 2023, the University of Missouri announced a contract extension for Drinkwitz through the 2028 season which included a pay raise to $9 million for the 2024 season.[15]
Personal life
editDrinkwitz was born in Norman, Oklahoma to Jerry and Susie Drinkwitz, but his parents and older siblings moved to the Alma, Arkansas area in 1984 when he was a year old. Being raised in Alma and playing football for the Alma Airedales is what led him to want to become a football coach, especially hearing the stories of his father playing for Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, during the 1960s. During his time at Alma, he was an All-Conference and All-State selection and was named FCA Huddle Leader of the Year.[16] He then chose to go to Russellville and received a bachelor's degree in education from Arkansas Tech University in 2004. Drinkwitz and his wife Lindsey have four daughters.
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State Mountaineers (Sun Belt Conference) (2019) | |||||||||
| 2019 | Appalachian State | 12–1 | 8–1 | 1st (East) | New Orleans* | 18 | 19 | ||
| Appalachian State: | 12–1 | 8–1 | * Departed Appalachian State for Missouri before bowl game | ||||||
| Missouri Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (2020–present) | |||||||||
| 2020 | Missouri | 5–5 | 5–5 | 3rd (East) | Music City[n 1] | ||||
| 2021 | Missouri | 6–7 | 3–5 | T-4th (East) | L Armed Forces | ||||
| 2022 | Missouri | 6–7 | 3–5 | T-4th (East) | L Gasparilla | ||||
| 2023 | Missouri | 11–2 | 6–2 | 2nd (East) | W Cotton† | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2024 | Missouri | 9–3 | 5–3 | T–4th | Music City | ||||
| Missouri: | 37–24 | 22–20 | |||||||
| Total: | 49–25 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ The 2020 Music City Bowl was canceled due to COVID-19 issues.
References
edit- ^ DeArmond, Gabe (January 8, 2024). "Details of New Contracts for Eli Drinkwitz and Kirby Moore". Rivals. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "2010 Depth Chart & Coaching Staff". AU Football Forum. August 23, 2014. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Joyce, Ethan (December 13, 2018). "App State hires N.C. State offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz as head football coach". Winston-Salem Journal. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
- ^ "2019 Appalachian State Mountaineers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "2019 Sun Belt Conference Year Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Sources: App State promotes Clark to head coach". ESPN.com. December 11, 2019. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Report: Mizzou to Hire App State's Eli Drinkwitz". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. December 8, 2019. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Southeastern Conference Year Summary". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "2021 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Armed Forces Bowl - Missouri vs Army Box Score, December 22, 2021". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Gasparilla Bowl - Wake Forest vs Missouri Box Score, December 23, 2022". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Hawkins, Stephen (December 30, 2023). "Schrader runs for 128 yards and a TD as No. 9 Missouri beats No. 7 Ohio State 14-3 in Cotton Bowl". AP News. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ DeArmond, Gabe (January 8, 2024). "Details of new contracts for Eli Drinkwitz and Kirby Moore". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ "ASU Redwolves Program" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2012.