Football
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Year at Mizzou:
- Sixth
| The Eliah Drinkwitz File | ||
| Hometown: Alma, Arkansas | ||
| Education: Arkansas Tech, 2004 (education) | ||
| Wife: Lindsey | ||
| Children: Addison, Emerson, Ella and Parker Lynn | ||
| Birthday: April 12, 1983 | ||
| Coaching Career | ||
| 2020-pres. | Mizzou | Head Coach |
| 2019 | Appalachian State | Head Coach |
| 2016-18 | NC State | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2015 | Boise State | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks |
| 2014 | Boise State | Tight Ends |
| 2013 | Arkansas State | Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs |
| 2012 | Arkansas State | Running Backs |
| 2011 | Auburn | Offensive Graduate Assistant |
| 2010 | Auburn | Offensive Quality Control Assistant |
| 2007-09 | Springdale High School [Ark.] | Offensive Coordinator |
| 2006 | Springdale High School [Ark.] | Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator |
| 2005 | Alma Middle School [Ark.] | Head Coach |
| 2004 | Springdale High School [Ark.] | Offensive Assistant |
| Coaching Awards | ||
| • 2023 SEC Caach of the Year (AP & Coaches) | ||
| • 2023 Eddie Robinson Award Finalist | ||
| • 2019 Eddie Robinson Award Finalist | ||
| • 2019 North Carolina Coach of the Year (North State Journal) | ||
| • 2018 Broyles Award Nominee | ||
Eli Drinkwitz was named the University of Missouri’s 33rd head football coach on December 10, 2019. In six seasons at the helm, he has compiled a 46–29 (.613) record, earned 2023 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coach of the Year honors and established himself as one of the most successful starts to a head coaching tenure in program history.
With more than 20 years of coaching experience, Drinkwitz has coached in 13 bowl games, including the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, and has guided 61 student-athletes to all-conference honors. Across his career as a head coach and coordinator, he has helped develop nine All-Americans, 19 NFL Draft selections, eight 1,000-yard rushers, five 3,000-yard passers and five 1,000-yard receivers. During four seasons (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2023), his offenses produced a player in all three categories.
Drinkwitz’s 46 wins at Mizzou eclipsed Dan Devine’s school record for victories in a coach’s first six seasons. In just six years, Drinkwitz ranks tied with Warren Powers (1978-84) for fourth all-time in program history for wins and is 58-29 (.667) overall as a head coach after leading Appalachian State University to a Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2019 following a 12-1 season.
During his time in Columbia, Drinkwitz has guided the Tigers to a 33-9 (.786) overall record on Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, giving him the best home win percentage (minimum four seasons) in the history of the program. The Tigers’ 33 home wins since 2020 are the fourth-most in the SEC. The Tigers trail only the University of Alabama (38), Ole Miss (36) and the University of Georgia (34) during that stretch.
Under his leadership, the Tigers have finished ranked in the national top 25 in two of the last three seasons and compiled a 29–10 overall record during that span, including 15–9 in SEC play. Drinkwitz led Mizzou to back-to-back 10-plus win seasons in 2023 (11–2) and 2024 (10–3), marking just the third time in program history and making him one of only two Mizzou head coaches with multiple 10-win seasons. The Tigers also earned postseason bowl victories in consecutive seasons for just the fourth time in school history, highlighted by wins over Ohio State in the 2023 Cotton Bowl and Iowa in the 2024 Music City Bowl.
Player development has been a hallmark of Drinkwitz’s tenure. He has mentored 22 players to 24 all-conference honors at Mizzou, including 13 first Team All-SEC selections, and coached 16 Tigers who were drafted into the NFL. Recent drafts included first-round selections Darius Robinson (2024) and Armand Membou (2025), along with second-round picks Nick Bolton (2021) and standout wide receiver Luther Burden III (2025).
Mizzou sold out all eight homes games in 2025 and set a program record with its 20th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. It was just second season since 1979 that the Tigers sold out every home contest.
The 2025 Mizzou squad featured one of the best defenses in the nation and a potent rushing attack on offense led by transfer running back Ahmad Hardy. Mizzou’s defense ranked eighth nationally in total defense (277.3 YPG), 11th in pass yards allowed (173.5 YPG), 13th in rush defense (103.8 YPG) and 17th in scoring defense (18.9 PPG). MU also ranked 13th in tackles for loss (6.8) and 17th in sacks (2.8). The Tigers also won both the Mayor’s Cup (South Carolina) and the Battle Line Trophy (Arkansas).
Hardy, ran wild for the Tigers, earning consensus first team All-America honors, SEC Newcomer of the Year, unanimous first team All-SEC and finished second nationally – first among Power 4 rushers – in rushing yards with 1,649. He also became the third running back of the Drinkwitz’s era to be named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nation’s best running back. His 16 rushing touchdowns were tied for the fifth most in a single season in school history. He recorded eight 100-yard rushing games, two 200-yard rushing games and became just the second player in school history and sixth in SEC history to rush for 300 yards in a game.
The defense was led by DE Zion Young who led the team with 16.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. LB Josiah Trotter’s 84 tackles (12 games) led the Tigers while edge Damon Wilson II paced the team with 9.5 sacks, which ranked fourth in the SEC.
In 2024, Quarterback Brady Cook wrapped up an illustrious career that placed him second all-time in program history for career wins (26) and passing efficiency rating (143.53), No. 3 in passing yards (9,013) and 200-yard passing performances (26), No. 4 in total offense (10,222) and No. 5 in passing touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in program lore to amass 9,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards (1,209) in a career and joined Chase Daniel (2005-08), Brad Smith (2002-05) and Drew Lock (2015-18) as the only players in MU history with 10,000 yards of total offense.
Additionally, wide receiver Burden III concluded an impressive tenure in the Black and Gold in 2024, ranking fourth in receptions (192), tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (21) and sixth in receiving yards (2,263).
The 2023 Tigers put together an 11-2 season that saw MU move into the top-10 of all three national polls. The double-digit wins campaign was the program’s first since 2014. Mizzou went 6-2 in SEC games, won both the Mayor's Cup over South Carolina and Battle Line Rivalry over Arkansas, qualified for its first New Year's Six bowl and defeated Ohio State, 14-3, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. Drinkwitz was named the 2023 SEC Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is a prestigious annual honor given to the nation's top coach.
The offense, led by the trio of Cook, Burden III and running back Cody Schrader, helped Mizzou become the only unit in the country that season to produce a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,500-yard rusher. It was the first time the Tigers accomplished the feat in program history and just the second time in SEC lore. Drinkwitz mentored Burden III and Schrader to Associated Press All-America recognition. Schrader, a first team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, was named the winner of the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the most outstanding player in the nation who began his career as a walk-on, after he compiled 1,627 rushing yards on 276 carries (5.89) with 14 touchdowns during his final season with the Tigers. Burden III finished his career as a two-time first team All-SEC honoree (2023 & 2024).
After the season, six Tigers heard their name called during the 2024 NFL Draft, led by first-round selection defensive end Robinson to the Arizona Cardinals as the 27th overall selection. It marked the most Tigers taken at the event since 2009 when MU had two first-round picks in Jeremy Maclin (19th overall) and Ziggy Hood (32nd overall).
Drinkwitz’s work in overhauling the Tigers’ roster and developing a culture of brotherhood in his first three seasons led to a competitive transformation of the program. In his opening three seasons in Columbia (2020-22), Drinkwitz led the Tigers to 17 wins and three consecutive bowl berths (2020 TransPerfect Music City [canceled], 2021 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces and 2022 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla).
In 2022, Burden III became the first true freshman since 2008 to record two receiving touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and a punt-return touchdown in a single season for the Tigers. The previous year, running back Tyler Badie set the school's single-season record for rushing yards (1,604), while his 14 touchdowns in 12 games were ninth on Mizzou's single season and top-10 list. Despite his first season being plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic, Drinkwitz's 5-5 regular-season record was the league's best amongst the SEC's four new head coaches that season (Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin [4-5], Mississippi State's Mike Leach [3-7] and Arkansas' Sam Pittman [3-7]).
Drinkwitz came to Columbia after a one-year stint as head coach at Appalachian State, where he led the 20th-ranked Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and a Sun Belt Conference Championship with an R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl appearance. App State’s win total was a Sun Belt record and set the mark for the best regular season ledger in conference history (11-1). For those efforts, Drinkwitz was named the 2019 North Carolina Coach of the Year by the North State Journal and a finalist for the prestigious Eddie Robinson Award.
Drinkwitz's 2019 team made history with a pair of Power 5 road wins at bowl-eligible North Carolina, and then later at South Carolina - making them the first Sun Belt team to register two Power 5 wins in a single season. App State proved to be one of the nation's most balanced teams, thanks in large part to an efficient offense that ranked ninth nationally in scoring (39.4), coupled with a stingy defense that ranked 22nd nationally in points allowed (20.2). Mountaineers junior running back Darrynton Evans was named the 2019 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, after rushing for 1,323 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Prior to his time at App State, Drinkwitz spent three years (2016-18) as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina State University, where he helped the Wolfpack to a 25-14 overall ledger, including three bowl appearances (2016 Campaign World Independence, 2017 Hyundai Sun and 2018 TaxSlayer Gator). Following a 7-6 debut season in 2016, Drinkwitz guided the Wolfpack to consecutive nine-win seasons (2017-18) for the first time since 1991-92. Additionally, NC State made a steady rise in total offense during his tenure, going from 63rd nationally in his first season to 25th in 2017 and 16th in 2018.
While in Raleigh, Drinkwitz mentored three All-Americans in running back and all-purpose player Nyheim Hines (2017), center Garrett Bradbury (2018), and offensive guard Terrone Prescod (2018). He also had a hand in the development of 11 student-athletes, who went on to earn 17 All-ACC honors, including two-time recipients in offensive guard Tony Adams (2016-17), tight end Jaylen Samuels (2016-17), wide receiver Kelvin Harmon (2017-18), offensive tackle Tyler Jones, quarterback Ryan Finley (2017-18) and Bradbury (2017-18).
In three years as the Wolfpacks’ starting quarterback, Finley finished his career with 881-of-1,365 pass attempts (.645) for 10,505 yards with 60 touchdowns and 185 rushing attempts for 309 yards (1.67) with five scores. He graduated holding the program’s career record for passing yards per game (269.4) and completion percentage (.645), while ranking second in passing yards, completions, attempts, and 300-yard passing games, third in passing efficiency (140.03) and fourth in passing touchdowns. Finley would go on to be selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Drinkwitz was on staff at Boise State University, where he served most recently as the Broncos offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2015). He spent his first season (2014) in Boise as the program’s tight ends coach. While there, Drinkwitz helped guide the Broncos to a 2014 Mountain West title, a two-year record of 21-6 (.778) and consecutive bowl wins (2014 Vizio Fiesta and 2015 Poinsettia). He coached seven student-athletes to All-Mountain West honors, including two-time recipient in tight end Jake Roth. He also worked closely with freshman quarterback Brett Rypien in 2015, who garnered first team All-Mountain West accolades during his first season after finishing 273-of-429 passing (.636) for 3,353 yards with 20 touchdowns.
Before Boise, Drinkwitz was a key figure in back-to-back Sun Belt championships for Arkansas State University in 2012 and 2013. He started with the Red Wolves as the program’s running backs coach (2012) before being promote to the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach (2013). Arkansas State defeated No. 25 Kent State in the 2013 GoDaddy Bowl, the school's first victory over a top-25 team since joining the FBS level, to cap a 10-win (10-3) 2012 season and then repeated as GoDaddy Bowl champions the following year to conclude with eight victories.
Drinkwitz earned his start at the collegiate level on staff at Auburn University, serving as the offensive quality control assistant (2010) and offensive graduate assistant (2011) for two seasons. The Tigers won the SEC in 2010 before going on to claim the BCS Championship with a perfect 14-0 record. Quarterback Cam Newton won the prestigious Heisman Trophy that year after completing 185-of-280 passes for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns while throwing only seven interceptions. Newton also accumulated 1,473 yards and an additional 20 touchdowns on 264 rush attempts and caught two passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. The following year, Drinkwitz helped the Tigers finish 8-5 with a Chick-fil-A Bowl title.
Drinkwitz also had coaching stops at Springdale High School in Springdale, Arkansas (offensive assistant [2004], offensive line coach and run game coordinator [2006] and offensive coordinator [2007-09]) and Alma Middle School in Alma, Arkansas (head coach [2005]).
A native of Alma, Arkansas, Drinkwitz graduated magna cum laude from Arkansas Tech with a bachelor's degree in education in 2004 and was the student body president before beginning his coaching career at the prep level in his hometown.
Drinkwitz is married to the former Lindsey Sivils of Alma, Arkansas, and they are the parents of four daughters Addison, Emerson, Ella, and Parker Lynn.
| Eliah Drinkwitz Head Coaching Record | ||||||
| Season | Overall | Pct. | Conf. | Pct. | Place | Postseason/Result |
| APPALACHIAN STATE | ||||||
| 2019 | 12-1 | .923 | 7-1 | .875 | 1st [East] | New Orleans (DNC) |
| TOTALS | 12-1 | .923 | 7-1 | .875 | -- | |
| MIZZOU | ||||||
| 2020 | 5-5 | .500 | 5-5 | .500 | 3rd [East] | Music City (Canceled) |
| 2021 | 6-7 | .462 | 3-5 | .375 | 4th [East] | Armed Forces (L) |
| 2022 | 6-7 | .462 | 3-5 | .375 | 4th [East] | Gasparilla (L) |
| 2023 | 11-2 | .846 | 6-2 | .750 | 2nd [East] | Cotton (W) |
| 2024 | 10-3 | .769 | 5-3 | .625 | t-4th | Music City (W) |
| 2025 | 8-5 | .615 | 4-4 | .500 | t-8th | Gator (L) |
| TOTALS | 46-29 | .613 | 26-24 | .520 | -- | |
| CAREER | 58-30 | .667 | 33-24 | .579 | -- | 2-3 in postseason bowls |
