Mizzou announces two-year contract extension for Eliah Drinkwitz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KCTV) - Eliah Drinkwitz will be at Missouri a bit longer. The University and the Tigers’ head football coach announced a two-year contract extension Saturday morning that will keep him in Columbia through the 2027 season.

When he arrived in Columbia following the 2019 season after a year as the head coach of Appalachian State, Drinkwitz signed a six-year deal through the 2025 season.

“My family and I want to thank the Board of Curators, President Choi and AD (Desiree) Reed-Francois for their faith in me as a coach and leader,” Drinkwitz said. “You can’t do this alone, and our players, coaches and staff have worked their tails off and stuck with the process as we’ve built this program. We feel strongly about our trajectory and are proud to represent our state’s flagship institution. We are grateful for the investment in our program from the administration and excited about the future of Mizzou football!”

Drinkwitz’s contract extension is a vote of confidence for the third-year Missouri coach who is 4-4 this season but in the midst of a two-game winning streak and fresh off a win over then No. 25 South Carolina. He entered the season 11-12 during his first two seasons in Columbia.

“Our football team is on the right trajectory,” Reed-Francois said in a release from the University, “and we are seeing results in recruiting and on the field.”

The extension also comes after Thursday, when defensive coordinator Blake Baker agreed to terms on a contract extension.

Drinkwitz can point to his 19th and 20th-ranked recruiting classes in 2022 and 2021 as his crowning achievement at Missouri so far. The 2022 class featured wide receiver Luther Burden, the No. 1 ranked player in his class at the position.

Missouri takes on Kentucky Saturday at 11 a.m. in Columbia.