Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz on Coaching Rumors: 'This Stuff is Just a Distraction'

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Will Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz be speaking at an introductory press conference with a new school in the coming weeks? Maybe an SEC one? He responded to the rumors. 

"I'm not going to comment on message board chatter, tweets [or] sources. I've maintained with you and our team that my complete focus is on the task at hand. Last week, people were tired of me because I couldn't win the big game. People had me meeting with my team and telling them that I was going to another school. None of which were true. Now, this week, it's a different story because we scored the second-most points in the SEC this year [49]. All of this stuff is just a distraction," Drinkwitz said on Tuesday, according to ABC 17 News.

"Since I've been here, I've signed multiple extensions. In fact, I signed one this past summer. All the speculation is really a tribute to our team's success and their commitment to our team. That's where my focus is going to remain, on our team and our current situation."

The latest extension that Drinkwitz, who expressed that he loves Missouri, signed was in July, which keeps him in Columbia through 2029.

There are currently four SEC schools who have fired their head coach during the 2025 college football season (Arkansas, Florida, LSU and Auburn), with Drinkwitz being linked to some of those openings. As for past ties, Drinkwitz was the quarterbacks coach at Auburn from 2010-11.

Under the 42-year-old Drinkwitz, the Tigers are 45-27 since 2020, have won double-digit games in each of the last two complete seasons and are bowl eligible for a fifth consecutive season. Drinkwitz was the head coach at Appalachian State in 2019, with the Mountainers posting a 12-1 season before he took over at Missouri.

Missouri is 7-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play this season, good for being ranked 22nd in the country. It closes out the regular season with road matchups against No. 8 Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been heavily linked to the LSU and Florida job openings, with members of Kiffin's family reportedly visiting the two schools.

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