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Missouri football announces recognition for Eli Drinkwitz

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Gillam | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Key Points:

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz was named to an awards watch list.
The sixth-year coach has guided the Tigers to a 5-1 record in 2025 and owns a 43-25 overall mark with the school.
Drinkwitz' résumé includes assistant roles with Auburn, Arkansas State, Boise State and NC State before he was head coach at Appalachian State in 2019.

Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz has spearheaded a resurgence within the Tigers' program in recent years, as he's produced back-to-back 10-plus win seasons at a place that had not reached the mark since 2014.

At the halfway point of his sixth year in Columbia, Drinkwitz has guided Mizzou to a 5-1 overall record and 2-1 mark in SEC play. A heartbreaking 27-24 defeat at the hands of No. 6 Alabama last Saturday has put a damper on the Tigers' mood, but all of their preseason goals are still in front of them.

And with Drinkwitz's team still being in College Football Playoff contention within a loaded conference, the notoriously goofy coach was named to the midseason Bear Bryant Award watch list on Wednesday.

Coach Drink named to the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List #MIZ | #STP pic.twitter.com/DfiLYLyKX5
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 15, 2025

One of 28 coaches and nine from the SEC included on the list, Drinkwitz boasts a 43-25 record with Mizzou. After his first three seasons at the helm saw the program hover around the .500 mark, Drinkwitz was able to break through with an 11-win campaign in 2023 behind the heroics of quarterback Brady Cook and running back Cody Schrader.

The '23 campaign, which resulted in a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State, propelled the Tigers to 10 more wins the following year despite a rash of injuries plaguing the team.

And thus far, Mizzou seems well on its way to reaching double-digit victories yet again given its manageable schedule (by SEC standards). That would make it three years in a row that the program has achieved that feat, which would be the first time that has ever occurred in its history.

Of course, Drinkwitz's coaching experience extends far beyond Mizzou. Assistant coaching stints at Auburn, Arkansas State, Boise State and NC State eventually led him to become the head man at Appalachian State, where he finished with a 12-1 record and 2019 Sun Belt championship during his lone season at the helm.

The Paul "Bear" Bryant Award is sponsored by the American Heart Association, which aims to raise awareness for heart diseases given the fact that Bryant himself passed away from a heart attack just 28 days after his retirement.

Now in its 40th year of existence, the award will be handed out on Jan. 21 at an event in Houston.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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