Eli Drinkwitz Addresses Head Coach Hiring Cycle Rumors

Drinkwitz name has popped up on several lists as a candidate to replace James Franklin at Penn State.

Oct 11, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz reacts during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Eli Drinkwitz thinks the "No. 1 issue amongst college football" is the outside noise and rumors that surround each program.

Some of the top noise surrounding Missouri's coaching staff over the last two weeks has been rumors about Drinkwitz himself, along with offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, for head coach jobs at other schools.

In a press conference Tuesday, Drinkwitz was asked what he makes of the rumors surrounding both he and his staff.

"Whether good, bad or indifferent, there's no such thing as journalistic integrity on social media," Drinkwitz said. "There's just wild, outlandish reporting."

Ahead of Missouri's game against Alabama, a report from Riley McFerran of On3 stated that Moore interviewed for the Arkansas head coach job less than a week before the Tigers' game against the Crimson Tide.

With the Penn State head coach job opening Sunday, Drinkwitz's name has already popped up on several lists as a candidate for the Nittany Lions.

"I'll bet every sitting head coach has been listed as a candidate for some job so far," Drinkwitz said. "As a team, as a coach, we got to ignore the noise and focus on the things that we can control."

Moore's name has been involved in rumors for several head coaching jobs each offseason joining Missouri's staff ahead of the 2023 season. But in regards to Moore interviewing for Arkansas job, Drinkwitz says the report was a "complete lie."

"He never interviewed," Drinkwitz said. "Didn't talk to anybody at Arkansas. It's a bunch of bull crap put out there to try to create distractions and narrative."

With Drinkwitz's name being associated with other jobs, the only thing he takes it as is respect for what he and his staff have done with the program.

"So how do I block it out? I ignore it," Drinkwitz said. "As far as my name associated with everything, that's awesome for the University of Missouri. It means we're doing something really good."

This answer from Drinkwitz was consistent with the messaging of the rest of his press conference, where he was looking to turn the page from the loss to Alabama in Week 7 onto the matchup against Auburn on Saturday.

"There's nothing you can do about past," Drinkwitz said. "You can only learn from it. So learn the lesson, leave the event. Keep moving forward. Can't wallow in self pity. No one's coming to save us."