Eli Drinkwitz Named to Prestigious Preseason Watch List

Ahead of his sixth season with the Tigers, Drinkwitz was one of 26 head coaches named to the preseason watch list for a significant award.

Nov 30, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches play against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz was one of 26 FBS head coaches named to the Dodd Trophy Head Coach Preseason Watch List, revealed by the foundation behind the award Monday.

The award celebrates a head coach who leads his team to success on the field "while also stressing the importance ofscholarship, leadership and integrity," per a press release announcing the watchlist.

The award honors Bobby Dodd, a coach at Georgia Tech from 1931-1966, being the head coach at the program for the last 21 years of that stint. There, he compiled a 165–64–8 record.

No Missouri head coach has ever won the award, but Drinkwitz was a finalist for the award in 2023, falling short to Florida State's Mike Norvell. Last year, Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame won the award.

In addition to Drinkwitz, six other head coaches from the Southeastern Conference were named to the watch list, three of which Drinkwitz will coach off against in 2025.

Below is the full watch list for the award.

2025 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List:

School	Head Coach
Illinois	Brett Bielema
Louisville	Jeff Brohm
Indiana	Curt Cignetti
Miami	Mario Cristobal
Iowa State	Matt Campbell
Boise State	Spencer Danielson
Ohio State	Ryan Day
Alabama	Kalen DeBoer
Arizona State	Kenny Dillingham
Missouri	Eli Drinkwitz
Texas A&M	Mike Elko
Penn State	James Franklin
Notre Dame	Marcus Freeman
Tennessee	Josh Heupel
LSU	Brian Kelly
Georgia Tech	Brent Key
Kansas State	Chris Klieman
Oregon	Dan Lanning
Texas Tech	Joey McGuir
Army	Jeff Monken
Texas	Steve Sarkisian
Memphis	Ryan Silverfield
BYU	Kalani Sitake
Georgia	Kirby Smart
Clemson	Dabo Swinnney
Oklahoma	Brent Venables