Mizzou Hires Former NFL Staffer as Director of Football Strategy and Finance

The Tigers have added a former NFL front office member at a new position in the team's football program.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Missouri Tigers helmet during the first half of the game against the Murray State Racers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers have hired former Denver Broncos salary cap specialist Gaurav Verma as the team's Director of football strategy and finance, per the university.

Germa has multiple years of experience in sports, management and banking. He most recently worked with the Broncos in a role that entailed managing Denver's financial and strategic decisions revolving around player acquisition.

This is an exciting addition for head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers, who are looking to continue to evaluate the revenue-sharing space recently implemented in NCAA sports.

"We are really excited to add Gaurav to our program," Drinkwitz said. "His NFL experience, as well as his business background, will help us navigate revenue sharing and contract management."

The role will focus on five main areas revolving around the team; roster, scholarship and revenue cap planning, talent evaluation and scouting operations, recruiting calendar and logistics, analytics and recruiting infrastructure and compliance, NIL and interdepartmental collaboration, per the university release.

Vermaj will report directly to Drinkwitz in his newly created role, aiding in financial planning and the ins and outs of recruiting and transfer portal management. He'll work side-by-side with the coaching staff as well, especially in terms of talent acquisition, along with other departments in the program.

"I'm thrilled to join Mizzou Football at such a transformative time," Verma said. "With college football evolving rapidly through revenue sharing and strategic roster management, I'm excited to apply my background in finance and the NFL to help Mizzou build sustainably competitive teams on the sport's biggest stage — the SEC. I want to thank Coach Drinkwitz for this opportunity and can't wait to help build on the program's success as we compete for national championships."