Where Eli Drinkwitz's Salary Ranks Among Head Coaches in 2025

Per a recent report, Missouri's head coach is one of the highest-paid head coaches in the nation.

Sep 13, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches a replay against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Per a recent report from USA Today, Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz is the 11th-highest-paid coach in the country. He's currently making $9 million from the university, along with a $28.9 million buyout in his contract.

Drinkwitz recently had his contract extended through the 2029 season, earning the new deal on July 24, 2025. This agreement increased the money he would make annually, while also boosting the pool of money for his assistant coaches, strength and conditioning staff and football support personnel.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the continued belief in our vision for Mizzou Football," Drinkwitz said in a statement. "The Board of Curators, President Choi, Laird Veatch and our donors and fans have shown a deep commitment to building a championship-caliber program.

Drinkwitz has found plenty of success as the head coach of the Tigers in recent memory and has them off to a 5-0 start in the 2025-26 season. Because of this, he's among some of the best coaches in all of college football in terms of annual salary.

The improvement the Tigers have seen on the football field is largely in part to Drinkwitz's ability to recruit top-level talent at the high school ranks and in the transfer portal, while also developing those players into ones who can see the field consistently.

"The consistent progress we've seen under Coach Drinkwitz's leadership is inspiring," athletic director Laird Veatch said. "This extension, along with increased investment in our coaching and support staff, reflects our commitment to sustaining success at the highest level.

Here's a look at some of the other highest paid college football coaches:

Top 20 head coaching salaries in college football

1 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | $13,282,580
2 | Ryan Day | Ohio State | $12,575,000
3 | Lincoln Riley | USC | $11,537,560
4 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | $11,447,025
5 | Steve Sarkisian | Texas | $10,800,000
6 | Dan Lanning | Oregon | $10,400,000
7 | Kalen DeBoer | Alabama | $10,250,000
8 | Brian Kelly | LSU | $10,175,000
9 | Bill Belichick | North Carolina | $10,100,000
10 | Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss | $9,000,000
11 | Eliah Drinkwitz | Missouri | $9,000,000
12 | Josh Heupel | Tennessee | $9,000,000
13 | Mark Stoops | Kentucky | $9,000,000
14 | Deion Sanders | Colorado | $8,975,000
15 | Matt Rhule | Nebraska | $8,500,000
16 | James Franklin | Penn State | $8,500,000
17 | Mario Cristobal | Miami (FL) | $8,302,883
18 | Curt Cignetti | Indiana | $8,300,000
19 | Bret Bielema | Illinois | $8,200,000
20 | Shane Beamer | South Carolina | $8,150,000