Coveted college football HC signs $10.7 million raise amid Penn State, LSU rumors

Louisiana State Tigers band performs after the game | David Leong-Imagn Images

There's been two paths for college football coaches at power conference universities this fall: get fired... or get rich. James Franklin at Penn State, Brian Kelly at LSU, Hugh Freeze at Auburn, these are just a few examples of the many coaches who've been fired. Others, like Matt Rhule at Nebraska or Curt Cignetti at Indiana, have signed massive contract extensions keeping them at their schools as interest kicked up from other programs.

Well, on Thursday, another coveted college football head coach jumped into that second pool of names as news emerged that Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz has inked an updated deal to keep him in Columbia. He even posted on X Thanksgiving morning noting how thankful he was for the administration that, reportedly, just handed him a robust new contract.

ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel had the official news Thursday morning, writing on X: "Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz has agreed to a new contract with the school, he announced. Per ESPN sources, there’s an increase in salary for Drinkwitz to an average of more than $10.7 million over the deal and an increased commitment to staff and salary pool."

My family and I are thankful to be ⁦@Mizzou⁩. The support from our President, the Board of Curators, AD, boosters and fans is special!
Why Stop Now!!! #STP pic.twitter.com/cpk31xwnBW

— Eliah Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) November 27, 2025

Eli Drinkwitz contract situation

What's interesting is, Eli Drinkwitz just signed a contract extension this past offseason, which payed him just around $9 million per season, a fairly competitive number even against some of the top schools in the country. His total deal was worth about $46.5 million. Per Thamel's reporting, an additional $10.7 is getting tacked onto that, at least, for a $57+ million total figure. But as of this writing Thursday morning, we still do not know further details on the contract, such as how long it is or what the updated buyout terms look like.

Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Eli Drinkwitz was becoming a hot commodity on the college football coaching carousel. While he wasn't heavily linked anywhere, several schools reportedly had him on their list of consideration, including several in SEC country. Drinkwitz did jump towards the top of the Penn State predictive odds market at various points, but it was LSU where he was certainly an option with On3's Pete Nakos saying just the other day that Drinkwitz is the next call for LSU should Lane Kiffin say no.

In theory, that call could still very well be made depending on the outcome of the almighty Kiffin sweepstakes. A new contract may showcase Eli Drinkwitz' commitment, but the Tigers' very public offer of $90 million to Kiffin suggests that an arms race won't make LSU flinch whatsoever. So, extension be darned, Drinkwitz could still have a decision on his hands. That's whether Penn State or LSU calls, or even Auburn, who seems to really like him but is currently zeroed in on Jon Sumrall.