Missouri has reached an agreement to hire Eliah Drinkwitz away from Appalachian State as its next head football coach, multiple outlets reported on Sunday.
The news comes a day after Drinkwitz guided the 20th-ranked Mountaineers to a 45-38 victory over Louisiana in the Sun Belt Conference championship, capping a 12-1 season. According to multiple reports, Missouri officials met Drinkwitz in Boone, N.C., on Saturday night.
His contract is reportedly being finalized, and it must be approved by the Missouri System Board of Curators.
Drinkwitz joined Appalachian State on Dec. 13, 2018, signing a five-year contract. The 36-year-old will now become the second-youngest head coach at a Power 5 school, behind only Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, who was born six months after Drinkwitz.
A native of Norman, Okla., Drinkwitz spent three years as North Carolina State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before joining the Mountaineers. He held the same positions at Boise State in 2015 after previously serving as tight ends coach.
He also spent time on the coaching staffs at Arkansas State (2012-13) and Auburn (2010-11).
Missouri is coming off a 6-6 campaign and fired head coach Barry Odom, ending a four-year tenure in which the Tigers went 25-25.
