Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz made it clear on Tuesday that he’s not going anywhere, at least not in the direction Florida State rumors have pointed.
With Florida State moving on from Mike Norvell after Saturday’s 36-24 loss to Clemson, Drinkwitz’s name quickly surfaced in the coaching chatter. He didn’t leave much room for interpretation when asked about it.
“I’m not a candidate at Florida State. I want to clear that up,” Drinkwitz said on Tuesday, per SEC Mike on X. “Let’s focus on the main thing, which is Texas, and let’s eliminate all the distractions and clutter from that standpoint.”
Florida State fired Norvell on Sunday, two days after the Clemson loss pushed the Seminoles to a breaking point in his seventh season. Former Florida State quarterback Rick Stockstill is serving as the interim head coach.
Norvell’s run at Florida State ended with a 41-39 record, but the recent results told the bigger story. He won only 10 games over the last three seasons, including 2026.
Drinkwitz, meanwhile, has Missouri rolling in a different lane. He’s in his seventh season with the Tigers and owns a 52-31 record at Mizzou. His best year came in 2023, when Missouri finished 11-2 and beat Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
This season has Missouri sitting at 6-2 and ranked No. 19, with a massive test coming Saturday at home against No. 10 Texas. The Tigers still have a path to a College Football Playoff push, and Drinkwitz has made it plain where his attention is right now.
Kickoff is set for noon ET on ESPN.
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What bothered Swinney was not just the message, but the way it was delivered, with Norvells name misspelled and a call for the firing of Florida State Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins, who is not in a firable position. It was a messy scene around a program already under strain, and Swinneys reaction added another layer to a situation that has become as much about optics and public frustration as it is about football. [Read more 🡒]