Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz moved quickly to put an end to the Florida State chatter.
After Mike Norvell was fired by Florida State on Sunday, Drinkwitz’s name surfaced on multiple coaching candidate lists for the vacancy. On Tuesday, though, he made his stance plain.
“I’m not a candidate at Florida State,” Drinkwitz said Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Alex Scarborough. “I want to clear that up. Let’s focus on the main thing, which is Texas, and eliminate all the distractions and clear the clutter from that standpoint for my team and for everybody out there.”
Drinkwitz, 43, is in his seventh season at Missouri and has been tied to the Tigers’ rise over the last four years. He has a 52-31 record at Missouri, including a 35-12 mark over the last four seasons.
The speculation did not sit well with him, especially because he signed a new six-year contract less than a year ago. The deal is worth $10.75 million per season and runs through the 2031 campaign.
He also pushed back on the way his name keeps popping up in coaching searches. Speaking Monday on the “Brandon Walker College Football Show,” per Scarborough, Drinkwitz said, “It’s recognition for the job that we’ve done, but you’ve got to take it all with a grain of salt because at the end of the day, anyone can get on Twitter and throw out names.
What they like to do is - in all honesty, what they’re trying to do is take a shot at Mizzou. And that’s the thing that bothers me the most.
You’re really just saying that you think that job is better than the job I currently have at Mizzou.”
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Florida State Fans Can Cross One More Name Off The Search List
The Florida State coaching search picked up another layer of clarity this week when Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz addressed the speculation head-on before his teams matchup with Texas. Rather than letting the rumor mill keep spinning, Drinkwitz said publicly that he is not a candidate for the Seminoles opening, while shifting the focus back to Missouris preparation and the challenge of slowing down Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
Drinkwitz has been at Missouri since 2020 and recently signed a six-year contract extension, two details that already made the fit look complicated for Florida State. Even so, his name had lingered in the conversation as the Seminoles sorted through possibilities, and his comments now remove one more prominent option from the list as the search continues to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Seminoles, the appeal goes beyond the scheme. Schumann has spent years helping mold NFL-caliber linebackers and has been part of multiple title teams at Alabama and Georgia, which gives him the kind of credibility programs lean on when they want a proven builder rather than a gamble. With Florida State searching for its next head coach after firing Mike Norvell, Schumann stands out as the sort of defensive-minded hire that could bring a clear identity from day one. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State's Coaching Search Just Hit A Brutal Reality Check
Florida States coaching search is already running into the kind of public resistance that tends to come with a high-profile opening. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz addressed the speculation directly and said he is not interested in the Seminoles job, a notable development as Florida State works through a national search after firing Mike Norvell.
Even with a firm denial on the record, the situation is rarely that simple in a search of this magnitude. Florida State would still have to navigate the financial and contractual realities of making a hire like Drinkwitz, and the broader truth of coaching searches is that public comments do not always end the conversation. [Read more 🡒]