While the transfer portal and recruiting buzz have been dominating the college football offseason, coaching staffs across the country are quietly reshaping behind the scenes - and Missouri just made a move that could pay dividends in the trenches.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff have brought in a veteran hand to bolster the offensive line room, as former Northern Illinois O-line coach Luke Meadows is set to join the Tigers as an assistant offensive line coach. It’s a hire that adds depth, experience, and a journeyman’s perspective to a unit that’s critical to Mizzou’s offensive identity.
Meadows, a South Dakota State alum, has been around the block - and then some. His coaching resume spans more than two decades and includes a wide range of stops, mostly at the Group of Five level, where he’s built a reputation for developing tough, technically sound linemen.
He cut his teeth at his alma mater, South Dakota State, where he wore several hats over the course of the 2000s and early 2010s. From graduate assistant to running backs coach to offensive line coach, Meadows was in the thick of the Jackrabbits’ rise before moving on to the FBS level.
His next stop was Florida Atlantic, where he initially coached the offensive line before stepping into the offensive coordinator role midway through the 2013 season. That promotion speaks volumes - not just about his ability to coach up a unit, but also about his understanding of the broader offensive picture.
From there, Meadows continued to build his résumé with stints at Southern Miss (2014-2015) and Garden City Community College (2016-2017), before landing in the MAC with Eastern Michigan in 2017. His work with the Eagles’ front five helped lay the foundation for a more physical identity in Ypsilanti.
He spent two seasons at Kansas, where he faced the tall task of developing an offensive line in the ultra-competitive Big 12. After that, he moved on to Troy and most recently worked under Thomas Hammock at Northern Illinois.
Now, he joins a Missouri staff that already features Brandon Jones as the primary offensive line coach. Jones, hired in 2023, has been leading the charge up front, and Meadows’ addition gives the Tigers another seasoned voice in the room - someone who’s seen a lot of football and knows what it takes to build cohesion in the trenches.
For Missouri, this is more than just a routine staff move. It’s about shoring up a position group that often determines how far an offense can go. With Meadows on board, the Tigers add another layer of expertise to a coaching staff that’s clearly focused on building from the inside out.