Eli Drinkwitz 'not in a big hurry to leave' Missouri, ESPN's Sean McDonough relays

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz isn’t in a hurry to leave the Tigers, according to ESPN’s Sean McDonough. The play-by-play commentator relayed that information during the first half of the Missouri-Oklahoma broadcast Saturday.

Drinkwitz previously addressed rumors that linked him to other jobs around college football LSU, Florida and Penn State have all been mentioned as potential suitors, and the buzz has only grown louder. Paul Finebaum went as far as to call Drinkwitz “the name of the moment” during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning earlier this week.

But McDonough put those rumors to rest for the moment. Drinkwitz is trying to finish out another solid season after all!

“His name has come up now in a lot of speculation with all these open jobs,” McDonough said. “He, and so many others, are just waiting for Lane Kiffin to decide what he’s going to do. Apparently, that’s going to happen next Saturday after the Egg Bowl. Eli Drinkwitz told us last night, ‘I’m very happy where I am. I’m not in any big hurry to leave.’ Certainly not about the financial decisions, as he said, when you make $9 million per year. It’s more about where do you have the best chance to win?”

Missouri trailed Oklahoma 14-6 at halftime at the time of McDonough’s report on air. He relayed information Drinkwitz told them and it echoed what he said before.

“All of this stuff is just a distraction,” he said, via Power Mizzou. “I would like to remind everybody, including our fans, we absolutely love Mizzou. We love what we’re building. … My focus is going to remain on our team and our current situation and I am not going to get into all of that.”

The rumors come at a time when Drinkwitz’s stock has never been higher. Now in his sixth season, the former Appalachian State head coach has guided Missouri to a 45–27 overall record and a steady rise in SEC play.

Over the last three years, the Tigers are 28–8 and 14–8 in conference — one of the most impressive stretches the recent program’s history. That growth is exactly why analysts believe blue bloods may come calling.