Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz categorically denied being a candidate for the Florida State vacancy during his Tuesday press conference, telling reporters he is "not a candidate at Florida State." The seventh-year leader of the No. 19 Tigers made the unprompted statement as his team prepares for a road matchup against No. 10 Texas on Saturday.
"I want to clear that up," Drinkwitz said in his opening statement. "Let's focus on the main thing, which is Texas, and let's eliminate all the distractions and clear the clutter from that standpoint for my team and for everybody out there."
Drinkwitz had appeared on CBS Sports' initial list of candidates to replace fired coach Mike Norvell, alongside Duke's Manny Diaz and Wake Forest's Jake Dickert. However, after signing a contract extension last November through the 2031 season that raised his average annual salary past $10.7 million — making him the 11th-highest paid coach in college football according to USA Today — Drinkwitz made clear he would not be leaving for Florida State, which parted ways with Norvell on Sunday after a 41-39 record over his tenure.
The 43-year-old Drinkwitz is 52-31 overall at Missouri (29-26 in SEC play) and 35-12 over the past four seasons. His No. 19 Tigers (6-2, 3-2 SEC) enter Saturday's game as 2.5-point underdogs, with a 15.9% chance of reaching the College Football Playoff if they upset the Longhorns, per the CBS Sports CFP Forecaster.
By addressing the speculation head-on, Drinkwitz aims to eliminate a potential distraction ahead of a brutal November schedule that includes games at No. 2 Georgia, home against No. 8 Kentucky, and a regular-season finale against Oklahoma.
