North Carolina newspaper recognizes Eli Drinkwitz as Coach of the Year
Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz had a 2019 season to remember at Appalachian State. North Carolina newspaper the North State Journal is recognizing Drinkwitz as its Coach of the Year.
“Armed with a talented veteran roster left behind by his predecessor Scott Satterfield, the former NC State offensive coordinator led App State to a school-record 12 wins, beat North Carolina for the first time and guided the program to its inaugural appearance in the College Football Playoff rankings on the way to a fourth straight Sun Belt Conference championship,” Brett Friedlander wrote for the Journal.
Friedlander, however, doesn’t consider the win over UNC to be the biggest of the year for Drinkwitz’s squad:
Seven weeks later, the Mountaineers went to South Carolina and beat the Gamecocks for its second Power 5 win of the season.
Drinkwitz accepted the Mizzou job after the Mountaineers defeated Louisiana in the Sun Belt Championship Game, advancing to 12-1 on the season. Appalachian State went on to win a 13th game after Drinkwitz’s departure, topping UAB 31-17 on Dec. 21 in the New Orleans Bowl.
#Mizzou‘s @CoachDrinkwitz Named @nsjsports Coach of the Year ‼️
📰 » https://t.co/dHTXMXOvot#MIZ | #ShowMe 🐯🏈 pic.twitter.com/s5WGsrWLou
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 26, 2019