Mizzou DC Ryan Walters left the Tigers to take the same position on Bret Bielema’s staff at Illinois.

Now, coach Eli Drinkwitz is looking to find a new defensive coordinator, and it seems he’s narrowing down his list of top candidates.

Per FootballScoop.com, the Tigers have 4 names at the top of their list, including a pair of current Alabama assistants:

A handful of names have emerged among the candidates for the job on Drinkwitz’s staff, sources have told FootballScoop.

Among them: Alabama’s Charles Kelly, Cleveland Browns assistant Chris Kiffin, in-house candidate David Gibbs, and veteran coach Mike Stoops, who’s served as an analyst the past two seasons for Nick Saban at Alabama.

Those are all intriguing options for the Tigers. Will Drinkwitz stay in-house and promote Gibbs? Or, will he take a shot at 1 of those other 3 names?

This will be an important season for the Tigers moving into 2021 and beyond.