ESPN insider names Mizzou’s Eli Drinkwitz among top candidates for Michigan job opening
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ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported on Wednesday that Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz is among the mix of leading candidates to be the next head coach at Michigan.
Right now, Drinkwitz is busy getting his Tigers ready for Saturday night’s Gator Bowl showdown against Virginia in Jacksonville. Drinkwitz has been the head coach at Mizzou since 2020, leading the Tigers to a 46-28 record that includes 2 double-digit-win seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Mizzou is 8-4 this season heading into the bowl matchup, but according to Thamel the Gator Bowl has a chance to be Drinkwitz’s final game at Mizzou.
Thamel also mentioned Washington head coach Jedd Fisch and former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham as prime candidates to replace Sherrone Moore, who was fired 2 weeks ago. Whittingham announced on Dec. 12 that he was stepping down as Utah head coach after 2 decades in charge.
“It’s been 2 weeks from today since Michigan fired Sherrone Moore. In that time, Michigan has engaged in early conversations with a group of candidates,” said Thamel during a Wednesday morning appearance on Get Up. “Here’s what we know about where they are. There’s 3 candidates right now who are in the crosshairs. Those are considered the gettable coaches for Michigan.”
Thamel added that he doesn’t expect Michigan to make its new hire before Christmas or even right after Christmas.
Meanwhile, Drinkwitz will coach Mizzou in the Gator Bowl on Saturday night, and then the Michigan coaching search will play itself out.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
