Michigan coaching search firm has contacted reps for SEC head coach, per report
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Michigan continues to be on the hunt for its next head coach after the firing of Sherrone Moore.
According to reports, the search firm handling the search has reached out to the representation of a current SEC coach. But it’s not Kalen DeBoer.
Per the AP’s Larry Lage, it’s Eli Drinkwitz, who in November agreed to terms on a contract keeping him at Mizzou through the 2031 season. That includes a raise that would make him among the top 10 highest-paid coaches in the country.
It hasn’t stopped Michigan representatives from apparently making overtures for him, though.
Drinkwitz is 46-28 in six seasons in Columbia. In 2023 and 2024, he led the Tigers to back-to-back 10-win seasons. Before their 11-win campaign in 2023, the Tigers hadn’t achieved double digits since 2014.
That said, while Drinkwitz has seen success there, Mizzou has yet to truly emerge as one of the SEC’s elite. While he’s agreed to a new deal with the Tigers, if he were to head to Michigan, he’d be at the helm of a program with a much richer football history.
According to Lage, Michigan’s search firm has also reached out to Kenny Dillingham. The Arizona State head coach, a native of the Phoenix area and a graduate of the university, has on numerous occasions indicated that he has no intentions of leaving. Dillingham and Arizona State are reportedly nearing terms of a salary increase.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
