Mizzou reportedly hiring assistant coach with extensive ACC experience
By David Wasson
Published:
The Missouri Tigers are adding to their assistant coaching ranks, as Florida State assistant John Papuchis has reportedly been hired to the Mizzou staff.
ESPN reported Wednesday that Papuchis, who was the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Florida State, is set to join coach Eli Drinkwitz’s staff in Columbia.
Papuchis has spent 5 seasons in Tallahassee, serving as special teams coordinator for the duration and coaching defensive ends from 2020-24. Prior to that, he had assistant coaching stints at Maryland, North Carolina, and Nebraska, as well as graduate assistant roles at LSU and Kansas.
Papuchis’ role at Mizzou has yet to be announced, as the Tigers still list special teams coordinator Erik Link and linebackers coach Derek Nicholson on staff.
Missouri ranked 10th in the 16-team SEC in kickoff returns and fifth in the conference in punt returns. The Tigers struggled in the kicking game, finishing last in the SEC in extra-point conversion and 14th in field goal conversion. Mizzou also finished last in kick return yardage allowed and 12th in punting average.
Missouri was ranked at several points in the 2025 season but finished 8-5 after a 13-7 Gator Bowl loss to No. 19 Virginia.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
