BREAKING: Eli Drinkwitz chosen as the next Missouri head coach

UPDATE 7:20: Boy, that did move fast.

Just hours after rumors began to emerge, several reports have confirmed that Appalachian State’s Eli Drinkwitz will soon be named the next head coach of Missouri football.

We’re still waiting on the white smoke in the form of a BOC meeting, but this thing looks all wrapped up.

We’ll have plenty more coverage on Missouri’s new commander-in-chief soon.

ORIGINAL: Not quite breaking, but certainly developing storylines are emerging today:

Eliah Drinkwitz is currently the head coach at Appalachian State, and a Gus Malzahn disciple who’s coached at Auburn, Arkansas State, Boise State, and then as the Offensive Coordinator at North Carolina State. His successful run there led him to succeed Scott Satterfield at App State, and he turned the Mountaineers into a machine this past year. going 12-1 and winning the Sun Belt conference championship.

He’s an Alma, Arkansas native, which led many to think he might have preferred the Arkansas job to the Missouri job. However Arkansas looks to be making their move onto Georgia Assistant Sam Pittman (good first name though).

If you’re reading the tea leaves (and I’m trying), it would seem Drinkwitz liked the pitch Missouri gave him more which may have cleared the path for him and the Tigers to move forward. Leaving Arkansas to move onto their next target.

Drinkwitz is young, at just 36, and has just one year of head coaching experience, so this is a risky move if Missouri ends up landing him. With that said, I like the decision to be risky. Moving on to a new head coach always has some inherited risk, so why not take a flier on a guy with an unknown ceiling rather than a safer hire?

The news at the end of the week which caused so much blowback against Missouri Athletic Director Jim Sterk was largely because the list of the three coaches was viewed largely as safe. A lower risk of bust, but also potentially a lower likelihood of boom. Drinkwitz elevates both boom and bust for the program.

Drinkwitz himself has had a very busy afternoon one way or the other.

Dawwww.

Obviously we’ll have more on this as it develops.