Eli Drinkwitz weighs in on Florida State search

Eli Drinkwitz is not a candidate in the Florida State head coaching search, according to Eli Drinkwitz on Tuesday.

"I'm not a candidate at Florida State. I want to clear that up," he said. "Let's focus on the main thing, which is Texas. Let's eliminate all the distractions and clear the clutter from that standpoint."

Drinkwitz said so as he prepares for perhaps the biggest game of his 7-year Missouri tenure. His 23rd-ranked Tigers host No. 10 Texas (noon ET, ESPN) in what will in all likelihood eliminate them from CFP contention or vault them directly into the thick of it. 

All told, Drinkwitz is 51-31 at Missouri with a 28-26 record in SEC play. 

He would also owe $5 million if hired at Florida State before Dec. 1, and $4 million thereafter. 

For Florida State to eat that on top of the roughly $50 million owed to Norvell, and top the $10.75 million Drinkwitz averages on his current contract at Missouri, and find the necessary funds to field a competitive roster in 2027, it seems both sides of this equation would view each other with mutual disinterest. 

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.