Dear Members of the Board,

Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to LSU athletics. I am writing as a dedicated supporter and LSU alumnus to respectfully request that the University not pursue Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz for the current head football coaching vacancy.

This request is made with full respect for Coach Drinkwitz’s accomplishments. While he has elevated Missouri’s program and delivered multiple successful seasons, LSU’s standard is not merely competitiveness — it is consistent contention for SEC championships and the College Football Playoff.

When evaluated against those expectations, the publicly available data indicate that Coach Drinkwitz is not the ideal fit for LSU at this time.

Key performance concerns:

• SEC Record: 17-17. A .500 winning percentage, while admirable, is not acceptable for LSU’s standards.

• Record vs AP Top-25 Opponents: His career record of roughly 7–16 against ranked teams reflects difficulty winning the highest-stakes games — the exact games LSU must consistently win to achieve its goals.

• High-Visibility SEC Matchups: Missouri has taken several key losses in critical ranked SEC games in recent seasons, demonstrating inconsistency in the moments that usually determine LSU’s path to championships.

• Program Trajectory: While Missouri has enjoyed notable highs, including a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State, these victories remain isolated rather than part of a sustained pattern of beating elite national opponents.

The LSU fanbase — loyal, emotionally and financially invested, and deeply passionate — has endured several years of inconsistency and expects a coaching hire who clearly positions LSU for perennial SEC and CFP contention. Coach Drinkwitz’s résumé reflects a solid program builder, but not yet a coach who consistently excels in high-pressure environments against top-tier opponents. For these reasons, I respectfully ask the Board to prioritize candidates with a proven history of success against ranked teams, strong and consistent SEC performance, elite recruiting capability, and demonstrated ability to win marquee games. LSU deserves a coach whose track record reflects true championship-level standards.

Thank you for considering this perspective and for your dedication to LSU’s continued success.

Respectfully,

A Concerned LSU Alumnus