Mizzou football offensive coordinator Kirby Moore is reportedly being eyed for a head coaching role at Washington State, seen at an airport near the university.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — One of the biggest dominoes of Missouri's offseason is now on the verge of falling.
Eli Drinkwitz signed a six-year contract extension Nov. 27 to remain head coach of the Missouri Tigers, dispelling rumors of his potential departure. A huge wave of head coach openings such as Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and plenty more were filled by new candidates the following weekend. The previous jobs that those candidates left are now open, beginning a second wave of new head coach hirings.
Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has emerged as a candidate for one of those jobs. Moore has been Missouri's coordinator for the last three seasons, helping guide the Tigers to 28 regular season wins and two bowl game wins in that time frame. His and Drinkwitz' offense finished seventh in the SEC in total yards and eighth in total points for the 2025 season.
Moore's standout aspect, though, has been his ability to scheme successful ground games. Sophomore Sun Belt transfer Ahmad Hardy rushed for 1,560 yards and and 16 touchdowns in 2025, as well as helping scheme Truman State transfer Cody Schrader to 1,627 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. Schrader earned AP All-American honors alongside star wideout Luther Burden III that season. Hardy earned On3 All-American honors in 2025.
Despite many gripes with Moore's presumed play-calling in the 2025 season, his resume undeniably stacks up for a Group of Five coaching job. One of those G5 openings is Washington State, who's previous head coach Jimmy Rogers departed to take the head coaching job at Iowa State.
Moore was seen at an airport near Washington State Wednesday afternoon, potentially to interview for a job.
The Washington State job lines up for Moore. Three of the programs four previous coaches have accepted Power Four head coaching jobs directly after their stint with the Cougars.
Jimmy Rogers: Washington State to Iowa State
Jake Dickert: Washington State to Wake Forest
Nick Rolovich: Fired from Washington State
Mike Leach: Washington State to Mississippi State
Moore also has head coaching experience, most recently with Fresno State. His final game as the head coach of the Bulldogs was actually a defeat of Washington State in the 2022 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.
Drinkwitz said earlier this week that he expects the team to be "as close to full strength as it can" in terms of the players on the field for the Taxslayer Gator Bowl Dec. 27. This likely means he's not expecting many transfers, but perhaps Moore's potential departure wasn't implied in that statement.
Should Moore depart, finding a new offensive coordinator under Drinkwitz becomes one of the program's top priorities for a hectic offseason, as stability in the coaching staff is important as ever.