Mizzou special teams coordinator Erik Link leaves Mizzou and is hired at New Mexico.
Missouri's defense was undeniably the best of its three phases in 2025. The offense had its poor moments, but a run game that consisted of All-American Ahmad Hardy and stellar backup Jamal Roberts prevented it from being a complete disaster. That leaves special teams as the worst unit, which it doesn't just get by default — it performed rather poorly.
As a result, longtime special teams coordinator Erik Link is out the door. He'll be taking a job as New Mexico's next special teams coordinator, per Bruce Feldman of the Athletic. His contract was set to expire at the end of January.
He's the eighth Missouri staff member to leave the program this offseason, and the second top assistant, following former offensive coordinator Kirby Moore. Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon is now the lone remaining coordinator from the 2025 staff.
Link had coached in the role at Missouri since the 2020 season, while also holding roles as the program's tight end coach for a two-year stint from 2022-2023. He also joined Drinkwitz at two other stops before Missouri, serving as Appalachian State's special teams coordinator in 2019 and Auburn's special teams quality control coach in 2010.
The pair had a lengthy seven season tenure together, but all good — and not good – things must come to an end.
Missouri's special teams unit ranked 116 out of 136 qualifying FBS programs in Bill Connelly's SP+ ranking in 2025. Connor Weselman's 41.8 yards per punt led Missouri to rank 15th in the Southeastern Conference in the category, while Missouri's kicker trio of Blake Craig, Robert Meyer and Oliver Robbins converted 71.4% of their field goals, also good enough for the second-worst team mark in the conference. The Tigers made just seven of 11 field goals from 30 or more yards out.
The Tigers' kick return units also struggled both ways, despite holding talented returners all around the roster like DaMarion Fowlkes, Kevin Coleman Jr., Tavorus Jones, Jamal Roberts and more. Missouri averaged the eighth-most yards per kick return in the SEC (20) and had zero touchdowns. The punt return unit was slightly better, averaging the sixth-most yards per return in the SEC (12.1) and bringing in one return touchdown via Coleman. The Tigers kick and punt return defense were also better, ranking in the top 50 among FBS schools in both categories, but that doesn't outweigh the struggles on the other end.
The Tigers were also just one of three SEC teams to allow multiple blocked kicks (2), joining Alabama and Texas A&M, who also ranked near the bottom of the conference in many major special teams statistics.
Presumably taking Link's place is former Florida State special teams coordinator John Papuchis, who Missouri hired in a currently unknown role Dec. 31. Papuchis' Seminole unit struggled mightily in 2025, but he's coached All-Americans and All-Conference honorees through several other seasons with multiple programs, and will look to take Missouri's special teams unit to new heights in 2026.