If Penn State Football Hires Eli Drinkwitz, Here’s What the Next 4 Years Could Look Like
Following a truly shocking loss to No. 2 Indiana, Penn State Football is still searching to get on track, despite taking the Hoosiers to the brink.
The Nittany Lions enter mid-November still searching for an elusive first Power-4 win of the season, some semblance of success in a lost season.
PSU is also searching for the right Head Coach. The search is coming up on a month now, and there isn’t any indications that it will end anytime soon.
Current Missouri Head Coach, Eli Drinkwitz has been linked to the Penn State job. How would Drinkwitz do in Happy Valley? Here is a rough estimate, or better described as a guess at how things could look for Penn State under Eli Drinkwitz.
How Eli Drinkwitz Could Change Penn State Football by 2029
Year 1 of the Drinkwitz Era
The first year of Eli Drinkwitz in State College would be met with lots of buzz and excitement.
It seems likely that Drinkwitz would bring at least one of his Pennsylvania native Quarterbacks home with him.
That could be Beau Pribula, Matt Zollars, or Gavin Sidwar. Any one of them would inject some life into the program.
The supporting cast around said Quarterback would likely be littered with former Missouri transfers and maybe a few current Penn Staters who decide to stay.
Obviously, Drinkwitz would have to hit the portal very hard in year one as he gets things going recruiting wise. If Drinkwitz is hired before National Signing Day, I would expect him to sign 10-12 current Penn State “soft commits” and portal the rest of his roster in.
The schedule in 2026 is incredibly favorable for Penn State.
Drinkwitz’s history at Missouri shows that it took him some time to get things up and running at Missouri, but this light Big Ten schedule seems more forgiving.
A best prediction would be that Drinkwitz finishes year one 9-3 at Penn State and has the Nittany Lions in the hunt for a playoff spot all year. But ultimately comes up a little short.
Years 2 & 3 Under Eli Drinkwitz
Following a solid start in 2026, things get tougher to project the further out we get.
One thing is for certain, the 2027 and 2028 schedules get a lot tougher than 2026.
Drinkwitz is still probably rocking with Zollars or Sidwar at Quarterback, provided they live up to the hype. His recruiting has also likely began to pick up.
The traditional Penn State recruiting footprint is loaded with talent in the 2027 class. Drinkwitz is a pretty proven recruiter and in 2027, and 2028 it seems likely that he would land Penn State back to back top 15 recruiting classes.
Although Drinkwitz has momentum going, he comes up short of the playoffs again in year 2 before barely sneaking in in year 3 and getting bounced. Additionally, Drinkwitz will get a signature win in year 3 to secure a playoff spot and give him more time.
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Predicting Year 4 for Penn State, with Drinkwitz
The year is 2029, and no one has any clue who would be on this hypothetical roster.
But, Drinkwitz would have a team full of players that he recruited and plenty of time to build up his culture, NIL philosophy, and the way he does things.
In this world of predictions, Penn State fans are still happy with Drinkwitz in year 4 after making the playoffs the prior year, but they still want more.
In year 4 Drinkwitz leads the Nittany Lions to the college football playoff as a 5-8 seed, but loses in the first round. Thus, leaving Penn State fans wondering about Drinkwitz.
After four years, Drinkwitz has two playoff appearances, but zero playoff wins. He is recruiting well and establishing a good culture that blends the Penn State history with modern college football.
However, he has yet to lead Penn State to the promised land, and will look to do so in years five and six, as pressure begins to mount.
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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