COLUMBIA - Missouri football coach Eliah Drinkwitz finalized the titles and responsibilities for his 10-member assistant coaching staff Tuesday.
David Gibbs, the only defensive coach retained to have his position change, is taking on the title of secondary coach. Ryan Walters remains defensive coordinator/safeties coach and Brick Haley is still defensive line coach, while Charlie Harbison, who coached defensive backs at Appalachian State, takes the same title at Missouri.
D.J. Smith, who coached and played linebacker at Appalachian State, took the same position with Missouri and is the fifth defensive-minded assistant.
Erik Link will be special teams coordinator, the same role he held for the Mountaineers.
On the offensive side of the ball, Drinkwitz is expected to act as offensive coordinator himself, but he has delegated quarterbacks coach to former Washington offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan, who will also coach wide receivers.
Former TCU offensive coordinator Curtis Luper will be the Tigers' running backs coach, Casey Woods will coach tight ends and also serve as recruiting coordinator, and Marcus Johnson, who was recently hired from Mississippi State after the Bulldogs fired head coach Joe Moorehead, will be the offensive line coach.
Notable about Drinkwitz's staff is with Gibbs, Walters and Harbison, the Tigers have three defensive coaches dedicated to the secondary. Missouri has divided responsibilities there in the past, as well as at linebacker with an inside/outside linebackers coach, but played two corners and three safeties in its standard defense last season.
That could mean there be significant changes to the back of the defense or the staff sees something to be gained by giving three coaches oversight of two positions.
Another notable thing is Drinkwitz was able to hire away two standing D-I offensive coordinators, both from programs with comparable or better recent success than Missouri, to new positions in the Southeastern Conference without an offensive coordinator title.
Hamdan may have been looking to move after Chris Peterson stepped away from the Huskies, and he and Luper will likely have some say in the offense, but the career moves are worth noting.