I want to be clear that this is relatively circumstantial. Could be something, could just be a coincidence, could be me doing what I tell you guys not to do all the time, reading into social media.
Happened to notice that Eli Drinkwitz was following Wofford head coach Josh Conklin on Twitter and it appeared to be a recent development (not positive that's true because I don't know for sure the order in which he followed people). Conklin also follows Drink and that appears to be relatively recent. So I followed Conklin with the PowerMizzou account and he followed us back the same day.
Again, maybe nothing. But why would he follow PowerMizzou on Twitter?
Anyway, Conklin was one of the three finalists for the Illinois job that Ryan Walters took. So we know he's open to looking at defensive coordinator jobs. Prior to being named the Wofford head coach (he's an alum) in 2018, Conklin was the DC at The Citadel (2010-11), Florida International (2013-14) and Pittsburgh (2015-17). He also has a year in the SEC, spending 2012 coaching safeties at Tennessee (under Derek Dooley...who is a Jimmy Sexton client, as is Drinkwitz--side note, I wish more people understood the way Sexton moves chess pieces around the board in college coaching, especially in the SEC).
Conklin has gone 17-9 in two years at Wofford and made the FCS playoffs both years. I can't find his salary at Wofford, but would have to assume he isn't making a million a year and would get a raise if he was the DC here. I checked in with someone who knows Conklin and was told that the thought was he took the Wofford job with the idea of returning to an FBS program. He wasn't fired at Pitt, but it seemed to be a bit of a Walters situation from what I can tell, where the Panthers weren't exactly desperate to keep him. I was told it was "kind of a mutual decision."
Pitt finished 37th, 100th and 69th in total defense in Conklin's three seasons. It finished 57th, 106th and 65th in scoring defense in those years.
Anyway, again, not promising that Conklin is at the top of the list or even really a candidate, but there are some bread crumbs to follow here that could lead you to that conclusion.
Happened to notice that Eli Drinkwitz was following Wofford head coach Josh Conklin on Twitter and it appeared to be a recent development (not positive that's true because I don't know for sure the order in which he followed people). Conklin also follows Drink and that appears to be relatively recent. So I followed Conklin with the PowerMizzou account and he followed us back the same day.
Again, maybe nothing. But why would he follow PowerMizzou on Twitter?
Anyway, Conklin was one of the three finalists for the Illinois job that Ryan Walters took. So we know he's open to looking at defensive coordinator jobs. Prior to being named the Wofford head coach (he's an alum) in 2018, Conklin was the DC at The Citadel (2010-11), Florida International (2013-14) and Pittsburgh (2015-17). He also has a year in the SEC, spending 2012 coaching safeties at Tennessee (under Derek Dooley...who is a Jimmy Sexton client, as is Drinkwitz--side note, I wish more people understood the way Sexton moves chess pieces around the board in college coaching, especially in the SEC).
Conklin has gone 17-9 in two years at Wofford and made the FCS playoffs both years. I can't find his salary at Wofford, but would have to assume he isn't making a million a year and would get a raise if he was the DC here. I checked in with someone who knows Conklin and was told that the thought was he took the Wofford job with the idea of returning to an FBS program. He wasn't fired at Pitt, but it seemed to be a bit of a Walters situation from what I can tell, where the Panthers weren't exactly desperate to keep him. I was told it was "kind of a mutual decision."
Pitt finished 37th, 100th and 69th in total defense in Conklin's three seasons. It finished 57th, 106th and 65th in scoring defense in those years.
Anyway, again, not promising that Conklin is at the top of the list or even really a candidate, but there are some bread crumbs to follow here that could lead you to that conclusion.
