Matt Drinkall, the offensive line coach at Army, has been named the next head coach at Central Michigan, which announced the move Monday.
Jim McElwain, the MAC Coach of the Year in 2019, announced last month he would be retiring and will be a special assistant to the athletic director at CMU.
In 2024, Army is first in the country with 314.4 rushing yards per game. The Black Knights have averaged 32.92 points and 397.6 yards per game. Army’s O-line is a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the most outstanding offensive line in the country.
“Matt has been successful everywhere he’s been,” CMU athletic director Amy Folan said in a press release. “He is very innovative, he’s been a student of the game, and has a passion for college football. He’s coming from an institution in Army West Point that puts a premium on leadership. He has had success as a head coach and has a reputation as a player’s coach. With Matt’s background and abilities, he is the perfect fit to lead us into the next chapter of Central Michigan Football.”
Drinkall has been at Army since 2019, where he’s also been a co-offensive coordinator, a tight ends coach, and a quality control coach. Before that, he was a head coach and offensive coordinator at Kansas Wesleyan from 2014-19. He was also an offensive coordinator (2012-14), an offensive line coach (2010-12), and a wide receivers coach (2008-09) at St. Ambrose University in Iowa. He coached tight ends at Western Illinois from 2006-08 and was a wide receivers/defensive backs coach at Bettendorf High School in Iowa from 2003-05.
“My wife Kim and I are deeply humbled and honored to join the Central Michigan University family,” Drinkall said. “We are so excited to get back to our Midwest roots and to be a part of this passionate community. We cannot wait to build meaningful relationships and help contribute to the success of this storied program. We are also honored to follow in the footsteps of the McElwains, who have meant so much to college football.”
