Columbia News

Mizzou Football has appointed Gaurav Verma as its first Director of Football Strategy and Finance, according to an announcement from head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. The hiring comes as college football adapts to changes such as revenue sharing for student-athletes, expansion of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights, and evolving roster management practices.

Verma previously worked with the Denver Broncos as a salary cap specialist. He brings experience in sports finance, data analytics, and investment banking to the Missouri Tigers program. In his new role, Verma will be responsible for strategic planning in areas including roster and scholarship management, revenue cap planning, talent evaluation and scouting operations, recruiting logistics, analytics infrastructure, compliance issues related to NIL, and collaboration across departments.

"We are really excited to add Gaurav to our program," Drinkwitz said. "His NFL experience, as well as his business background, will help us navigate revenue sharing and contract management."

Verma will report directly to Drinkwitz. His duties include overseeing revenue share cap planning and modeling for rosters and scholarships. He will also lead efforts in recruiting analytics and talent evaluation infrastructure while working closely with coaching staff members, recruiting personnel, compliance officials, athletics administrators, and Every True Tiger Brands.

"I'm thrilled to join Mizzou Football at such a transformative time," Verma said. "With college football evolving rapidly through revenue sharing and strategic roster management, I'm excited to apply my background in finance and the NFL to help Mizzou build sustainably competitive teams on the sport's biggest stage — the SEC. I want to thank Coach Drinkwitz for this opportunity and can't wait to help build on the program's success as we compete for national championships."

Verma is originally from Boston. He earned an MBA in Finance from MIT Sloan School of Management in 2023 after completing undergraduate studies in Economics and Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. His career includes roles in investment banking along with work in data science and business development.

For more information about Missouri Tigers Athletics or updates on football activities visit MUTigers.com or follow their official social media channels.