Eliah Drinkwitz Head Coach | Curators of the University of Missouri
Eliah Drinkwitz Head Coach | Curators of the University of Missouri
Mizzou Football has appointed Gaurav Verma as its first Director of Football Strategy and Finance, according to an announcement by head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. The move comes as college football adapts to new rules around roster management and revenue sharing.
Verma joins the Tigers after serving as a salary cap specialist with the Denver Broncos. He brings ten years of experience in sports finance, data analytics, and investment banking. His hiring reflects Mizzou Athletics’ efforts to address changes such as NCAA’s revenue sharing for student-athletes, ongoing Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) developments, and the complexities of managing multi-year rosters and scholarships during the transfer portal era.
In his new role, Verma will oversee several strategic areas including roster, scholarship and revenue cap planning; talent evaluation and scouting operations; recruiting calendar and logistics; analytics and recruiting infrastructure; as well as compliance, NIL matters, and interdepartmental collaboration.
"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. He is expected to lead revenue share cap planning, roster modeling, recruiting analytics, talent evaluation infrastructure, and work closely with coaching staff, recruiting staff, compliance department, athletics administration 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 and holds a bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science from Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his NFL tenure, he has worked in investment banking, data science, and business development.
For more information about Mizzou Athletics visit MUTigers.com or follow Missouri football (@MizzouFootball) on X.
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