KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mizzou has found their next offensive coordinator, according to ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel.
The Tigers are set to hire Fresno State offensive coordinator Kirby Moore to be the offensive coordinator and take over as quarterbacks coach.
Source: Missouri is finalizing a deal to make Fresno State OC Kirby Moore the school's next offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He was the OC/QB coach and play caller for Fresno State's Mountain West champion this year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 4, 2023
Moore, the younger brother of Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, will become the first offensive coordinator hired during head coach Eli Drinkwitz's tenure. Drinkwitz served as his offensive coordinator and play-caller during his first three seasons with the Tigers.
Drinkwitz's play-calling became a flashpoint for Mizzou fans with the offense struggling once again last season.
The Tigers, who finished 6-7 for the second straight year after losing to Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl, ranked 91st in passing per game (212.9) and 85th in total offense (367.6) among 131 FBS programs in 2022.
Moore, a wide receiver from 2009 to 2013 at Boise State, started his coaching career as a wide receiver coach at the University of Idaho in 2014. He spent 2015-16 as a graduate assistant at the University of Washington before he was hired in 2017 at Fresno State.
With the Bulldogs, Moore served as wide receivers coach for five seasons (2017-21), adding passing-game coordinator duties in 2020. He became the teams offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2022 season.
Under Moore, Fresno State ranked 27th in the country in passing yards per game (270.6) and 53rd in total offense (402.6) — including 78 plays of 20-plus yards, which tied for 17th in FBS, in 2022.
The Bulldogs tied for 49th in scoring offense, averaging 30.6 points per game, compared to the Tigers, who averaged 24.8 points per game. That tied with Auburn as the fourth-worst scoring offense in the SEC.
Fresno State's third-down conversion percentage (45.8%) was among the best in the country, ranking 21st nationally, while Missouri languished below 40% last season.
