Missouri was the beneficiary of a huge donation on Wednesday, further ensuring their athletic department will continue to strive for championships. Longtime supporters Paul and Lynn Ann Vogel are giving $3 million to be used for anything from recruiting to revenue sharing to a new suite in Mizzou Arena.
The Vogels emphized their belief in coaches Eli Drinkwitz and Dennis Gates, and hope their donation helps to bring Mizzou athletics even more success.
"We believe deeply in Mizzou and the role athletics plays in bringing people together and driving institutional success," said Paul and Lynn Ann Vogel. "We believe in Laird, Coach Drinkwitz and Coach Gates' leadership, and it's an honor to help build something that will benefit generations of student-athletes across all sports and inspire pride across our state."
Big-time donation could spark some big recruiting efforts for Mizzou athletics
For a university like Missouri that has never been at the very top of NIL, this donation could prove extremely helpful in retaining and also bringing in elite talent. The Tigers consistantly have top-30 football and basketball classes, including Gates' top-five class for 2026, but now have a better opportunity to imprive future recruiting classes even more.
While NIL specifics are never fully revealed team to team, Missouri has been very successful over the past two years in fundraising. Over those past two years, Mizzou Athletics has received 13 seven-figure gifts and 84 six-figure gifts according to the Missouri Athletic Department.
Hopefully Drinkwitz and Gates can put the their allocated funds to good use and push Mizzou up into the top tiers of the SEC in 2026 and 2027. Football finished a disappointing 8-5, and basketball has been riding the tournament bubble all season. Still, Missouri seems to be positioned well for strong runs over the next few seasons given the quality of the rosters going forward.