- Transfer portal acquisition Beau Pribula and former four-star recruit Sam Horn are vying for the starting position.
- While Pribula is considered the frontrunner, Horn’s experience within the system makes him a strong competitor.
- Coach Eli Drinkwitz emphasizes that the decision will be based on consistent performance and leadership qualities displayed both on and off the field.
The number of contenders for Missouri football’s quarterback competition has been cut in half.
No, Missouri football is not ready to name its starting quarterback for the 2025 season. That’s in line with head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s message at the beginning of spring ball when the coach indicated the race would run into the fall.
But, the Tigers, who started with four players in the race, are down to two options.
“It was clear to us after probably the first week-and-a-half of spring that the competition is between Beau (Pribula) and Sam (Horn),” Drinkwitz said Tuesday. “And those two guys will be the primary two pushing to be the starting quarterback.”
That, by all offseason assumptions about this competition, is not a surprise. Horn was a four-star recruit who backed up three-year starter Brady Cook until the two-sport, football, and baseball athlete had to miss the 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Pribula was among the Tigers’ marquee transfer portal acquisitions in the winter window.
That’s become more obvious in April.
Drew Pyne, who filled in as a backup in his one season with the Tigers in 2024, has transferred to Bowling Green. Pyne’s up-and-down performances relieving Cook through various injuries in 2024 indicated that the Tigers were likely to turn elsewhere for a starter.
True freshman Matt Zollers, a four-star prospect with obvious upside as a passer, was likely to take some time to develop after missing the majority of his senior season of high school with a leg injury. Drinkwitz said Tuesday that “every bit of arm talent, natural leadership ability, athleticism, playmaking ability is there,” but the rookie QB is still likely to be a project for MU.
So, all those pre-spring presuppositions have materialized as the Tigers head into offseason workouts for approximately the next four months until reporting for fall camp.
