'They Ran to the Fight': Eli Drinkwitz on Why He's Proud of Mizzou QBs

Brady Cook was named the starter, but Drinkwitz gave credit to the entire quarterback room.

Brady Cook was named the starting quarterback for the Mizzou Tigers by coach Eli Drinkwitz on Tuesday. 

But when Drinkwitz met with the media Wednesday, he made sure to let everyone know how prideful he is in his quarterback room after the competition they displayed this offseason. 

"It was a battle," he said. "I'll say this, I've got more confidence in our quarterback room since any point that I've been here. I think there's four and five solid football players that competed every single day to be the best version of themselves. And so I'm excited about what they can do."

Cook, who started in the team's 24-22 loss against Army in the Armed Forces Bowl, looked more content running the offense, throwing 238 yards and one touchdown while adding a 30-yard touchdown run on his own. This season-ending momentum likely served as a contributing factor to him winning the starting job. 

Now behind Cook is Jack Abraham, Tyler Macon, and Sam Horn. Proud of all four, Drinkwitz credited them for not running away from the fight despite all the noise.

"But in a competition, everybody's gotta raise their level a little bit,” he said. “I'll say this about our quarterbacks, they didn't back away from the competition, they didn't back away when there was the public pursuit of some transfer quarterbacks. They didn't run, they ran to the fight and I'm really proud of them for that." 

Macon didn't do much last year but still gives Drinkwitz a sense of familiarity under-center should he need to step in for Cook. He was often used in a clean-up role late in games behind Connor Bazelak last season, but he did record a start against Georgia in November. He struggled, going 6-13 for 74 yards while adding 42 yards with his legs.

But Abraham, the most experienced of the three as he enters his seventh collegiate season, is the likeliest candidate to backup Cook based on his résumé. 

He enjoyed a stellar three-year career at Southern Miss from 2018-2020, throwing for 7,067 yards and 41 touchdowns in 27 games. Abraham is also just the third Golden Eagle quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a single season with 3,496 yards in 2019. 

There's plenty of optimism of what Mizzou can replicate from last year with Cook at quarterback. The Tigers' passing offense was statistically better than the Kentucky Wildcats and projected NFL signal-caller Will Levis, the Texas A&M Aggies and quarterback-friendly coach Jimbo Fisher, and the Arkansas Razorbacks with rising dual-threat star K.J Jefferson. 

With the energy, camaraderie, and skill in the quarterback room at the highest Drinkwitz has ever seen, there is a lot to feel positive about for Mizzou fans.

Now, the Tigers will need to translate it all to on-field production.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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