Quarterback Carousel: What to Make of Missouri's Battle?

Eli Drinkwitz will have a tough call to make at quarterback this offseason between four different options

Eli Drinkwitz isn't worried about the state of Missouri's roster entering the season. Despite potentially starting fresh at quarterback, the third-year Tigers' coach feels content with where the program is headed. 

Connor Bazelak won't be commanding the offense come Week 1 against Louisiana Tech after electing to transfer to Indiana this offseason. Right now, it's a four-man race to the finish line for the title of QB1.

Veterans Brady Cook and Tyler Macon lead the charge, but newcomers Jack Abraham and Sam Horn could very well walk away from running the show against the Bulldogs on Sept. 3. That's a battle Drinkwitz is going to let play out in the summer. 

Horn might be the most intriguing option of the bunch in large part due to his dual-threat capabilities. Coming out of Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga., Horn played both baseball and football, leading the Eagles to a state title last fall. 

“He’s got elite-level arm talent,” Drinkwitz said at the SEC Meetings in Destin, Fla. “He’s a big, strong, physical player. He’s got a lot of ability but he’s got a lot of development to do and he’s got to get sped up to the game of college football.” 

Horn's future with the Tigers might be decided before Drinkwitz gets a chance to work with him due to his success on the diamond. According to MLB.com, the 6-4, 190-pounder passer is the No. 72-ranked prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft and could hear his name called early between the July 17-19 selection process. 

The scenario would mirror that of 2021 Clemson commit Bubba Chandler, who was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates 72nd overall in the draft last year. Ultimately, Chandler chose to pitch rather than play for a national title under Dabo Swinney, signing a $3 million deal prior to the deadline.

“I’m not naive that Sam is going to have a difficult choice in front of him in mid-July,” Drinkwitz said. “He is an unbelievable baseball player with the ability to get drafted. I’ve met with his family and him and we believe that he has an unbelievable future here as both a football player and baseball player." 

Of the three who will without question be on the roster this fall, there's a case for each. Both Cook and Macon have experience working in Drikwitz's offense, each starting in a game last season. Macon got the nod first in a 43-6 loss to Georgia and struggled with consistency, going six of 13 passing for 74 yards and tacking on another 42 yards with his legs. 

Cook started in the Tigers' 24-22 loss against Army in the Armed Forces Bowl and looked to be the better option. He ended up throwing for 238 yards and one touchdown while adding another with a 30-yard touchdown run. Of course, one quarterback faced off against the second-ranked defense in the country while the other faced a defense that finished ranked 15th. 

Abraham is the veteran of the group, having bounced around from program to program. The starting quarterback for DK Metcalf in high school, he now will attend his fifth college in seven years after playing for Louisiana Tech, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Southern Miss and Mississippi State. 

Abraham enjoyed a stellar three-year career at Southern Miss from 2018 to 2020. He threw for 7,067 yards and 41 touchdowns in 27 games. He threw for a career-best 3,496 yards in 2019, becoming the third Golden Eagles passer in program history to throw for at least 3,000 yards in a single season. 

Missouri was interested in bringing in competition via the transfer portal this offseason. The Tigers also spoke high-profile transfers including Arizona State's Jayden Daniels, Georgia JT Daniels and Baylor's Gerry Bohanon. All three elected to transfer elsewhere while Abraham will head to Columbia as a walk-on. 

“Us looking at a potential transfer quarterback was really no slight on (Cook and Macon).” Drinkwitz said. “In those situations, having an experienced quarterback was something that was important and something that we were looking for...

"It’s an open competition.”

The Tigers will return to practice on the last day of July. By then, Drinkwitz expects one of the four to emerge as the clear-cut starter “sooner, rather than later.”

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