'Standard of Excellence': Entering Year 5, Brady Cook Now Tigers' 'Meticulous' Leader

After two years riding the bench, Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook finally got his chance to shine, and didn't disappoint. Now, he's the unquestioned leader for a squad in true contention for the College Football Playoff.

Oct14, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) looks on at the sideline during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. / Matt Guzman-Missouri Tigers On SI

Brady Cook didn't breach 50 collegiate completions as a quarterback for the Missouri Tigers until his penultimate sling against Army in 2021.

The play — a completion to Elijah Young, a sophomore running back at the time — went for 11 yards and brought the Tigers within striking distance of the end zone. A touchdown with a two-point conversion would have put them up by three points with the upper hand, giving Cook his first win as a starter.

He almost got it.

A failed conversion by means of an overthrown pass left Missouri still in front by a point, but, as it ended up going, vulnerable to a score of any kind. Sure enough, Army marched down the field in eight plays to kick a field goal as time expired to secure a victory for itself.

It was Cook's first-ever start, yet he still took the blame.

“I did some good things,” the young quarterback said, acknowledging his 238 passing yards and two touchdowns — one each rushing and passing. “(But) I missed the throw when it mattered most.”

Dec 22, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Army Black Knights linebacker Arik Smith (53) sacks Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) during the fourth quarter of the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium. / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

In that moment, perhaps Cook felt he let his teammates down, especially those who had just played their final game for the Black & Gold.

Or maybe he simply hated losing.

Turns out, it ended up being a little bit of both. That's why when the following season came around, he set out to take the Tigers to new heights as a full-time starter.

Once again, his squad fell short in the postseason after barely making the cut for bowl eligibility. He put up solid numbers — tallying 2,739 passing yards and 14 touchdowns — but they just weren't enough.

Something had to change. Cook knew that.

So, he put his head down and worked, claiming the starting spot for the second straight year ahead of the 2023 season.

"Brady is one of the most relentless competitors that we have on our football team," Drinkwitz said of Cook at SEC Media Days a year ago. "He's one of those edgers, man. He ain't ever letting anybody get an edge on him."

The result of that work ended up being the strongest season of his career. With a new-and-improved Luther Burden III at his disposal, the junior tallied more passing yards, more touchdowns, a higher completion rate and fewer interceptions in what ended up being the first double-digit win season for the Tigers in 10 years.

Nov 11, 2023; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) celebrates in the end zone after a rushing touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers at Faurot Field. / Matt Guzman-Missouri Tigers On SI

Missouri, led by Cook, set out with something to prove, and that it did. It capped off a strong season with an even stronger postseason victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes to mark the first postseason in the same amount of time. It finished No. 8 in the final AP top 25 and Cook certainly earned his keep.

Now, it faces the challenge of doing so again.

Again, with Cook at the helm.

"We had a good year last year and accomplished a few things, (but) we still have to go out and prove it this year," Cook explained this year at SEC Media Days. "No one's going to hand it to us. No one's going to give us any free handouts. ... We have to go earn it."

With lots more pressure on them, what does "earning it" look like for Missouri?

For starters, it means making the College Football Playoff — now with 12 spots instead of four.

"(Our) No. 1 core value is always compete to do it better than it's ever been done before," Drinkwitz said of the pressure facing the Tigers this season. "Our mentality every single week is to always compete, and it really is not about anybody else except our own internal drive and expectations to be the very best that we can be."

It also means finding ways to improve. Starting fast and finishing strong. Extending drives on offense. Getting off the field on defense.

All things that the Tigers did well last season, and all things they'll have to do even better if they want a chance to compete for a national title.

It'll take a collective effort, but it starts with Cook.

Every player and coach seems to know that.

"I think what Brady has done is continually demonstrated a competitive spirit and a standard of excellence," Drinkwitz said. "He's earned the respect of everybody in our locker room ... from the coaches to the players to the nutritionists, because of his consistent nature.

Nov 11, 2023, Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Cody Schrader, coach Eli Drinkwitz and quarterback Brady Cook talk with CBS after a game at Faurot Field. / Abigail Landwehr/Tribune / USA TODAY

"He's very detailed and meticulous in his preparation," he added. "He's gritty. There's no question about how mentally tough he is and how he's willing to block out the external noise."

Cook doesn't need any reason to block out the noise. Entering his fifth season with the Tigers, he's seen just about everything. He's broken huddles plenty a time, ridden the bench and even been booed during his home introduction by his home crowd.

Now that he's set to be the starter for the third straight year, he can look back on where he started — at his own story — and fondly recall how far he's come.

"It was definitely hard," Cook admitted of beginning his college career as a second-stringer. "That was the first time in my life that I've ever not played on my team. I've always been the starting quarterback ... I've always been that leader of the team.

"So, to sit back and have those two years of just kind of learning and being away from the in-game action, it was hard, but at the same time, I learned a ton. I was able to see different perspectives."

The one he sees now?

A team, in need of a leader, ready to prove itself once again to the college football world. A brotherhood, as Drinkwitz would describe it, ready to fight for one another, with one another.

And he's the leader.

An unrivaled, meticulous, leader.

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Read more Missouri Tigers news:

'I Want to Give them Hope': Luther Burden III Returns Home to Host Youth Football Camp

5 Things Learned from Eli Drinkwitz Ahead of Mizzou's Fall Practices

Missouri Football Coaching Staff Talks Installing New Defensive Scheme