Mizzou Tigers have returners, a transfer and newcomer at QB. Any could win starting job
Players who attend the SEC football preseason extravaganza are mostly experienced and established. That’s why Missouri didn’t bring a quarterback to this year’s media opportunity.
The group representing the Tigers at the event held at College Football Hall of Fame were sixth-year wide receiver Barrett Banister, senior defensive back Martez Manuel and senior defensive lineman Isaiah McGuire.
Maybe next year for the quarterback?
If so, that means returning players Brady Cook or Tyler Macon, transfer Jack Abraham, or maybe freshman Sam Horn will have seized the position and provided a breakout season.
“College football is great because every year there are players that burst onto the scene,” Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said Monday. “We all like what’s known. It’s easier to write or predict based off what’s known. It’s hard to write or predict based on the unknown.”
At this point, quarterback at Missouri must be a position and not a player evaluation. Each candidate brings strengths — Cook’s arm, Macon’s legs, Abraham’s experience at other schools, Horn’s potential — but projecting the Tigers is based on their potential, not their accomplishments in Columbia.
“I know we’ve got talented players at the quarterback position,” Drinkwitz said. “We’re just waiting for them to show the team which one is going to be a starter ... I feel confident we’ll be where we need to be.”
There is an update on the competition. Horn, the four-star recruit from Lawrenceville, Georgia, is a baseball standout who had been considered a top 100 MLB prospect heading into the draft. But through ten rounds of the draft that concludes on Tuesday, Horn had not been selected, increasing the likelihood of his suiting up for Mizzou.
Horn has been on campus, working with the football team. Playing baseball for the Tigers in addition to football is also a possibility.
So, how will the competition work if there are three or four candidates, including two late arrivals in Abraham and Horn? Drinkwitz said it’s not essential that candidates always take first-team snaps in practice.
“You got to give two the opportunity to work with the ones,” Drinkwitz said. “We kind of outlined a plan with the quarterbacks about how we’re going to go about it and don’t expect everybody to rotate with the ones.
“You can prove you prove you’re the starting quarterback by working with the threes, and earning your opportunity. It’s not always about stats. It’s about decision-making, getting your group into the end zone ... If they’re getting their group in the end zone they’re demonstrating to us their ability to lead and get the most of the rest of their teammates.”
Cook and Macon each started a game last season. Macon, an East St. Louis product about to begin his second year, drew the unenviable task of starting against the nation’s top team, Georgia.
In the bowl game against Army, Drinkwitz went with Cook over starter Conner Bazelak. Cook, from St. Louis, completed his second season by passing and rushing for a touchdown as Mizzou fell 34-27.
Abraham, who made stops at Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State before walking on at Missouri, has appeared in 27 college games, all at Southern Miss. In his best season, he threw for 3,496 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2019.
He arrived at Missouri in June and new NCAA rules for individual skill and development have allowed coaches to see Abraham work out.
“I’ve seen him in meetings, seen him run plays,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s exactly what we expected, a guy who’s got a lot of experience, leadership. He’s got a great presence about him and look forward to him competing.”
As the competition unfolds, this much is certain: Abraham won’t represent Missouri at the SEC event next year. Of the candidates, he’s the only one without eligibility after this season.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Mizzou Tigers have returners, a transfer and newcomer at QB. Any could win starting job."