Spring football is officially underway, and Missouri’s second day of practice kicked off with a Saturday morning session, where the media was allowed to observe the first 25 minutes. Following practice, head coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke to reporters for the first time since his postgame press conference after Missouri’s Music City Bowl victory over Iowa. The Tigers have undergone significant roster changes, adding 17 transfers and 17 high school recruits (10 of whom are participating in spring ball), while losing key players like quarterback Brady Cook, wide receivers Luther Burden III and Theo Wease, and right tackle Armand Membou—all of whom are currently at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
This spring marks the first time Drinkwitz gets to evaluate most of his new additions on the field rather than just on film. One of the most notable newcomers is former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula. While it’s too early for Drinkwitz to make definitive assessments, he’s already impressed by Pribula’s work ethic. “Beau’s extremely diligent in his work, does a lot of preparation, and I’m excited about what he’ll be able to contribute,” Drinkwitz said. He emphasized that spring practices are about individual development, telling the team, “Today should be the worst day you are as a Missouri football player,” and encouraging growth from here on out.
Pribula joins Drew Pyne, Sam Horn, and four-star signee Matt Zollers in what promises to be a wide-open quarterback competition. Drinkwitz made it clear that a starter won’t be named anytime soon, echoing his approach in previous years. In 2022, Brady Cook wasn’t named the starter until eight days into fall camp, and in 2023, Cook didn’t officially win the job until Week 3 of the season. Drinkwitz believes the starting quarterback will reveal himself naturally over time. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear,” he said, adding that there’s no rush to name a starter during spring ball. He even joked that the order of quarterbacks in practice was decided by “paper, rock, scissors,” urging fans not to read too much into it.
One significant update is the status of Sam Horn, who missed the entire 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Drinkwitz had previously indicated that Horn would likely be ready for spring ball, and the quarterback has exceeded expectations, participating fully without restrictions. “Sam looks great—he’s fully cleared, throwing the ball,” Drinkwitz said. “No concerns with him at all. It’s been fun to watch him apply his growth from watching last year.”
Drinkwitz outlined what he’s looking for in the quarterback competition: growth and the ability to learn from mistakes. “The thing about Brady Cook is he didn’t make the same mistake twice,” Drinkwitz explained. “We lost a lot of one-score games in his first year as a starter, and then the last two years, we won a ton of them because he learned from those situations. We’ve got to put these quarterbacks in the red zone, in two-minute drills, let them make mistakes, and see if they can grow from them.”
Missouri’s third spring practice is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, as the Tigers continue their preparations for the upcoming season.
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