2025 Mizzou Position Preview: Quarterbacks

Missouri's quarterback coach is Sean Gleeson, who joined the Tigers in March of 2024. He currently serves as an assistant coach and works with the quarterbacks. Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore also assists.

Gleeson coached at Northwestern in 2023, but his most notable achievements came at Rutgers. He was with the Scarlet Knights from 2020-2022, assuming the role of offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach. During his tenure there, he mentored two NFL draft picks in Bo Melton and Isaiah Pacheco. He was named a candidate for the 2020 Broyles Award, which is awarded to the top assistant coach in college football.

The Starters

Out of the two candidates for the starting job, Beau Pribula by far has the most attention and experience.

Although he was not a starter at Penn State, Pribula accumulated a decent bit of experience with the Nittany Lions. He logged 94 rush attempts and 56 pass attempts, and has shown glimpses of potential with his speed.

"Beau was every bit what we expected, and in fact, I think he was a better passer than we had anticipated," Drinkwitz said in a press conference April 8. "I knew Beau would have a little bit of a learning curve still with the offense, but I was impressed with how much he’s already understanding it. Excellent leader, very dynamic with his feet, sound, solid decision-maker."

The other quarterback competing for the job is Sam Horn. Horn competed for the starting spot in 2023, losing the battle to Cook. Aside from losing the competition, Horn has dealt with adversity in the form of injuries. The dual-sport athlete, who also plays with Missouri baseball as a pitcher, underwent Tommy John surgery in February of 2024.

Even after Horn was selected in Round 17 of the MLB draft, Drinkwitz confirmed there is "100%" still a quarterback battle.

“Sam has been adamant this whole time that his goal is to compete to try to win the job in the SEC and play quarterback at the highest level," Drinkwitz said. "Nothing's changed."

Drinkwitz isn't expected to name the starter anytime soon. The competition for the role will extend into fall camp.

"There's an old saying, 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear,'" Drinkwitz said March 2. "So, the quarterback position, there is no timeline, no timetable. When the starting quarterback makes himself known to the rest of the team, we'll announce the starter."

Who’s next up? 

Another name that has been brought up in the quarterback room is freshman Matt Zollers. The Royersford, Pennsylvania, product was rated as the third-best player in Missouri's 2025 class by 247Sports. Zollers is a four-star prospect who was named the MVP of the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division in 2023. That same year, he achieved an All-State selection and led his team to a 9-3 record.

He completed 182 of 290 passes (62.8%) for 2,917 yards as a junior, which marked a school record. He threw 37 touchdowns and two interceptions, running for 420 yards and seven touchdowns.

In 2024, Zollers suffered a gruesome ankle injury during a game that ended his season. He still joined the Tigers as an early enrollee in January 2025, and the injury shouldn't have a drastic impact on his playing ability in the future.

"I was very impressed with Matt Zollers," Drinkwitz said on April 8. "There was a time at the start of his injuries where we didn’t think he would be released for spring practice, but he did an excellent job. I (am) very impressed with where he’s at throughout spring and know that every bit of arm talent, natural leadership ability, athleticism and playmaking ability is there. I look forward to watching him develop."

Biggest question in fall camp: Who will stand out and win the quarterback competition?

"I think both of them had really good springs," Drinkwitz said April 30. "The biggest thing is going to be consistency and then decision-making. Anytime you're dealing with new quarterbacks, it's the mistakes that compound, and so whoever can limit the mistakes they make and not make the same mistake twice, will ultimately be the person who we count on to be our quarterback."

This story is a part of a series from Missouri On SI taking a deep dive into each position on the Missouri Tigers’ 2025 season: Linebackers | Next Up: Running backs