Meet the Mizzou Freshman: Quarterback Matt Zollers

Zollers was a participant at the Elite 11 camp heading into his senior season of high school, where he turned plenty of heads. He was among the nation's best quarterback recruits at the camp and still managed to leave as a standout.

His sophomore season was also quite productive, going for 2,052 yards and 23 touchdowns on only three interceptions. Zollers also added 241 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns during that time.

The Royersford native was a two-time all-state, all-league and all-area selection in his hometown, which was topped off by his Elite 11 invitation. Despite his high school career being cut short due to injury, Zollers still managed to make his mark at Spring-Ford, becoming one of the best athletes to come out of the high school.

Fit with the Tigers

Zollers is the exact type of quarterback head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff are looking for systematically, with resemblances to Cook and the two competing for the starting job currently, Beau Pribubla and Sam Horn.

He is incredibly consistent and efficient while both running and passing the ball. He rarely turned the ball over during his time with the Rams and posted two seasons with a completion percentage over 60%. Zollers threw 11 career interceptions and fumbled the ball 12 times, which needs to be cleaned up. For the most part, he is a solid decision maker.

His ability to extend plays is what makes him such an exciting player. He can throw on the run or simply take off, both of which normally end with a good result. He can make hard throws on the run or out of his normal stance, which makes Zollers a threat regardless of where he is on the field.

Zollers' arm talent has the potential to be great, but his deep-ball accuracy could use some improvement. This is part of what makes him so similar to Cook and the other current Tiger quarterbacks, having the ability to make and extend plays while needing improvement when throwing the ball far down the field.

Coach's thoughts

"He's got the ability to extend plays with his feet and with his arm, and that was a really good asset that we felt like he had. Is an accurate thrower in football, and he's a leader," Drinkwitz said at his National Signing Day press conference. "When we went out there last year, Pittsburgh area, [offensive coordinator] Kirby [Moore] and I got to see his leadership traits, not only in football, but also on the basketball court."

When will he play?

Ceiling: His ceiling will depend on staying healthy, but he certainly has the tools to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference. He constantly makes good decisions when looking for receivers and has an accurate arm, which could help him ascend to the top of the SEC. Combine that with his speed and ability to make defenders miss and he does have the bare-bones traits to be a first-round pick.

Floor: With Zollers' athleticism and throwing ability standing as it does now, he could have a similar career arc to Brady Cook at Missouri. He's athletic and can extend plays in a similar fashion to Cook and, with the right leadership traits, could end up playing a similar role.