Mizzou's QB Competition to Carry Over into Week 1, Per Report

The Missouri Tigers' search to find their next starting quarterback will extend into the regular season, head coach Eli Drinkwitz announced in a press release Wednesday.

“I informed the team this afternoon that both quarterbacks will play in the first game," Drinkwitz said in a statement. "I want to see them in a game-day situation to make a final determination.”

The two players competing for the job — Beau Pribula and Sam Horn — will split playing time in the Tigers' Week 1 game against Central Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 28. The pressure will be on the Missouri coaching staff to make a decision quickly after the season opener, as the Tigers take on rival Kansas for the first time since 2011 in Week 2.

The two have evenly split opportunities throughout all of Missouri's fall camp practices, the last of which was held Tuesday. Throughout the camp, Drinkwitz maintained that he didn't see enough separation between the two in order to make the decision.

"They've all done some really good things and some really dumb things," Drinkwitz said after the first week of practices."That's kind of the quarterback position. Now it's about seeing, do they continually make that same mistake, or can they self-correct?"

During the second week of practices, Drinkwitz said one of the candidates (he didn't reveal which one of them) stood out early in the week, but then the other responded to make the race even again.

"I think both of them are really straining," said of the quarterbacks Saturday. "I think when one guy has a big day, the other one knows they have to respond."

Pribula transferred to Missouri from Penn State in December after backing up Drew Allar in each of the last two seasons. Even behind Allar though, Pribula found a role as a run-specialist, rushing for 517 yards and 10 touchdowns on 94 carries over the past two seasons. He also threw for 37 completions on 56 attempts for 424 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception.

Horn spent each of the first three seasons of his career backing up Brady Cook. Ahead of the 2023 season, Horn was given an opportunity to compete with Cook, but as the incumbent starter, Cook had a leg up. So far, Horn has completed three passes on eight attempts for 54 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Horn missed all of the 2024 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery that he underwent for a UCL injury.