An update on Missouri starting quarterback competition

Although Eli Drinkwitz has said that Missouri’s starting quarterback competition will extend into the season, the Tigers’ starter from last year seems to be the clear favorite to win the job heading into the team’s first game.

Brady Cook is set to start at QB for Missouri in the Tigers’ season-opening game against South Dakota Thursday night, sources tell On3.

Cook, who started all 13 games at QB for Missouri last season, has been in a competition with Class of 2022 four-star recruit Sam Horn and Miami transfer Jake Garcia. Drinkwitz has said he plans for multiple QBs to end up playing vs. South Dakota.

On Missouri’s season-opening depth chart, there was an “or” between Cook and Horn at the quarterback spot. Garcia was listed as the third QB.

“I was really pleased with the level of competition that we had throughout the spring, throughout the summer, through fall camp,” Drinkwitz said during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “I felt like we really had three guys that really stood above the rest. … Jake Garcia, Sam Horn, Brady Cook, all three of those guys did an outstanding job of doing what we asked them to do. None of them had those ‘oh crap’ days where you just couldn’t play football with them. I think they all handled their business as good as they could. But there’s a limited number of reps and a limited number of opportunities in fall camp, so we’re going to extend the quarterback competition into this first game and (see) the results underneath the lights and we’ll do that until the quarterback reveals himself to our team and we’ll go from there.”

Cook, a Class of 2020 three-star recruit, threw for 2,739 yards last year with 14 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while playing through an injury to his throwing shoulder that he underwent surgery to repair in December. Cook also ran for 585 yards and six scores.

He was recently selected as one of Missouri’s team captains.

Horn, meanwhile, ranked as the 14th-best QB and 213th-best overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Garcia, who transferred to Missouri this offseason after two years at Miami, ranked as the 10th-best quarterback and 53rd-best overall player in the 2021 recruiting class.

After facing South Dakota, Missouri plays Middle Tennessee next week and then has its first Power Five matchup in Week 3 against Kansas State. The Tigers are entering their fourth season under Drinkwitz. After starting last year 2-4, they closed the season with wins in four of their final six regular games before falling to Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl.