What Matt Zollers said after Missouri football commitment, and what QB's pledge means for MU

If you’re going to start somewhere, you may as well start right.

Missouri football landed four-star quarterback Matt Zollers on Thursday, securing a commitment from the top-100 ranked prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings over Georgia, Penn State and Pittsburgh.

Zollers is the first player to commit to MU coach Eli Drinkwitz's Class of 2025.

Not a bad way to kick things off.

Zollers, listed at 6 foot 3½, 205 pounds, is the Tigers’ first commitment in the Class of 2025. He is the No. 8-ranked quarterback in his class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, the No. 78-ranked player in the nation and the No. 2 player out of Pennsylvania.

247Sports logs Zollers as recording two straight 2,000-yard passing seasons for Spring-Ford High. Last season, the recruiting site shows Zollers going 182-for-290 (62.7%) passing with 37 touchdowns and two interceptions. He rushed for 420 more yards and seven scores.

Here’s what the four-star prospect said after committing to the Tigers, and what his pledge means for Missouri:

Matt Zollers discusses reasons behind Missouri football pledge

Matt Zollers said it was all about connection.

When it came down to  decision day — the day Zollers said that he finally, officially made his choice — Missouri and Georgia appeared, at least according to national recruiting forecasters, to be the last two teams truly in the running.

But the Tigers had an advantage after their first meeting.

“I just feel like there's great stability there,” Zollers told reporters at Spring-Ford High after announcing his commitment. “Also, I just feel like I connected best with (Missouri). Like, immediately. Before I even visited them, when they came to the school, I just feel like there was an instant connection, and then going to visit there kind of just reinforced that.”

The four-star prospect said he went back and forth on Thursday morning while talking over the decision with his parents, and added that he was still considering “everyone” on decision day.

But in the end — by 2 p.m. CDT, when the announcement was made — it was Missouri.

“Like I said, the connections with both the coaches and the players,” Zollers said on what he prioritized through the recruiting process. “And then development — how they can develop me into the best player I can be, and then obviously education.”

Zollers’ commitment could spur uptick in recruiting

The foundation has been laid; the bar has been set.

And the Tigers have set it high.

The quarterback marks Missouri’s first commitment in the Class of 2025. He’s a top-100 prospect, and an enticing prospect for potential teammates to play alongside.

Zollers is Missouri’s highest-rated QB recruit since Drew Lock, who was the No. 103 overall prospect in 247Sports’ rankings in the Class of 2015. Zollers, per 247Sports, is Missouri’s second-best quarterback commit of all time behind Blaine Gabbert in 2008, which was before the star system was introduced.

Not to mention: Pennsylvania isn’t exactly recruiting stomping grounds for the Tigers, who had no scholarship recruits from the state since 2012, when Harold Brantley signed to MU.

It's also worth noting the schools the Tigers beat out to secure Zollers' pledge: recruiting powerhouse Georgia and in-state behemoth Penn State.

Missouri has seen a recruiting uptick, especially within state borders, under Drinkwitz and staff. In the past couple years, the Tigers have ventured into Florida and Georgia and managed to pick up their fair share of four-stars from underneath in-state schools' noses.

Zollers' commitment appears to surpass even that.

Mizzou secured a bulk of its commitments to its Class of 2024 over the summer of 2023. While that’s likely to be the case again this summer for the Class of 2025, Zollers’ commitment might speed some pledges up.

No players currently have an official commitment date with Missouri listed as one of their top considerations. That might change soon, and the Tigers' no longer look to be confined by regionality.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's what Matt Zollers said after Missouri football pledge