Mizzou football will have another quarterback battle. Here's who could win the job

There's one certainty for Missouri football at quarterback for the 2023 season. When the Tigers take Faurot Field to face South Dakota on Sept. 2, there will be someone behind the center to take the first snap.

If MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz and new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore have decided who that person will be, they haven't said publicly yet. It's still early though, and half of the options have been battling injuries throughout the offseason, so the time for final decision-making is likely still in the future.

Spring practice is in the books, and if last season stands as an example, Drinkwitz and company might not make their pick until well into fall camp. Before that, here’s what to know about the signal-callers currently on Missouri’s roster

Brady Cook

Cook was the starter in every game last season for Missouri. He won the job in the fall over Tyler Macon, Sam Horn and Jack Abraham.

The now-redshirt junior from Wentzville improved as the season went along, especially once Bush Hamden took over the lead on playcalling from Drinkwitz. He finished the year with 2,739 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Cook also might have been impacted by the torn labrum he suffered in the second game of the season at Kansas State. As soon as the 2022 campaign ended, he had surgery to repair the injury, which kept him from throwing in spring practice.

One of Missouri’s team captains last season, Cook might be disadvantaged by missing so much of new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s installation. Two of the options behind him are also higher-rated recruits, so many are expecting the incumbent to lose the job.

However, he’ll have a shot if he can take advantage of his best traits from last season, including an ability to stay upright behind a suspect offensive line, often turning his straight-line speed into positive plays for the Tigers.

He even earned praise from his new coordinator during Moore’s introductory press conference.

“I thought Brady really finished the year well there,” Moore said. “...He’s gonna be in the rehab process here but he can still do a lot of things above the neck in terms of learning the game and learning the offense. Just really excited to get to work with him, I’ve heard a ton of good things.”

Sam Horn

One of the backups from last season, Horn is also recovering from an injury. The duel-sport athlete suffered a forearm strain during an early season baseball game and did not return to action on the diamond.

The issue did not impact his football throwing motion nearly as much as his pitching, so he was back in action for spring practice quickly. However, according to Drinkwitz, the injury did cause him some problems.

“He just doesn’t quite have the distance yet and he missed a couple of 30, 35-yarders on the move that he’s got to hit,” Drinkwitz said on March 15. “But hopefully in the next couple of days, we’ll get that going.”

On March 18, Horn took reps during the Tigers’ spring scrimmage. He will likely be back to full strength for fall camp, and will likely be one of the frontrunners for the starting job.

Last season, Horn, who entered MU as a four-star recruit from Collins Hill in Georgia, played in just one game, rushing for 10 yards. Drinkwitz said he had wanted to get Horn more action, most notably in the Tigers’ win over Vanderbilt, but the right opportunities didn’t often present themselves.

Jake Garcia

Garcia joined the Tigers this offseason as a transfer from Miami. He was also a four-star recruit coming out of high school.

Drinkwitz praised his adapting to new surroundings before spring football started.

“He’s got an understanding of what it takes to be an offensive player,” Drinkwitz said “I like just being around him, he’s got the right kind of persona. I think he’s done a really nice job of fitting in with his teammates and getting to know those guys.”

The sophomore had been thought to be a competitor for Miami’s starting job before he transferred. He spent two seasons in Coral Gables, throwing for 803 yards last season, along with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Regularly, walking into a situation with two returning scholarship quarterbacks, including the incumbent starter, would be a disadvantage. However, with Moore’s arrival, that will be minimized, as the entire offense tries to learn a new scheme.

Garcia is known for his arm talent, which would be helpful in an offense that will include Luther Burden III and Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease. However, he’s not as mobile as some of the Tigers’ other options, most notably Cook.

Gabarri Johnson

One dark horse in the race for the starting job could be a freshman who hasn’t arrived yet. Johnson, a four-star recruit from Washington, did not enroll early and was not around for spring ball.

However, he will be in Columbia for fall camp. With the other possible starters all having college experience, it seems unlikely that he’ll earn the job in his first season, but all options will be on the table.

Johnson chose Missouri over offers from Arkansas, Oregon and Arizona State among others. He was the No. 24-ranked quarterback in his class, and the No. 4 player in Washington according to the 247Sports composite ratings.

The scoring report from 247Sports notes Johnson can make plays both through the air and with his legs. It also says his accuracy has improved throughout his high school years.

Dylan Laible

If anyone benefitted from Cook and Horn’s injury situations during spring practice, it was Laible. The walk-on was able to get far more reps than he ordinarily would have, just by virtue of being one of the only available arms.

Laible is new to the SEC, but he’s had success playing college football before. He was a two-time junior college all-American at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.

Last season, Laible completed 161 of his 281 passing attempts for 2,182 yards and 22 touchdowns. He only threw three interceptions in 12 games.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football will have another quarterback battle. Here's who could win the job