Here are the quarterbacks competing for Missouri State football's starting job in 2023

Missouri State football will have a new starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season after it graduated one of the better players at the position to ever come through the program.

First-year head coach Ryan Beard and company will have to find a way to replace Jason Shelley, who was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. Shelley started every game for the last two seasons.

Here are the quarterbacks going for the starting job this season.

The favorite: Jacob Clark

Clark was Missouri State's backup quarterback in 2022 after transferring from Minnesota prior to the season. He's a 6-foot-5, 226-pound redshirt sophomore and is the favorite to be behind center when the Bears take the field on Sept. 1 at Kansas.

Clark has been getting the majority of the reps with the starting offense and was the most impressive one we saw during the Bears' spring season. He differs from Shelley as a pro-style pocket passer, but that doesn't mean Clark lacks the athleticism to use his legs to extend plays either in the run game or when buying time for receivers.

The taller quarterback looks like he can be better than Shelley when it comes to quick reads and getting the ball out. He has a rhythm to his passing game that differs from the Bears' star from the last two seasons whose strength was using his legs and creating magic down the field. Clark won't be as flashy. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Clark appeared in one game for the Bears last season and completed 9 of 11 passes for 72 yards while leading his offense to a pair of field goals in a blowout win against Western Illinois.

"He's a guy that can make really good decisions; he's an accurate passer and he can throw the ball deep," then-head coach Bobby Petrino said after the game. "We didn't do that much with them out there today because we were trying to get off the field and get out of the game but he can certainly throw the ball down the field and we like him a lot."

At Minnesota, he spent three seasons, appearing in one game in 2019 with a 39-yard pass completion. Out of high school, he also held offers from Iowa, Purdue, Syracuse, TCU, Vanderbilt and Washington State.

Current offensive coordinator Nick Petrino praised the way Clark processes information noting that he doesn't have to explain something to his quarterback more than once. Petrino also said Clark is capable of running when needed.

"He's sneaky fast," Nick Petrino said. "When he gets running straight ahead, he can run and is a willing runner. He's shown that in practice and we've done some stuff with him with some triple-option stuff he does really well. He knows how to use ball fakes and when he gets going straight ahead, he's pretty fast."

The challenger: Jordan Pachot

Also getting work in with the starting offense is Pachot, who was a third-stringer with the Bears last season. He's a Ventura College (California) transfer entering his junior year.

Pachot also appeared in Missouri State's win over Western Illinois last season in which he handed the ball off most of his lone drive. He had one rushing attempt and one pass attempt, which showcased his impressive arm strength on a deep sideline throw that was ruled out of bounds — but appeared to be in-bounds on replay and wasn't reviewed.

"When he first came here, he came in and struggled to throw a spiral and then all of the sudden it's like, 'Woah, woah, woah,' and he just keeps getting better and better," Bobby Petrino said in October. "Both (Pachot and Clark) are really good athletes and both have knowledge of the offense. It's good to see."

Bobby Petrino's scheme will return with his son, Nick Petrino, calling the shots on offense. There won't be much of a learning curve for either returning quarterback outside of how they react to actual game action.

Pachot has his strengths as a 6-2, 203-pound quarterback that differ from Clark. One noticeable difference is Pachot's above-average arm strength and ability to make off-base throws that he's displayed in practice. That's not to say Clark's is bad, but it jumps out a bit more when seeing the ball out of Pachot's hand. While also a pocket passer, Pachot is quicker when trying to escape pressure.

"Jordan's a kid who's got a really good arm," Nick Petrino said. "His thing is just consistency in his technique. When he kind of gets off balance or he's not in line, that's when he'll miss some throws. He's done a better job at learning the offense."

The darkhorse: Chase Brewster

Missouri State's summer addition could push to play after transferring in from UMass. Although he's behind Clark and Pachot in learning the playbook, coaches have been high on what they've seen from the 6-foot-5, 214-pound quarterback this offseason.

Brewster didn't appear in any games last year as he enters his redshirt freshman season. He was a standout at Tilton Academy (New Hampshire) and was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports.

We haven't been able to see Brewster yet in practice, but his Hudl highlights show a mammoth of a quarterback behind a high school offensive line. He has a strong arm and is able to drop it in the bucket deep down the field. His aggressiveness to go deep down the field and accuracy while doing so look impressive.

"He's a tall, strong kid and he's got a really strong arm," Nick Petrino said. "What I've liked about him so far is that he's really intelligent. He wants to know the offense and he wanted to come here because of the offense we run. He wants to be able to throw the ball and I'm excited about him. The future is bright there."

"Chase Brewster is a kid that you're really going to like," Beard said. "He's got some Boston attitude to him which I enjoy in a quarterback."

The future? Cole Feuerbacher

Missouri State coaches have spoken highly of one of the better quarterback prospects to come out of the area over the last decade. Feuerbacher, a Glendale grad, might not be someone who gets very many looks this season but is one to look at for the future.

The 6-3, 205-pounder threw for 2,950 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior with 1,020 yards and six scores on the ground.

Feuerbacher has quite the learning curve this season coming over from Glendale's unique offensive system. While he has a great arm and is a good athlete at the position, Feuerbacher could probably count on one hand how many times he's taken a snap from under center during a game or had a direct handoff to a running back.

"He's a really athletic kid and he throws the ball really well," Nick Petrino said. "He just has to learn the position. In high school, they were in empty every play and all he did was get the ball and stand there. He didn't really know how to drop or call plays in the huddle or even know how to hand the ball off in certain ways.

"He's got a lot of learning of how to play the quarterback position. But when we go out there and have our big skill group which is normally quarterbacks, running backs and tight ends, he's always out there right in front. He's a really athletic kid and I'm excited to see how he keeps continuing to grow."

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State football candidates to be team's starting quarterback