RE: I can't read that article thats says drink wants a score at

Posted on: May 5, 2025 at 20:00:52 CT

Obviously, Mizzou didn’t go after Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula for him to be a backup.

Obviously, Mizzou didn’t give Pribula a reported $1.5 million (per the recruiting news site On3) for him to do what you’ll do on fall Saturdays.

Then why isn’t he obviously the choice to be named Mizzou’s starting QB for 2025?

“The competition right now is between Sam Horn and Beau Pribula — I think both of them had really good springs,” Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said at a Mizzou event in St. Charles on Tuesday. “I think they both did a really good job of handling the offense, showing the ability to take what the defense gives us, but also create explosives down the field vertically in the pass game. I think they both have a really good understanding of what the offense is.”

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Mizzou practices for upcoming season
Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula jogs to his starting position during a practice drill on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex in Columbia.
Zachary Linhares, Post-Dispatch
Drinkwitz, to be fair, is a brilliant football strategist. So this must be his latest gameplan. Instead of anointing Pribula, it seems the coach is challenging Pribula to prove himself, as if money doesn’t talk. Drinkwitz has done this in seasons past — notably with Brady Cook, who just signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets, following campaigns in Columbia of 11-2 and 10-3. And who knows, maybe this is also humbling for Pribula? Maybe it gives him just that much more motivation to maximize every workout (though, as detailed in previous columns, Beau knows dedication).

And, frankly, Mizzou needs a backup quarterback. If Mizzou immediately named Pribula the starter, perhaps Horn would’ve been on the horn with other programs. And last year’s backup, Drew Pyne, has moved on. In a transfer portal world, it’s harder to hold onto to talented backups at any position.

All that said, it just seems like they’re just delaying the inevitable. That being: “The Beau Show.”

“I was honestly a little surprised at how quickly Beau was able to operate the offense, just being new,” said Drinkwitz, whose team opens up on Thursday Aug. 28 against Central Arkansas. “But both of those guys have been really good, great leaders, consistent every day in their approach. …

“The biggest thing is going to be consistency and then decision-making. Obviously, anytime you’re dealing with new quarterbacks, it’s the mistakes that compound, and so whoever can limit they mistakes they make — and not make the same mistake twice — will ultimately be the person who’s we count on to be our quarterback.”

As things go in the tightlipped, talking-with-hand-over-mouth world of college football, neither Pribula nor Horn were made available to reporters this spring for interviews. So, we don’t know their mindsets. Or even what Pribula’s voice sounds like! But we know that Pribula was a beloved teammate on a national powerhouse (heck, two NFL players tweeted praise for him when he announced his transferring). We know as a Penn State backup, he came in and led a valiant second-half comeback on the road at Wisconsin. And his high school coach, Gerry Yonchiuk, shared story after story with me in December, including one of Pribula driving to a receiver’s home to bring him back to the field for a post-practice workout.

“This was my 41st year at coaching,” Yonchiuk said. “He was, by far, the most dynamic (player) from every angle.”

Horn, of course, is “an incredible athlete,” as Drinkwitz said, while pointing out that the two-sport athlete is likely to pitch this weekend for the Tigers against Georgia. And in the state of Georgia, Horn was a superstar prep quarterback. But it’s been quite a while since he started under center — 2021 as a high school senior (he threw eight passes for Mizzou in 2022-23 and missed 2024 due to elbow surgery).

But regardless of who is QB, Drinkwitz wants more than he got last year from his offense.

Now, that’s saying something, considering Mizzou fared well — wins-and-losses-wise — with Cook and Co. But consider that in the 16-team Southeastern Conference, Mizzou finished 11th in yards per game (389.5), 10th in passing yards (225.1), eighth in rushing yards (164.5) and 10th in scoring (28.9 points).

Numerous coaches were at Tuesday’s Mizzou event — including hoops coaches Dennis Gates and Kellie Harper — and they both used the on-brand phrase “will to win.” The Tigers, in all sports it seems, are harnessing a will to win. However, the football Tigers, have a twist on it:

“We want to be a team that can score at will,” Drinkwitz said. “And we weren’t able to do that last year. And so, we’ve got to get back to that. Starts with adding good players, right? We’ve got plenty of offensive weapons. … And now it’s going to be about establishing an offensive line that can protect and establish the run, to allow you to throw the ball vertically down the field. …

“I think whether we’re talking about offense, special teams or defense, there’s a level of excitement because of the level of depth and competition that we’ve created. And it’s going to be about establishing an identity early and really playing to that identity. You know, obviously, offensively, we were not what we wanted to be from an explosive standpoint or scoring standpoint, and so that’s something that we’ve got to really re-establish.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Drinkwitz took an indoor walk because of impending storms in mid-Missouri. He strolled through the practice facility and, sure enough, there was Beau Pribula, “throwing and working on his craft.”

If Horn wasn’t playing baseball, perhaps he would’ve been in there, too. And if it had been a sunny day, Drinkwitz wouldn’t have even seen this. But it was a little glimpse into that world right now.

Pribula is “very consistent about trying to improve,” Drinkwitz said. “He has a daily routine. And I think that shows to his teammates what they can expect from him.”

Sounds like the makeup of a starting quarterback in 2025.

That and a $1.5 million salary.