One of the most exciting parts of the start of a new football season, is the resolutions to several position battles across the league. It's always interesting to see who will take the starting position, and if they'll be able to hold onto it, deep into the season.
An aspect that always complicates who will take the starting position for a season's kickoff is how any transfer that joins a program will affect the compeition. That became extremely relevant for Tiger fans this offseason, as one of their potential week one starting quaterback is a transfer.
All offseason, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz has watched these two quaterbacks dominate each and every practice, and has had more than ample time to weigh the pros and cons of starting each one. In the end, it looks as if he'll take until the very last moment to decide who his starter will be - even if that means watching a full regular season game be played before a decision moving forward is made.
It was announced on ESPN Wednesday afternoon that both of the top quaterbacks on roster, Sam Horn and Beau Pribula, will play significant snaps in Mizzou's week one matchup agaisnt Central Arkansas.
NEWS: Missouri will play both Beau Pribula and Sam Horn in the opener against Central Arkansas, @ClowESPN reports👀
— On3 (@On3sports) August 20, 2025
"Drinkwitz wants the competition to continue from there so that he can evaluate both in game action." https://t.co/GWlhNSMBy7 pic.twitter.com/VjTL0i1kra
Its a very bold strategy, one that could easily pay off, from Coach Drinkwitz. While its not ideal to have two different quaterbacks run the offense, as it can cause issue with cadence and among offensive lineman, its good to see his confidence in both quaterbacks.
How they react to this, and how much they take advantage of their limited snaps in their home opener next Thursday night will be significant toward Drinkwitz's decision going forward.
On the one hand, Horn, who is now a junior, has patiently waited his turn behind now-New York Jet Brady Cook each of the past two seasons. He's taken adavantage of the limited time he's gotten in years past, even tossing his first career touchdown pass last season in relief of Cook.
Horn has built up a nice fanbase over the course of the last few years, and is well-liked among his teammates. The 6-foot-4, Georgia native has a competitive spirit, and is sure to take advantage of every moment he gets.
This job looked to be his all throughout last season, until Pribula came into the mix, very deep into the post-season.
The former Nittany Lion declared himself into the transfer portal during Penn State's initial game in the College Football Playoff last year - a move that drew a ton of eyes from different programs.
Pribula's decision to transfer came on the heels of starting quaterback Drew Allar, who had been considering declaring for the NFL Draft, abrupt announcment that he would stay. Pribula knew that if he wanted to make an impact and have a shot to crack an NFL roster in the future, he would have to play elsewhere.
The Pennsylvania kid has thrown 9 career touchdowns to only one interception in his limited playing time thus far, with 5 of those scores coming last season. Though he couldn't beat out Allar for a starting spot, he's fighting hard to lead the Tigers out the season.
When the Tigers kickoff next Thursday night versus the Bears, all eyes will be watching, with a ton of pressure resting on each young quaterback's shoulders, as they attempt to take the starting spot from one another.