Missouri football plans to use both Brady Cook and Sam Horn at quarterback in season opener

The Tigers are running with two.

Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday evening that he anticipates quarterbacks Brady Cook and Sam Horn will both see action in the season-opening game against South Dakota at home Aug. 31.

"In the past, we announced a starter and I think right now we're in a situation where it's a continual battle," Drinkwitz said. "But we want to let people continue to grow and develop and not have that pressure … (that) we have to have this decision made at this point.

"I think it's, you know, in this day and age of college football, I think you can very easily see a couple quarterbacks play in the first couple of games and let the play on the field decide it."

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Drinkwitz made the comments after Missouri held an open practice Saturday on Faurot Field, in which Cook and Horn split reps at quarterback during a mock game that essentially served as a walkthrough, with no defense competing on the field as the offense ran drills and vice versa.

Cook and Horn entered training camp in a seemingly three-way competition for the starting role with Miami transfer Jake Garcia. 

With 12 days remaining until the Tigers’ opener, the battle appears to be down to two players.

Unlike last season, when Cook was named the starter ahead of Horn, who was a true freshman at the time, and graduate transfer Jack Abraham, Missouri is taking the competition into the season.

That’s unlikely to last long, however.

"We'll see both of them, I anticipate in the first game, and then we’ll kind of play it from there," Drinkwitz said.

On Thursday, it was announced that Cook had been voted by his teammates as a team captain for the second consecutive season. He is 6-8 as Missouri’s starter, dating back to the Tigers' appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl in 2021. He threw for 2,724 yards (209.5 per game), 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions and added 585 yards (45 per game) and six touchdowns on the ground.

Horn made just one appearance during his rookie year: A single drive against New Mexico State on Nov. 19 that resulted in a field goal.