Brady Cook will be back to lead the Mizzou offense in 2024. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Heading into the 2023 college football season, the No. 1 question regarding the University of Missouri football team was who would be the starting quarterback. Two young players, one who had started some and not played particularly great, and another who hadn’t started at all were the primary candidates.
The first name was Brady Cook, a native St. Louisan who had dreamed his entire life of playing QB at Missouri. The other was Sam Horn, a star multi-sport athlete that many thought would be the best choice because of his superior athleticism.
Cook eventually won the job and had a magnificent season, leading Mizzou to an 11-2 record, which included a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, and a No. 8 national ranking when the final poll came out after the national championship game.
This season, Cook will be back to lead a Mizzou squad that seems primed to have an even better season than last year. The Tigers have talent back everywhere, especially on offense, where Cook is expected to lead a group that should be able to score mountains of points on every team it faces.
Horn will be sidelined for the 2024 season. He had Tommy John surgery in February and may have to sit out both the NCAA football and baseball seasons this coming year. However, Mizzou brought in some freshman and transfer portal talent in the offseason to add some depth to the room.
2024 Missouri Quarterbacks
Projected depth chart:
1. Brady Cook — Senior
2. Drew Pyne — Sophomore
3, Harold Blood, Jr. — Senior
4. Aidan Glover — Freshman
Injured: Sam Horn
Brady Cook
Senior, 6’2″, 205 lbs
The St. Louis product will be heading into his final season with the Tigers, set as the starter for the third year in a row. Cook will also be looking to position himself nicely for the NFL draft in the spring, as he will be out of eligibility following the 2024 season.
After being booed by fans ahead of the Week 3 game against Kansas State, Cook gave Missouri fans plenty of reasons to believe in him with his performance for the remainder of the season. Cook had career-highs in yards, rushing touchdowns and completions throughout the season. He broke the SEC record for consecutive pass completions without an interception with 365 and achieved the third best pass efficiency rating in program history.
Drew Pyne
Sophomore, 6’0″, 190 lbs
After stints at Notre Dame and Arizona State, Drew Pyne will head to his third school to back up Cook. Shortly after the news broke that Horn would be out of commission for the 2024 season, Missouri nabbed Pyne from the portal.
Despite his first year being way back in the COVID-19 affected 2020 season, Pyne only has one full season of starting under his belt. He started for Notre Dame in 2022, where he lead the Fighting Irish to an 8-3 record.
For the 2023 season, he was beat out for the starting position at Arizona State by Jaden Rashada. Pyne participated in the just two games for ASU, tossing 273 yards and two touchdowns in 49 attempts.
Harold Blood, Jr
Senior, 6’2″, 180 lbs
Another transfer portal pick up for the Tigers, Harold Blood spent the first three years of his career at Southern University. He will play his final year alongside his brother, sophomore wide receiver Daniel Blood.
Blood played two seasons at SU, with the starting role in 2023. He had some playing time in the 2022 season, but was limited to just five games and 26 attempts. He led the Jaguars to a 5-5 record in his final year on the team, recording 1,901 yards and 13 touchdowns. It seems that he had trouble with accuracy, he held a 57.9% pass completion rating and was intercepted 11 times in 10 games.
Aidan Glover
Freshman, 6’3″, 191 lbs
The Tigers have a possible future star in composite three-star prospect Aidan Glover. He ranked 15th nationally at the QB position in the 2024 class and was a top-20 recruit out of his home state of Tennessee.
In high school, Glover threw for 1,802 yards with 21 touchdowns and combined that with 369 yards rushed for seven more touchdowns. Glover will likely redshirt during his freshman year as he spends time developing but could be the future of the quarterback position for Missouri.
Sam Horn
Sophomore, 6’4″, 219 lbs
Horn will ride the bench this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. He was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2022.
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, 2024 (Thursday) | 7 PM | Home | Murray State | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field |  | Tiger Radio Network |
| September 7, 2024 (Saturday) | 6 PM | Home | Buffalo | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field |  | Tiger Radio Network |
| September 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:45 AM | Home | Boston College | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | | Tiger Radio Network |
| September 21, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Vanderbilt | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 5, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 AM | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 12, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 19, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Auburn | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 26, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 9, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Oklahoma | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 16, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 23, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 30, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Arkansas | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network |