COLUMBIA, Mo. — Post the job: backup quarterback, Missouri football. Apply through the portal.
Mizzou’s 2024 season has already seen its first disruption, and it’s one that impacts the MU baseball program too: Two-sport athlete Sam Horn, a quarter back and pitcher, is reportedly out for at least a year as he undergoes Tommy John surgery. was the first to report Horn’s injury and procedure.
The tear to his UCL, which is in his elbow, will keep Horn out 12-15 months. That would preclude him from playing baseball and football this year while also putting the 2025 baseball season and spring football that year in jeopardy.
Horn would have likely remained one of the top prospects in the 2025 MLB draft had he chosen to pursue a baseball career. And on the gridiron, he was set to operate behind Brady Cook as the Tigers’ primary backup quarterback.
People are also reading…
Cook and Horn competed for the starting job throughout the 2023 preseason. Each played a half in Missouri’s season opener against South Dakota, with Horn completing 3 of 5 passes for 54 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his stretch of play. Cook was named the full-time starter the following week.
As a football prospect, Horn’s arm — which could whip a fastball in at 98 mph — stood out in practice and his limited game action. He has football eligibility through the 2026 season, though that would likely be extended if he and MU pursue a medical redshirt.
Now, there’s an opening for Mizzou’s backup job heading into the 2024 season — a role that could morph into the Tigers’ starter in future years.
Jake Garcia, who finished third out of three in the previous quarterback competition, transferred to East Carolina after not seeing the opportunity he wanted in Columbia. Gabarri Johnson, a freshman who was a four-star recruit, transferred to Oregon State.
With those departures, plus Horn’s injury, the crowd in the quarterback room has thinned considerably. The only other scholarship signal-caller on the roster is freshman Aidan Glover, a three-star recruit out of Memphis, Tennessee.
Glover is on campus as one of the incoming freshman class’ early enrollees, but his recruiting profile and lack of experience are unlikely to instill much confidence in him as a backup quarterback.
High expectations around the Missouri program suggest the Tigers will be competing for one of the 12 spots in the College Football Playoff next winter, and those ambitions suggest the team will look for a backup quarterback who could adequately fill in for Cook if needed.
Cook’s frequent running meant he took some knocks during the 2023 season, including a hyperextended knee from a Week 3 game against Kansas State, which the Chaminade product played through.
He has one more year of eligibility, which means his backup would theoretically be in line for the starting job in 2025 and beyond.
That creates a distinct set of expectations for a new backup quarterback: young enough to compete after Cook leaves but experienced enough to be serviceable in the meantime — and patient enough to let that process play out.
The transfer portal closed in early January, leaving limited options currently available to Missouri. There are still a handful of quarterbacks in the portal who haven’t committed to new schools, though it seems more likely that Mizzou will wait to find Horn’s replacement.
The portal will open again from April 15-30, giving players another chance to transfer following spring practices. That window will likely be the Tigers’ best chance to draw a depth quarterback to Columbia.
Any incoming player at that time will have missed out on MU’s spring practices and would have to learn the offense over the summer.