ST. LOUIS–One day before the Armed Forces Bowl kicks off against Army, Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz announced Tuesday that Brady Cook (St. Louis Chaminade) had won the starting quarterback competition and that standout running back Tyler Badie would not play Wednesday night.
Drinkwitz said it was the coaching staff’s decision to sit Badie, who set the program’s all-time single-season rushing record this year, to protect Badie’s professional future, KOMU-TV and the Columbia Missourian report.
Not long after Drinkwitz’s announcement, Badie confirmed that he would enter the 2022 NFL Draft.
Cook, a second-year freshman, has appeared in four games for the Tigers this year, with the most extensive duty coming November 6 against Georgia, when he and true freshman Tyler Macon (East St. Louis) split time against Georgia when incumbent starter Connor Bazelak was out with a soft-tissue injury.
Bazelak started 11 games on the year, but had struggled to move the offense in the passing game, especially over the last month of the season.
The battle for QB reps heading into the offseason will be watched closely into spring football practice. The Tigers have Sam Horn, a four-star QB from Georgia signed for the 2022 class, but he will not graduate early to join the Tigers in the spring because he also plays baseball.
