Spring ball is long behind us and the spring transfer portal just closed so Missouri's roster is taking more of a definitive shape, and now that it has, this is a good time to compare the 2023 roster to this year's roster.
PowerMizzou will do a position-by-position comparison starting with the signal-callers. We'll do just the top three scholarship players on the depth chart for this group.
Last season, Brady Cook had one of the better seasons for a Mizzou quarterback in the Eli Drinkwitz era, and took a big step forward in just about every way a quarterback could.
Statistically, he completed 66% of his passes for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also scored eight rushing touchdowns. All of those marks were career bests.
If we're talking about the eye test, he improved significantly there, too. His pocket presence was much better in 2022. Instead of tucking and running after realizing his first read wasn't available like he did in 2022, he allowed plays to develop. Coincidentally, that led to the deep ball becoming a bigger part of his game. He completed 29 of 62 (46.8%) deep passes (20 yards or more) for 991 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions and a PFF College grade of 92.9.
The St. Louis native also cut down on his turnover-worthy plays. He had 18 in 2022 and knocked it down to 10 in 2023.
One would assume his 2024 campaign can be just as good, if not better, than the year before, especially considering what weapons he has at his disposal. But we’re going to have to see him do it again.
When comparing the second-stringers, neither Sam Horn nor Drew Pyne saw much action last year.
Horn appeared in three games and completed 3 of 6 passes for 54 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Meanwhile, Pyne completed 26 of 49 passes for 273 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions at Arizona State.
However, the biggest difference between the two is Pyne has a full season of starting experience at a top program (Notre Dame in 2022) and Horn doesn't.
In 2022, Pyne went 8-2 as a starter and completed 64.6% of his passes for 2,021 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.
The thought process behind the Tigers getting Pyne was to have a capable veteran quarterback be able to steer the ship if Cook is unavailable and possibly have Cook’s heir apparent in 2025.
Even if Horn wasn't injured, one could argue Pyne might provide a higher floor as QB2 than Horn because of his experience.
Lastly, Jake Garcia gets the nod over Aidan Glover despite not playing because the latter's college experience is one spring camp.
Overall advantage: 2024
Bringing back a healthy Cook with another year of experience on top of having a starting level veteran quarterback as QB2 seems to indicate the group is just a bit better than last year. Time will tell, though.
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