Missouri is among those programs that went heavy on the money while recruiting talent. They didn’t get former Penn State QB Beau Pribula easily. For him to commit to the Tigers, the staff had to present him with an attractive $1.5 million NIL deal. That’s going to somebody who’s yet to pitch in some strong results as a quarterback under James Franklin. But now as part of a reinvigorated Eliah Drinkwitz campaign, can Pribula cross over the gap to land a playoff spot for the Tigers in 2025?

Drinkwitz turned things around for Missouri in 2023 with OC Kirby Moore. That offense included QB Brady Cook and star WRs Luther Burden III and Marquis Johnson. But now, that situation changes with two of those names going pro, and Pribula coming into the mix. He was Drew Allar’s backup while at Penn State, and he looks like he’ll hold onto that QB1 position for his last CFB appearance. Pribula has a total of 424 passing yards and 9 touchdowns from his 2 seasons at Penn State. He’s also got some running game in him, having totaled 574 rushing yards.

Projected to be the winner of Mizzou’s ongoing QB1 race, there’s still a difficult road ahead for Pribula. Drinkwitz has already turned the tide since 2023, finishing with double-digit season wins. For Pribula to help change that to a much-deserved playoff spot, Cousin Shane of That SEC Football Podcast lays down a roadmap. He said, “[Pribula]’s got to win all the games that they should win. There’s, you know, obviously no trip-ups, but there’s a couple of swing games.” They include South Carolina and Kansas State.

“A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas; these are games that – Auburn – are going to be coin tosses. And I don’t think you got to win them all, but you definitely got to win the ones at home,” Shane added. The season looks far easier compared to last year’s, with players like LSU, Ole Miss, and Georgia out of the picture.

The Tigers are also staying at Columbia all the way until the away Auburn game in October. The odds are lining up on Missouri’s side, and Pribula just has to deliver upon the expectations to seal the deal.

However, Pribula’s dramatic exit from Penn State also left a wake of fire for James Franklin to douse. The QB was meant to split time with Allar as much as possible, but he thought leaving camp before their playoff game was the better option. With him gone, Franklin is tasked with filling the QB2 spot.

James Franklin’s QB2 race sees surprise development

When Pribula left, Franklin did not have many options to replace him. He had to use freshman Ethan Grunkmeyer as Drew Allar‘s backup because he was the only healthy player available. He appeared in only the SMU game, recording just 9 yards, one interception, and one completed pass. Throughout this spring and in the offseason, however, Grunkmeyer will not be the only one trying to lay his claim on that spot. Jaxon Smolik, who missed out on last season due to injury, is giving some serious competition to the rookie.

Smolik is, in fact, performing much better than expected. “Jaxon has done a heck of a job,” Franklin told the press after practice earlier last month. “I thought Jaxon would come off the injury a little rusty. He has not been.” In the spring scrimmage, Smolik was the guy who stood out. He made an impressive throw at Josiah Brown and displayed good improvisation and recognition skills. But Grunkmeyer is not falling behind either. Franklin said, “Both of them are playing really well. So we got to continue to build on it.” The HC also noted, “Whoever wins the backup quarterback job we’re going to have to get them real reps, whether that be packages that we have set up for them or entire series.” Franklin had placed Pribula in some specific plays with Allar last season, which will be taken up by the winner of the QB2 race.

Beau Pribula will look to make a difference in his career at Missouri, which seems to be on the right track. But for that to happen, he has to stay in the formula that Drinkwitz and Moore have devised, which resulted in their improved numbers. On the other hand, Franklin will have to wait a little longer to pick his backup QB in a race that looks to be going toward Smolik for now.