4 years and 3 team switches. Either this guy is chasing a new world record or is speed-running his career to irrelevance. Not too long ago, when Tyler Buchner lost his starting job at Notre Dame because of a season-ending injury, it felt like Marcus Freeman‘s squad was destined to go downhill unless the backup stepped up. Well, 2021+ yards and 22 touchdowns later, this New Canaan native solidified himself as a solid option Freeman and Notre Dame could rely on. But guess what happened after the 2022 conquest ended? A sudden transfer to Arizona State. Albeit now a Sun Devil, ND still had the last laugh as this QB returned to the Irish – but only to finish his degree. 

Things sort of went silent after that. After all, the entire “backup QB dilemma” generally results in fans not caring so much about what the backup is doing unless you are Arch Manning. But, as always, this specific backup QB hates being out of the spotlight for too long, so what does he do? “Missouri QB Drew Pyne has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, @PeteNakos_ reports.” Now, we don’t exactly know whether we should be happy about this or sad. Over 5 seasons and 3 different stints later, Pyne now has amassed around 2921 yards under his belt. Although it might not look “enough”, let’s just say he did leave Mizzou a special parting gift during the Sooners game.

3 touchdowns with only 14 completions. Pyne was quite pyne-ful for OU. Now, if there is anyone on the internet who is blowing party poppers because of this portal news, it’s probably Brent Venables. Still, it is kind of bothersome when we watch people hate on Pyne.

Why? Well, people tend to forget that this guy went 8-2 when he had a chance to start for Notre Dame. Although he did get reduced to a backup role afterward, he did have a good showcase of skills. For now, Sam Horn or Beau Pribula is going to be key to this team’s 2025 fate.

But we are sure that Mizzou is going to miss their easy ticket for a win against OU. However, this quarterback loss isn’t the only roster woe Eliah Drinkwitz and the Tigers have to tackle before walking into the 2025 conquest on a crutch.

From 9 to 4. Mizzou, what’s up?

Okay, the rules are clear: You can have 85 players on scholarship and 20 as walk-ons. So, someone please explain why Eli is comfortable running in 2025 with just 4 special teams players? Currently, the Tigers have access to Blake Craig as the starting kicker, followed by long-snapper Brett Le Blanc, placekicker Robert Meyer, and the new transfer punter Connor Weselman.

That is it, and when we initially heard about this, the first train of thought that ran through our heads was, “This is emptier than the Walmart shelves on Black Friday.” Apparently, the move to keep the special teams smaller was done to follow the NFL format.

Just like the big league, Mizzou is aiming to keep the season roster half the size. Naturally, this decision will force the roster to rethink their strategy. Coming down from the initial 9-player specialist squad to a 4 player trip will need extreme creativity from Mizzou special teams coordinator Erik Link.

Let’s hope Eli has some sort of a game plan under his sleeve.