Dreams do come true. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2023, Brady Cook, grew up as a fanboy of the Missouri Tigers. And guess what? In 2023, the team he always wanted to play for recruited him.

Cook attended Chaminade College Preparatory School. All the major recruiting sites rated him a three-star prospect and the number-one quarterback in his high school. Cook changed his mind and joined the University of Missouri in his senior year. He played a major role in making 2023 Missouri’s best season.

Brady Cook’s playing history

For the first time, Missouri achieved its fourth 11-win season. Cook made many contributions in that game. He passed for 3,317 yards, ran for 319 yards, and scored 29 touchdowns. His performance throughout the year helped him win the title of best offensive player in the Cotton Bowl.

In 2020, Cook took a break from playing but still played three games and scored 72 yards passing and one touchdown. He then tried to make his comeback in 2021 as the backup of Connor Bazelak after Bazelak was injured, and that’s how Cook played his first game against Georgia. He threw for 78 yards in his first game, but unfortunately, they lost 43-6.

The QB played his first career game in 2021 against Army Black Knights football. In that same game, he tallied 238 passing yards and a touchdown. Soon, in the 2022 season, he was the starting quarterback. He achieved the 2020-2021 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in his freshman year. Through his impressive performance, he led Missouri to win two games. Also, he led Missouri to the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl and ended his season by throwing 2,739 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2023, Cook successfully set a record for most consecutive passes without an interception during a game against Vanderbilt, throwing for 395 yards and four touchdowns. Not only that, he helped the team to appear in the 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic. The good news for Missouri is that Cook committed to play for the 2024 season.

Passion for sports in the Cook family

He was born to Jim and Amy Cook in a St. Louis, Missouri, household. Cook hails from a family with a solid sports background. His mother, Amy, played soccer at Truman State, and his grandfather played college baseball there. The quarterback is fortunate to have a family with an immense love for every sport. They discuss football and spend most of their weekends watching the game live in the stadium.

The entire family would pack their bags, get the weekend ready, and drive 125 miles west to Columbia to watch their favorite players play. Cook spent most of his childhood weekends at Faurot Field, where he often watched quarterbacks Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert, and Drew Lock play.