Where Mizzou Could Look in the Transfer Portal at the Quarterback Position

It's never too early to speculate, right?

After it was announced that Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula would be hitting the transfer portal on Thursday morning, a clear and obvious need on the roster opened up. Even if freshman Matt Zollers is viewed as the future of the position for the Tigers, it's hard to see a universe where the Tigers don't opt to add someone.

Whether that guy is a proven starter who can take over the position with ease or someone who still has to prove themself, an addition seems likely. As things stand, Zollers, Sam Horn and 2026 signee Gavin Sidwar are the only quarterbacks on scholarship. With Horn's future up in the air, Missouri needs to make some sort of addition.

Here's a look at a few transfer portal candidates at the quarterback spot based on who's currently available.

The ones who could make sense

Colton Joseph, Old Dominion

Joseph's name has caught some traction as one of the more intriguing transfer portal quarterbacks. As only a sophomore and his second season as the starter for Old Dominion, Joseph racked up 2,624 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 59.7% passing. His efficiency could absolutely improve, but he displayed some impressive arm talent for an up-and-comer.

The California native will certainly draw interest from quarterback-needy teams across the country, especially with his dual-threat ability. He rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, which would be a welcome attribute to the Missouri offense. His rushing talents fit the bill for what the Tigers would want in a new quarterback.

Joseph absolutely would be taking a huge step up in competition if he were to become a starter in the SEC, but he did lead the Monarchs to their best record since 2016 at 10-3. Joseph absolutely has the talent to compete at a higher level, but whether or not he could make the jump to the SEC is unknown.

Katin Houser, East Carolina

Houser has some power conference experience, starting his career at Michigan State as a four-star recruit. Houser grew into a more pure pocket-passer this season, throwing for 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns and only six interceptions on 269-for-408 efficiency, good for 65.9%.

Houser wouldn't exactly be a home-run name if the Tigers land him, but he could be a perfect guy to give Zollers a run for his money. He'd be a different type of quarterback than the Tigers have seen in recent years, with the possibility of adding some much-needed juice to the downfield passing attack.

Sam Leavitt, Arizona State (if he enters)

Leavitt, another former Michigan State Spartan, is not technically in the transfer portal yet. It does seem inevitable and when he does hit the portal, big-name teams across the country will begin to call for his services. Landing Leavitt would be the best-case scenario for the Tigers for a variety of reasons, but it won't be easy.

The Oregon native went down with a foot injury this season, limiting his production. He did finish the year with 1,628 yards and 10 touchdowns, along with three interceptions. He ran for 306 yards and five touchdowns, as well.

Last year, Leavitt led the Sun Devils to a College Football Playoff appearance. He recorded 2,885 yards and 24 passing touchdowns, along with 443 rushing yards and five touchdowns during that time.

Leavitt will be a hot commodity once he officially enters the portal. His dual-threat ability would be perfect for the Missouri offense, regardless of who the offensive coordinator is, and he could likely intrigue a slew of top-end receivers to join him. Leavitt would be one of the few guys worth bringing out the checkbook for to get him to Columbia by any means neccesary.

The "shoot for the stars" guys

Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati

As of now, Sorsby seems to be the best quarterback available in the portal. Though it already seems like he has a favorite to land him, the Tigers should go knocking at his door. After a breakout season with Cincinnati, leading the Bearcats to a 7-5 season, Sorsby is garnering power conference attention, while also catching the eyes of NFL scouts.

He threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions this season on 61.6% efficiency. He also ran for 580 yards and nine touchdowns. He has all the makings of an NFL quarterback and one more college season could be the icing on the cake to place him in first-round consideration.

If there's a universe where Missouri can land Sorsby, or at least have a shot, it needs to do so. Sorsby could be a program-changing player and would be exactly what the Tigers need to elevate the passing game. That being said, his nationwide suitors might be too much for the Tigers to surpass and ultimately bring to Columbia.

DJ Lagway, Florida

Lagway struggled in his two seasons with the Florida Gators despite being the top-ranked quarterback recruit in the class of 2024. Whether it was him or the development he was receiving from the Florida coaching staff is to be determined, but a change of scenery was neccesary for him.

That being said, those struggles might be enough to scare Missouri away from going after Lagway. He's still unproven in many ways and has made more than enough errors to warrant him not being ready to go for any given team on Day 1. Bringing in Lagway wouldn't be an obvious upgrade over Zollers, at least right now.

Dylan Raiola, Nebraska

Why not throw out a long shot? Raiola showed signs of improvement with the Huskers in his sophomore season before going down with a broken fibula, throwing for 2,000 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His decision-making looked much better, as did his ball placement, but he still lacked the ability to put Nebraska in situations to win tight games.

Raiola is a sophomore who was thrown into the fire early, but he's starting to look more comfortable as he gets more games under his belt. He does, however, appear to be a player who will command a large sum of money to acquire.

Realistically...

A realistic option for this coaching staff to roll with centers around making Zollers the guy next season. His redshirt was burned this season, meaning the clock is ticking for his development. It would absolutely be worth bringing in a veteran to either compete with him or to back him up, but signs point to Zollers being both the man of the future and present.