Mizzou Looking to 'Play Into Strengths' of Freshman QB Zollers

The Tigers are now forced to play a young quarterback for the rest of the season and will do everything in their power to protect him.

Oct 25, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Matt Zollers (5) throws a pass against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

According to Eli Drinkwitz and his team, the Missouri Tigers have a great opportunity ahead of them to play No. 3 Texas A&M.

That also applies to true freshman quarterback Matt Zollers, who was thrown into the starting spot in Week 9 against Vanderbilt after the Tigers' season-long starter, Beau Pribula, went down.

Now, for Drinkwitz, his team and his freshman quarterback, making Zollers as comfortable as possible is a top priority. That means leaning into what the freshman does well in terms of play calling.

"It's about playing to what his strengths are," Drinkwitz said on Tuesday. "Are there things that we're going to add? Probably not, but are there things that he's more comfortable with than maybe Beau was, absolutely. So we can push those things in the playbook that maybe haven't been shown."

In general, getting Zollers ready to go over the last week and the current week of practice has been a main focus of the offense. He's already showing that he's capable of being a leader and has stepped into the pressure-packed role well so far.

"It's really about us focusing on helping Matt execute at the highest level possible," Drinkwitz said. "We're excited about Matt's opportunity and what he's earned. He has done a really good job in practice of leadership, stepping up, embracing the moment, embracing the opportunity."

Drinkwitz created plenty of buzz surrounding the freshman from Royersford, Pennsylvania, during the spring and fall by saying he was a part of the quarterback competition between Pribula, himself and Sam Horn.

That does appear to be the case in hindsight and the preparation and reps that Zollers received during that time period now have an increased chance of paying off.

"We really were adamant throughout spring, throughout the summer, and even in fall camp, to really focus on three spots to make sure that Matt was getting developed, because we knew he was the future of the program at the quarterback position," Drinkwitz said. "But the future is now. I think it's important for us not to put too high of expectations on that."

READ: Why Eli Drinkwitz Thinks Matt Zollers is 'Prepared' to Take Over for Mizzou

From a leadership standpoint, Zollers has stepped up quickly. According to Drinkwitz, Zollers was absolutely ready for the chance to prove himself in Week 9 and remains ready for the remainder of the season.

"I think there's just something about quarterbacks that just have this innate ability to lead and they're ready," Drinkwitz said. "They have a belief in themselves. They're kind of gunslingers, fighter pilots, quarterbacks, right? And Matt's got all of those attributes."

Coming out of high school and getting to Columbia, there was never any doubt that Zollers was a talented player. He showed off that talent against the Commodores, making multiple impressive throws in a short period of time.

"The number one talent that Matt has is his arm," Drinkwitz said. "I think the way the ball jumps off his hand, I think we all can see it. He's got really good arm talent. There's no defense for the perfect throw. That's just the reality of it."

Drinkwitz compared Zollers to an old quarterback that he coached during his time at Boise State, Brett Rypien. Rypien was thrown into a similar situation that Zollers is in now and Drinkwitz does see some similarities between the two.

"Brett was a different player than Matt, but very cerebral," Drinkwitz said. "Came in. Early enrollee. Battled all through fall camp. We knew he would be ready to go."

When a young quarterback is thrown into a starting situation like both Zollers and Rypien, protecting that quarterback is of the utmost priority. For Drinkwitz and the Missouri offensive line, that absolutely remains the case.

Drinkwitz also understands that not everything is going to be perfect with a young signal caller who's still learning the ropes of an offense.

"There were good days and bad days and that's part of growing as a quarterback," Drinkwitz said. "So we got to try to limit the exposure of Matt, not to put him on an island."

Zollers will make his first career start as a Tiger at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Faurot Field, as the Tigers host the Texas A&M Aggies.