'He’s Got a Lot of Wisdom': Mizzou's Drinkwitz High On QB Jack Abraham's Potential
There's going to be competition at Missouri for the starting quarterback job. So far, third-year coach Eli Drinkwitz remains neutral on which passer has taken the lead.
The favorite entering summer practice is former Southern Miss starter, Jack Abraham. Entering his final year of eligibility, Abraham didn't head to Columbia to ride the bench when other schools presented offers.
“He appears healthy, looks to be healthy and ready to go for fall camp,” Drinkwitz said of Abraham Monday at SEC Media Days.
Missouri will be the second SEC school for Abraham since his departure from Southern Miss. Last season, he transferred to Mississippi State in hopes of competing with 2020 part-time starter Will Rogers.
A concussion and its lingering effects kept Abraham sidelined for the season and opened the door for Rogers to cement his status as the top passer. Last year, the Magnolia native finished second among all FBS quarterbacks in completion rating (73.1 percent), third in passing yards (4,739) and seventh in touchdowns (36).
Prior to leaving Hattiesburg, Abraham appeared in 27 games for the Golden Eagles, throwing for 7,067 yards and scoring 39 total touchdowns. Prior to that, he played at Northwest Mississippi Community College where he threw for 2,949 yards and 23 touchdowns after electing to transfer from Louisiana Tech.
Abraham is in a four-way battle to replace former starter Connor Bazelak, who elected to transfer to Indiana following a mixed 2021 season. He is competing with Sam Horn, Brady Cook and Tyler Macon for the starting spot.
Drinkwitz said there’s plenty he doesn’t know about Abraham yet outside of individual workouts. One compliment Drinkwitz did give to the seventh-year senior was on his "wisdom" in the huddle and maturity in practice.
He’s had a lot of experience playing college football," Drinkwitz said. "He understands the process of being in a quarterback battle. This is not new for him.”
One thing that could be stopping the Tigers from naming a starter is Horn's future with the program. According to MLB.com, the 6-4, 190-pounder passer is the No. 72-ranked prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft. So far through 10 rounds, Horn remains undrafted.
Horn is expected to play both football and baseball for the Tigers should he elect to forgo being selected on Tuesday
"Just because he hasn’t been drafted doesn’t mean that he hasn’t taken phone calls," Drinkwitz said. "The Major League draft is a lot different than any other sports' draft. They actually call you before and ask are you going to be willing to take this slot.
"Sam and his representation, his parents, have had a plan the whole time. They know what their plan is, what their worth is. They’re waiting to see if somebody wants to maybe meet that."
The Tigers open the season at home against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 3.
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