Where Mizzou is Looking at the QB Position in the 2026 Class

Arguably no position is more important than the quarterback and the Tigers are still on the hunt for theirs in the upcoming high school class.

La Salle's Gavin Sidwar hands off to Stevie Davis in a football game against North Penn at North Penn High School in Lansdale on Friday, August 26, 2022. The Explorers defeated the Knights 37-28. | MICHELE C. HADDON / BUCKS COUNTY COURIER TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterback dominoes are falling off the board in the class of 2026 and the Missouri Tigers have yet to land their man. After expressing interest in many prospects, it appears as if a few names are at the top of the Tigers' list.

Fortunately for them, there haven't been many misses at the position. Outside of three-star Ryan Hopkins, who recently announced his commitment to Wisconsin, and four-star Landon Duckworth who is no longer considering Missouri, the options at the quarterback spot have stayed steady for most of the recruitment cycle.

It's an important position and even now, lacks some clarity for the future. Whether Matt Zollers and most importantly, Beau Pribula, are the men for the job is yet to be determined, so adding more talent at the spot never hurts. With Brady Cook gone, it's not so cut and clear who will be the next great Tiger pass-thrower. Adding talented freshmen is the first step in answering that question.

Here's a look at the three names the Tigers are actively pursuing to be their signal caller for their upcoming recruiting class.

Gavin Sidwar | 4-Star | Warrington, Pennsylvania

Sidwar, ranked No. 342 in composite rankings, is now the quarterback the Tigers have been in conversations with him for the longest, compared to the other two available options. Listed as the No. 23 quarterback in the country, Sidwar could continue the recent lineage of Pennsylvania quarterbacks making the move to Missouri.

Pribula and Zollers are both Pennsylvania natives, which might be an interesting recruiting pitch directed at Sidwar. Sidwar passed for 2,439 yards and 29 touchdowns last season for La Salle High School and was cut short after suffering a season-ending injury.

He is expected to be in Columbia on Wednesday for a visit and he was previously on campus for a visit on March 20. Other schools pushing for Sidwar include Ole Miss, Syracuse and Wake Forest.

Jett Thomalla | 4-Star | Omaha, Nebraska

Speaking of lineage, Thomalla isn't the only Nebraska-native quarterback the Tigers either landed or pursued. In the class of 2024, the Tigers once had the pledge of three-star Daniel Kaelin. He backed out of his commitment and stayed home soon after, but Missouri has no issues showing interest in Nebraska-born quarterbacks.

That seems to be the case with Thomalla, who's ranked No. 294 in the country and is the No. 21 quarterback, according to composite rankings. He holds offers from multiple power conference teams but settled on a final five of Duke, Arizona, Virginia Tech, Iowa State and Missouri.

The Cyclones are believed to be a major player in his recruitment, holding onto predictions on multiple sites for Iowa State to land him. Missouri only offered him on Feb. 21 and has made up some ground, but beating out Iowa State for the highly-coveted quarterback may end up being a challenge.

Thomalla has yet to schedule an official visit with the Tigers but does have one planned to Ames, Iowa from June 6-8. The former Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year is still a player Missouri is hot in pursuit of, despite the clear perceived interest from Iowa State.

Kane Archer | 3-Star | Greenwood, Arkansas

Archer is the lowest rated of the three prospects, listed as the No. 614 player and No. 34 quarterback, but he too has regional ties to Missouri. The Tigers have long recruited out of the state of Arkansas and continue to look there for talent, especially for the 2026 class.

The Arkansas native also included the Tigers in his final list of schools that also featured SMU, UCF, Louisville, Appalachian State, Arkansas and Ole Miss. The Rebels did recently gain the commitment of three-star quarterback Rees Wise, which could throw a wrench in the recruitment of other quarterback prospects.

Archer has been beyond successful for Greenwood High School, winning 26 consecutive games and throwing for 3,880 yards, 57 touchdowns and two interceptions last season. His senior season will be his fourth year as the starting quarterback for his school.