Missouri Proud: How Brady Cook Earned Tigers Starting QB Job
Brady Cook is about as Missouri as they come.
He's a native of St. Louis and a graduate of Chaminade College Prep, a 12-mile drive outside of downtown. His mother, Amy, played soccer at Truman State. His uncle, Matt Martin, played basketball at Missouri Baptist while his grandfather, Ron Martin, played college baseball in the state, too.
From a young age, Amy and Jim Cook would pack up the car on weekends and drive the 125 miles west to Columbia on Saturdays. Brady grew up in the walls of Faurot Field, watching quarterbacks like Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert, James Franklin and Drew Lock.
He'll now have the chance to join the core four in the Tigers' history books in Week 1. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz named him the starter against Louisiana Tech on Monday.
“It means everything to me,” a delighted Cook said Wednesday. “I’m in a position right now that I used to dream of. I’ve really worked my whole football career for this moment."
Cook was in a four-man race for the title of QB1 throughout the summer. Former part-time starter Tyler Macon seemed to be neck-and-neck with him down the stretch due to knowledge of Drinkwitz's playbook. Incoming freshman Sam Horn might have provided the most upside since he was a ball of clay ready for molding.
Even with Cook and Macon on the roster taking reps behind 2021 starter Connor Bazelak, Drinkwitz wanted more competition. When Bazelak transferred to Indiana, the Tigers went to the transfer portal, hoping to land former Georgia starter J.T. Daniels.
Drinkwitz settled on walk-on Jack Abraham, a former starter for Southern Miss who transferred after three seasons in Hattiesburg to Mississippi State. The third-year Tigers coach left it to be an open competition. but week-by-week, Cook advanced up the charts.
Drinkwitz was willing to wait another week or two before announcing the starter, but nine practices into camp after Cook's consistency was enough to end the debate.
“I just felt like for us offensively, for this team to take the next step, let’s solidify who our quarterback was (and) eliminate the questions and the indecision,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s what they pay me to do. They pay me to make decisions and so we made it.”
The decision makes sense due to Cook's success in the offense. When Bazelak was sidelined with a knee injury before facing No. 1 Georgia in November, Drink told both Cook and Macon they would see reps against the eventual national champions.
Macon started the game, much to Cook's disappointment. What won the coach over was Cook's attitude. He told Drinkwitz to do what's best for the team in the present.
"At that moment, I knew this was a special young man, because he could have been mad at me, could have been mad at the world, could have pouted," Drinkwitz said. "But he waited for his moment, came in there and played with some big heart.”
Cook did play against the Bulldogs, throwing for 79 yards and completing 73.3 percent of his throws. In the Armed Forces Bowl against Army, the sophomore completed 79.4 percent of his throws for 238 yards and a touchdown on the way to a 24-22 loss.
Bazelak transferred the next day. Cook and Macon went to work. As Abraham and Horn mixed in, Cook remained a constant in terms of production.
His reward? A start against the Bulldogs at home next month — his first since his senior season at Chaminade Prep in 2019.
“My plan was to be here for the 2022 season and compete my butt off regardless of who they brought in,” Cook said. “So my plan never really changed and never really wavered."
Much like that November Friday night, Drinkwitz broke the news to both Abraham and Macon of his choice. While the two were despondent, Drinkwitz was pleased with their reactions, telling them "If you weren't disappointed, you don't have the right makeup to be the quarterback."
A practice later, Macon and Abraham have rebounded and are still pushing Cook to remain the starter past Week 1. For now, Drinkwitz's attention in on Cook and his ability to rip passes downfield for massive gains through the air.
"His biggest strength is between his ears," Drinkwitz said. "He’s got a great mind. He understands exactly what we’re doing. And he anticipates what defenses are doing and knows what the scheme answers are."
Cook dreamt of this since his youth. He initially committed to play for Barry Odom. He remained loyal to the school when Odom was fired, and Drinkwitz was brought in 2019. He could have transferred and started fresh when Abraham was added to the conversation.
Playing elsewhere wasn't his goal. He wanted to be the Tigers' starter.
Mission accomplished come 7 p.m. at Faurot Field on Sept. 3.
"Just growing up and watching the Tigers and being from St. Louis, it means even more," Cook said "It’s really special.”
You can follow Cole Thompson on Twitter at @MrColeThompson
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