A rare two-sport path became a gut punch in a blink for Sam Horn, the Missouri quarterback and Los Angeles Dodgers pitching signee who tried to balance SEC football with a pro baseball future this fall. On opening night against Central Arkansas, Sam Horn’s season veered off course on his very first snap, turning a high-profile experiment into a moment that tests both a locker room and a long-term plan. It is the harsh side of being both a prospect and a starter-in-waiting when the calendar refuses to cooperate.

Horn did not even get a full drive to show why the staff loved his arm talent and mobility, entering on Missouri’s first quarter insertion and taking a designed quarterback run for six yards before a low hit left him down and in need of help to the sideline. The Tigers had intended to play Beau Pribula in the first half and give Horn the second, only to adjust early and see the rotation end almost as soon as it began. Reports from the field level captured the immediate uncertainty, with Horn moving from the medical tent to the locker room and later spotted with a full leg brace as Columbia braced for bad news.

The confirmation landed midweek with the weight of finality for 2025 and with a cruel twist for the MLB crossover story that made Horn so compelling in August. “Sources: Missouri QB/LA Dodgers pitcher Sam Horn underwent successful surgery this morning in Columbia, Missouri, to repair a fractured tibia in his right leg. While doctors anticipate a complete recovery for Horn, he’ll be sidelined for the rest of the 2025 football season,” Pete Thamel reported on X, turning speculation into a season-ending reality for the Tigers’ two-sport talent. The Dodgers allowed him to pursue quarterbacking this fall, he won the trust to play early, and a first carry ended the football year before the baseball runway could even be mapped. The silver lining is medical, not competitive, with multiple outlets noting doctors expect a full recovery even as Missouri reshapes its depth chart on the fly.

Missouri’s on-field response started right away with Pribula settling the game, hitting Marquis Johnson for a 49-yard touchdown and steering a 61-6 rout that masked the anxiety everyone felt for Horn in the first quarter. The immediate pivot is practical: Pribula owns the job, freshman Matt Zollers backs him up, and the staff retools red zone and quarterback run packages without the taller, downhill changeup Horn was supposed to provide in September. The box score is big, but the bigger story is how quickly a split-plan offense becomes a single-voice attack once the rotation is removed by circumstance.

For Horn, the longer arc loops back to the mound, and that part at least carries a measure of reassurance alongside the frustration. Doctors anticipate a complete recovery after surgery, which gives the Dodgers and Missouri baseball a timeline to work toward once he clears the football rehab and returns to building back from Tommy John with the arm the club valued enough to sign in July. The calendar changed on him in one snap, but the promise that drew both an SEC staff and a National League contender remains, and that is what will matter once the brace comes off and the work starts again.

Horn’s Dodgers deal

Sam Horn jumped in with a reported above-slot contract of $497,500 and was selected as the overall 525th pick in the 17th round of the draft from the Dodgers while keeping this fall open to compete at quarterback for Missouri. The arrangement reads like a bet on flexibility: secure the baseball future, then chase the QB job now. That’s why Eli Drinkwitz kept the runway wide in Week 1, telling the team, “I informed the team this afternoon that both quarterbacks will play in the first game.” It set the stage for Horn to earn the role on the field while his pro baseball path stayed parked and protected for later.

The contract structure matters because it signals real belief from Los Angeles and real clarity for Missouri. Above-slot money says the club values the arm. The timing says Horn can pour into QB without closing the door on the mound. Drinkwitz matched that patience with his plan, saying, “If we feel like there’s no clear-cut decision, I’m not going to force the decision,” and, “I want to see them in a game-day situation to make a final determination.” That’s a thoughtful way to evaluate a dual-path athlete.

Inside the building, the coaches framed Horn’s choice and the competition in simple terms of growth and leadership. “I challenged them after Saturday’s scrimmage and I think they’ve been the best they’ve been the past three days,” Drinkwitz said, before adding, “those guys have displayed an elite level of leadership… I feel very comfortable with both of those guys.” The contract gives Horn a long horizon in baseball. The quotes show he has a short, focused horizon at quarterback. Put together, it’s a sensible blueprint: secure tomorrow, compete like crazy today.