With quarterbacks Beau Pribula and Sam Horn, along with kicker Blake Craig, all sidelined, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz suddenly finds himself facing a depth crisis. Yet what first seemed like a setback could turn into a defining opportunity for a rising freshman talent. After that humbling 41-10 loss to Texas A&M in 2024, redemption has been circling in Drinkwitz’s mind. And this weekend, November 8, one young Tiger will finally see his long-awaited dream come to life.

On November 7, Missouri beat writer Zach Sweet reported an inside story that led freshman wide receiver Donovan Olugbode to sign up with Drinkwitz’s squad. More than the head coach and the program’s storied history, the Matt Zollers factor worked for him. “Definitely Matt Zollers and what he can do with the football, and Kirby Moore and his offense,” said Olugbode. “All of that combined, you can’t go wrong.”

The Florida native held offers from many major programs, including Oregon, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and Notre Dame, among others. However, Olugbode’s final five featured Drinkwitz’s Missouri, USC, Washington, Oregon, and Florida. Finally, the IMG Academy star committed to the Tigers in July 2024. In a world where NIL opportunities or a ticket to the SEC often do the wooing work, Drinkwitz did not have to pour in much effort to lock in Olugbode. 

As Sweet reported, the freshman was enamored of the high school quarterback from Royersford, Pennsylvania, with whom he never got the chance to share the gridiron. But hardly did he expect Drinkwitz’s quarterback room to get shaken up, and he would get an opportunity to play with Zollers. With both Horn and Pribula down, Missouri is turning to its youngest arm, the first true freshman to start at QB since Drew Lock’s debut run in 2015.

“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.”

Missouri’s late-season surge now rests on the shoulders of three freshmen, quarterback Jaboree Zollers, tight end Jude James, and linebacker Olugbode. With four games left and plenty still on the line, the Tigers are turning to their youth movement for answers. Two of them were high school seniors just a year ago, while the third spent last season redshirting on the Faurot Field sidelines, patiently preparing for this moment. Among the trio, Zollers finds himself in a fortunate spot surrounded by experienced mentors ready to guide him through his first true test.

Brotherhood shines in Eli Drinkwitz’s squad amidst quarterback chaos

Earlier this fall, Drinkwitz created plenty of buzz surrounding Zollers. The head coach claimed he was part of the quarterback competition between Pribula and Horn. He even drew parallels to one of his old pupils from his Boise State days. To Drinkwitz, Zollers gave away Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien vibes. Finally time has come for Zollers to have the spotlight on him. 

Drinkwitz’s quarterback room took its first major hit back in Week 1. Horn fractured his right tibia on his very first snap of the season against Central Arkansas. This ended his year before it truly began. Pribula then held the job for eight games. But Missouri’s luck turned again on October 25 against Vanderbilt. He went down with a dislocated ankle that will keep him out indefinitely. But who says you can’t lead from the sidelines? Horn and Pribula will go from competitors to Zollers’ personal coaching crew.

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“Just both being from Pennsylvania, I feel like I take a little bit of responsibility helping him out,” Beau Pribula assured in September. “Especially now that he has to step up, I sent him my schedule, my process and just taking him under my wing as much as possible.” Eli Drinkwitz will have to trust Matt Zollers for now. Donovan Olugbode’s patience pays off as he finally teams up with Zollers. But he’d better make it count since reports suggest Pribula could rejoin the lineup before the regular season wraps.