MLB Athlete to Start as College Football QB After HC Gives the Nod

Sam Horn just signed a $497,500 signing bonus with the defending MLB champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers—a massive figure for a 17th-round pick. In a world where dual-sport college athletes are often forced to choose one path, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz did something rare: he congratulated Horn on the signing, then told him to report for football practice the next morning.

Horn was a 4-star quarterback out of Collins Hill High School in Georgia and a top-200 recruit in both football and baseball, a rare dual-sport prospect with a 98 mph fastball. “I am taking baseball into consideration too, because I want to play both sports in college,” he said during his recruitment. That’s why he chose Missouri over in-state options—head coach Eli Drinkwitz was one of the few willing to let him pursue both. “There’s other schools that wouldn’t let him do that,” Drinkwitz said. “We said, ‘No, you’re going to be able to do both here and do both at a really high level, and don’t choose until you have to.'”

Now, three years later, Horn’s baseball upside has finally turned heads at the pro level. Despite throwing just 15 innings over three seasons due in part to a season-ending UCL injury in 2024, and logging 10.2 innings in 2025, Horn’s arm speed was hard to ignore— especially given L.A.’s current pitching injury woes. So yes, the scouts saw potential and were impressed enough to take him in the 2025 MLB Draft with a deal far above slot value (usually under $200k for 17th round picks). But Drinkwitz isn’t losing his quarterback to baseball just yet. With 2024 starter Brady Cook off to the pros, and Matt Zollers not “out of it just yet”, the position is wide open. And Horn, fully recovered from injury and back on the field, is squarely in the mix, as revealed in a press conference on July 28 ahead of fall camp. 

Drinkwitz said, “One thing I do wanna say is Sam and Beau really separated themselves in the fall or in the spring and in the summer. I think those two guys will get the lion’s share of the [reps].” Beau Pribula, a Penn State transfer, is the other top contender. But neither has logged significant game time, which is why Drinkwitz isn’t rushing a decision. “When the quarterback’s ready, he’ll show himself to the team. I think we’ll all know who it is. And when that is, we’ll tell you. I don’t plan on waiting to announce because of a perceived advantage,” he added.

If he wins the job, Horn could become one of the few college players to play football after signing an MLB deal. Kyler Murray is the most notable in recent memory—drafted ninth overall by the Oakland A’s in 2018, he played one more season at Oklahoma, won the Heisman, and went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. In the early 2000s, Jeff Samardzija played football at Notre Dame before signing with the Chicago Cubs and choosing MLB full-time.

Horn’s future could tilt either way. “I was definitely nervous, there’s no doubt about that,” he said after returning to the mound this year in April. “Honestly, just shake some dust off, just get back to what I love, and that’s being on the mound and competing more than anything.” Both doors are still open. But for now, Sam Horn’s first task could be winning the starting quarterback job at Missouri.