COLUMBIA, Mo. — Ah, spring: the time of year when Midwesterners trade parkas and pants for shorts and clogged sinuses, and college football teams practice loosely for a few weeks, still some six months away from the start of the season.
Missouri’s spring football session starts Friday, with 13 practices on tap between then and March 20.
There will be no public scrimmage or exhibition game at the end of spring ball, and coach Eli Drinkwitz — entering his sixth season in Columbia — has no real incentive to show off the power of the 2025 Mizzou Tigers. Part of that is because there’s still a transfer portal window to come, hence depth charts are written in pencil to avoid portal peril and drills focus far more on individual technique than rolling out any new schemes.
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The Tigers have won double-digit games in back-to-back seasons but will see significant changes to their roster in 2025, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
From a quarterback battle to incoming transfers, here are five storylines that this beat writer will be monitoring during spring ball:
How does Beau throw?
It’s hard to imagine a more intriguing spring development than how Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula looks during his first practices in black and gold. He arrived from the transfer portal in pole position to replace Brady Cook as MU’s starting quarterback, but there’s plenty that is unknown about the Tigers’ new signal-caller.
For one, Pribula’s legs were showcased more at Penn State than his arm was. It’s unlikely Drinkwitz puts Pribula in a position for the outside world to see all that much in spring, but every drill and nugget that is visible will seem plenty significant.
What will also be notable is how Drinkwitz frames the quarterback room at large. Drew Pyne, last year’s backup, returns. Sam Horn, himself the No. 2 QB at one point, is expected to step away from the baseball team to participate in football practices. Freshman Matt Zollers should be recovered from a high school injury and able to take part. Does that lead Drinkwitz to declare the race wide open? Or does he try to instill confidence in Pribula from Day 1?
Which transfers pop in practice?
Drinkwitz came out of the most important transfer portal cycle of his Missouri tenure with far more than just Pribula to show for it: The Tigers’ incoming class of transfers has been ranked among the nation’s best.
Among the most anticipated newcomers:
- Edge rusher Damon Wilson II, from Georgia, who picked Mizzou over Ohio State.
- Running back Ahmad Hardy, who was extremely productive as a freshman at Louisiana-Monroe and could wind up the primary tailback for the Tigers.
- Wideout Kevin Coleman Jr., a 51 product, is back in his home state after bouncing around to start his career. He’s in line to be MU’s top wideout, if all goes as planned.
- Safety Jalen Catalon transferred in from UNLV, but the experienced defensive back was an all-league player before in the SEC, too. With the secondary as a key area to improve in 2025, he could become a defensive centerpiece.
Early returns on early enrollees?
Missouri has 10 of its freshmen on campus and enrolled this semester, giving that group a longer runway before taking off into their first seasons. That group includes: Zollers, running back Marquise Davis, wide receiver Donovan Olugbode, wide receiver Shaun Terry, offensive lineman Henry Fenuku, defensive end Javion Hilson, linebacker Dante McClellan, former De Smet linebacker Jason King, cornerback Mark Manfred and former East 51 safety CJ Bass III.
Roster makeup and buzz out of their high schools suggests Davis, Olugbode and Hilson — all four-star prospects per 247Sports — could be in the mix this fall. Spring workouts should clarify that potential, though, as they practice alongside more experienced college players for the first time.
Does an offensive line combination emerge?
Last year, the most common offensive line arrangement during spring practices wound up undergoing a shift before the start of the season when the Tigers made another portal addition to the line after spring ball. The same situation could be true this year, too — if there was a potential spot of need unfilled by the winter window, it was another offensive line piece.
Mizzou needs a new starter at left tackle, right guard and right tackle. Three portal adds will be in the mix alongside past depth pieces like Logan Reichert, a heralded recruit who could be stepping into his time to shine.
How the Tigers arrange their O-line pieces will be worth following, but so too will be the confidence that MU seems to have in its options. These practices are, in part, a chance to identify a few positions that could use an addition through the spring window. For Missouri’s linemen, it won’t just be about staking a claim to a spot on the offensive line — it’ll be about showing enough that the coaching staff doesn’t feel a need to add to that position group.
What returners set up offseason gains?
It hasn’t even been two full months since Mizzou ended its 2024 season with a Music City Bowl win over Iowa, so it would be surprising if any returners have made extraordinary developmental leaps since then. But those with expanded roles on the horizon can set the stage for major improvements between now and the start of the regular season.
Can Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning become reliable wideouts capable of handling significant target share? Can Toriano Pride Jr. or Nicholas Deloach Jr. fend off competition for a starting cornerback spot? Which defensive linemen look the most dominant?
If this spring is like past ones — and there’s no reason to think it’ll be any different — then the declared focus will be squarely on individual development over scheme installation. That’s vital for the players in this group in particular.
