Where does Mizzou turn next in QB search?
On Sunday, Eli Drinkwitz continued his trend of landing highly-rated high school passers. Missouri picked up a commitment from Washington four-star Gabarri Johnson. If Johnson signs with the Tigers, it would mark the third recruiting class in a row that Drinkwitz and his staff have landed a four-star quarterback from outside state lines.
A few hours later, a less positive quarterback trend also continued. Missouri saw yet another transfer quarterback who visited campus commit elsewhere.
Former Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon committed to South Florida on the heels of a visit there. Bohanon had visited Missouri on May 1, the third transfer quarterback to come to campus this offseason. Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels wound up at LSU, while former Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels chose West Virginia. Thus, Missouri’s quarterback room still consists of just two scholarship players in Brady Cook and Tyler Macon.
So, where do the Tigers turn now? Perhaps nowhere. When he’s addressed the quarterback situation publicly, Drinkwitz has said he doesn’t want to add a transfer to the position just for the sake of adding one, but he wouldn’t shy away from infusing quality competition into the position. Given the limited options remaining in the transfer portal, Missouri might have reached the point where it would rather enter next season with what it has on the roster.
That will include Cook and Macon, each of whom started one game last season, and perhaps Sam Horn, as well. The four-star signee out of Georgia is expected to arrive on campus later this month to begin summer training, but concern has risen in recent weeks that he could opt to forego college football in favor of a professional baseball career if he’s offered a large enough signing bonus by an MLB team following July’s draft.
However, should the Tigers continue to mine the portal for another immediately-eligible quarterback, there are a couple names that could bear watching.
The first of those is Grant Gunnell. Gunnell, who spent last season at Memphis, appears to be the only quarterback left in the portal who has experience starting for a Power Five school, something the Missouri staff seems to be looking for.
After a record-breaking high school career at St. Pius X in Houston, Gunnell signed with Arizona, where he started seven games across his first two seasons. During his Wildcat career, Gunnell completed 66.5 percent of his passes, averaged 7.5 yards per attempt and threw 15 touchdowns versus three interceptions. He transferred to Memphis when Arizona fired coach Kevin Sumlin following the 2020 season.
Gunnell never got the chance to show what he could do at Memphis, as a lower leg injury suffered prior to last season sidelined him for the entire year. In his absence, freshman Seth Henigan put together a strong season, throwing for 3,322 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games. Gunnell returned to the field for spring practices and competed with Henigan for the starting spot, but apparently felt he could not win the job, as he entered the transfer portal on April 29.
Gunnell’s physical attributes are intriguing. At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, he has the size and arm of an elite quarterback. He will also be immediately eligible, having graduated from Memphis. He will have three seasons left to play. However, the obvious question is how well he has recovered from injury — and even if he has, whether he would represent an upgrade compared to what Missouri already has on the roster. Gunnell has visited North Texas and Rice since entering the transfer portal.
Sources have indicated to PowerMizzou that Missouri has at least reached out to Gunnell’s camp. We will continue to monitor whether the interest appears to increase now that Bohanon is off the board.
The other name to at least keep an eye on is Mississippi State transfer Jack Abraham. Abraham has had a long and circuitous college journey to this point. He initially signed with Louisiana Tech in the class of 2016, where he spent one season and did not see the field. He then transferred to Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he put up 2,949 yards and 23 touchdowns during the 2017 season. That earned him a spot at Southern Mississippi, where he excelled when healthy. In 2018, Abraham led the nation in completion percentage at 73.1. The following season, he threw for 3,496 yards and 19 touchdowns in 13 games, although he also threw 15 interceptions. In 2020, Abraham missed five of Southern Miss’ 10 games due to injury.
Abraham transferred to Mississippi State prior to last season but was unable to play due to post-concussion syndrome. He received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA, which will allow him to play a seventh college season this fall. The Oxford, Mississippi native visited Ole Miss in March, but the Rebels appear to have found their quarterback in USC transfer Jaxson Dart. Aside from that, Abraham’s recruitment has been quiet.
It would come as a surprise if Missouri considered adding any other quarterbacks to its roster prior to the fall. With the May 1 deadline for players to enter the transfer portal having come and gone, the pool of available talent is limited. Fans should know soon whether Drinkwitz and his staff are content to enter next season with Cook and Macon or if they want to add Gunnell or Abraham to the mix.
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