Missouri’s 2025 football season began with high hopes for quarterback Sam Horn, but his campaign ended almost as soon as it started.
Horn suffered a fractured right tibia on his first play of the season in the Tigers’ Week 1 matchup against Central Arkansas, forcing him to undergo surgery and sidelining him for the remainder of the year.
The injury was especially difficult given Horn’s long road back to the field. He missed the entire 2024 football season after undergoing Tommy John surgery from playing baseball. Horn had returned to action in 2025, splitting time as a two-sport athlete, and was expected to lead Missouri after edging Penn State transfer Beau Pribula in a tightly contested quarterback competition this offseason.
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz planned to rotate both quarterbacks against Central Arkansas, but Horn went down on a designed run when his right leg was struck. He was later seen on crutches with a brace, which indicated it was serious. In Horn’s absence, Pribula has completed 79 percent of his passes for 617 yards and seven total touchdowns, guiding the Tigers to a 2-0 start, including a rivalry win over Kansas.
Horn’s future remains complex. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2025 MLB Draft and signed with the organization in July. But he chose to play football this fall. On the mound, he flashes a 98 MPH fastball, though his collegiate innings have been limited.
For now, Missouri turns fully to Pribula as the starter with freshman Matt Zollers serving as backup. The Tigers enter Week 3 ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll and face Louisiana on Saturday.
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