The Missouri Tigers will have a new starting quarterback next season.
Connor Bazelak, who has started most of the last two seasons for the Tigers, announced Thursday he was going into the NCAA transfer portal. Bazelak was on the sideline, but did not play, in Wednesday night’s 24-22 loss to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.
“After much prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal to continue my academic and athletic career,” Bazelak posted Thursday on his Instagram account. “Thank you again, Mizzou!”
Also in the post, Bazelak wrote it was a decision he had been thinking about for the last several weeks. He wrote he waited to announce his decision because he wanted to be available to play Wednesday night if needed.
Brady Cook, a redshirt freshman, got the start at quarterback in the bowl game for the Tigers after winning what coach Eli Drinkwitz said was a competition at practice following the regular season. Cook was 27-of-34 passing with one touchdown in the game, while rushing for an additional 53 yards and a score.
Bazelak, a redshirt sophomore from Dayton, Ohio, started 11 games this season for the Tigers. He was 246-of-377 (65.3 percent) passing for 2,548 yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 11 interceptions.
In 2020, he was selected the Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Year. As a redshirt freshman, Bazelak was 218-of-324 (67.3 percent) for 2,366 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing six interceptions in eight games. He played in three games in in the 2019 season, completing 15-of-21 passes for 144 yards. Players can play in up to four games without using a season of eligibility.
Bazelak is ninth all-time at Missouri in passing yards with 5,050.
Bazelak came to Missouri as a four-star recruit, ranked No. 210 in the nation and the No. 10 overall quarterback.
He will have three years of eligibility at his next school.
Cook and Tyler Macon are the two quarterbacks currently on the roster who figure to compete for the starting position next season.
Missouri also added Sam Horn during last week’s early signing day. Horn, a four-star recruit from Collins High School in Suwanee, Ga., is rated among the top 10 quarterbacks in the country in his class. He will not enroll early at Missouri, instead deciding to play baseball as a high school senior. He is a potential pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
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The Tigers rallied around getting Mike Maietti to a bowl game this season. That achieved, Maietti is moving on to the next level.
Maietti, Missouri’s starting center the past two seasons, announced Thursday he is forgoing his final year of eligibility and declaring for the NFL Draft.
Maietti was a third-team All-American by the Associated Press this season.
Maietti played two years at Missouri after transferring from Rutgers.
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In other transfer news, former Missouri tight end Daniel Parker Jr. has found a new home.
Parker, who entered the transfer portal after the regular season, said Wednesday night he will play next season at Oklahoma.
The junior had 41 catches for 337 yards and four touchdowns during his career at Missouri. This season, Parker totaled 12 catches for 97 yards and three scores.
The Blue Springs High School graduate was named to the All-SEC Freshman team in 2018. Oklahoma tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley was a member of the Missouri staff that recruited Parker.
Earlier this week, Joseph Charleston committed to Missouri.
Charleston, a four-star safety ranked among the top 150 players in the 2019 recruiting class, comes to Missouri from Clemson. He played in 26 games in three seasons at Clemson
Charleston is the first transfer player to commit so far to Missouri. He will have two seasons of eligibility with the Tigers after entering the transfer portal in October.