Mizzou QB Sam Horn Is... A Dodger?

The Mizzou quarterback battle just got a little more interesting, but not because of anything to do with what happens on the gridiron.

In the 17th round of the MLB Draft on Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected a right-handed pitcher—one who also happens to be a competitor for the starting quarterback job in Columbia this fall.

Sam Horn was rated as the 128th-best prospect in this week’s draft according to MLB Pipeline, but he fell into the later rounds due to his status on the Mizzou football team, which presents some real uncertainty for MLB teams regarding his signability.

Horn, who also plays on the Mizzou baseball team, missed the entire 2024 baseball season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned for the Tigers midway through this spring’s campaign, flashing tantalizing arm talent across 10.2 innings pitched.

Horn’s 4.22 ERA may not have jumped off the page, but many evaluators felt the stuff was evident enough to get Horn drafted this time around—and the Dodgers agreed.

While Mizzou football brought in high-profile transfer Beau Pribula on a reportedly hefty NIL deal in preparations to turn over the starting QB role following Brady Cook’s graduation, Horn’s presence on the roster is still critical for a team looking to secure its third straight 10-win season.

We need to look no further back than last season to realize the value of a quality backup quarterback in the SEC, as Drew Pyne was instrumental in leading Missouri back against Oklahoma in a memorable win last November. Even if Horn doesn’t project to earn the starting gig over the Penn State transfer Pribula, his role should not be overlooked by any stretch of the imagination.

So, does Monday’s news present a bit of a pickle for the Mizzou football team? Well, it could. 

Horn would need to decide relatively quickly whether he wants to embark upon this journey with the Dodgers, as the signing deadline for players selected in the MLB Draft is July 28—only two weeks away. Aside from Pribula and Horn, Mizzou’s official 2025 roster lists only true freshman Matt Zollers and graduate student Tommy Lock.

If Horn forgoes the fall football season in CoMo in favor of his future on the mound, the quarterback depth behind Pribula suddenly gets fuzzy. But given the delayed nature of Horn's selection, the general takeaway from MLB teams this week was their collective expectation that Horn would be suiting up for the Tigers this fall.

Could there be a serendipitous universe in which the Dodgers—arguably one of the most compelling organizations in the sport when it comes to developing high-octane pitchers—would permit Horn to play through his fall season as a quarterback before reporting to the organization for baseball? If it were any other organization, I would probably dismiss it out of hand—but it wouldn’t be the first time the Dodgers have operated on a creative wavelength in the realm of player acquisition. 

The STL Sports Central team has boots on the ground in Atlanta this week for both the MLB All-Star Game and SEC Media Days. We will hear from Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz on Thursday, and Horn’s status will certainly be a topic of discussion.