Garrett Riley Gives Insight to New Mizzou QB Room

Missouri's quarterback room has undergone a major overhaul with new faces and a new position coach.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 4:52pm

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Missouri's quarterback room looks vastly different now than it did in 2025, with only two returning faces from last year's team. The Tigers have added three new players, including transfers Austin Simmons from Ole Miss and Nick Evers, who has played at several schools. New quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley has been tasked with getting the group ready for the upcoming season, focusing on decision-making, consistency, and the ability to put points on the board.

Why it matters

Missouri is looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2025 season, and the quarterback position will be crucial to their success. The new-look QB room brings experience, talent, and knowledge, but also uncertainty as the players adapt to the program's offensive system under a new coaching staff.

The details

The new quarterbacks include Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons, who has starting experience, and former UConn and Wisconsin QB Nick Evers, who brings a wealth of experience from his college football journey. Sophomore Matt Zollers, who started three games in 2025, is the most experienced returning player in the room. Coach Garrett Riley is looking for the quarterbacks to demonstrate good decision-making, consistency, and the ability to lead the offense to score points.

  • Missouri's quarterback room looks vastly different now than it did in 2025.

The players

Garrett Riley

The new quarterbacks coach for the Missouri Tigers.

Austin Simmons

A redshirt junior transfer from Ole Miss, who is expected to be a key part of the Tigers' quarterback competition.

Nick Evers

A college football journeyman who has transferred to Missouri after stops at UConn, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

Matt Zollers

The most experienced returning quarterback for the Tigers, having started three games in 2025.

Gavin Sidwar

A true freshman quarterback who will also be part of the quarterback competition.

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What they’re saying

“Overall, there's some experience, there's some wisdom in the room. Obviously, none of them have played a ton. And so that's just where we got to make up this ground, put ourselves in a great position as we head into the fall.”

— Garrett Riley, Quarterbacks Coach

“The thing I like about him is he's a poised guy. I don't think anything gets him too high or too low. There's not a lot of panic in him, learning a new system, learning his new teammates, just all those things combined, it's definitely been one of the highlights as we evaluate him.”

— Garrett Riley, Quarterbacks Coach

“I love Nick's experience, and I think he's a really good teammate. I think he really understands how to be level-headed and stay even keel throughout things. And I think he just has that about him.”

— Garrett Riley, Quarterbacks Coach

“I think he's a guy that's eager. I really think he's a hungry quarterback, hungry football player to really get better, to learn the why of what we're doing. That's really stuck out to me.”

— Garrett Riley, Quarterbacks Coach

What’s next

The Tigers will undergo another quarterback competition this offseason between Simmons, Zollers, Evers, and true freshman Gavin Sidwar, with Simmons expected to be the frontrunner for the starting job.

The takeaway

Missouri's new-look quarterback room brings a mix of experience, talent, and potential, but the group will need to quickly adapt to the program's offensive system under the new coaching staff. The competition for the starting job should be an intriguing storyline to follow as the Tigers look to bounce back in 2026.