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There’s no shortage of coaching refrains about making progress, getting better every day, learning from mistakes, working toward the best version of yourself and so on and so forth. For football coaches, it’s like an automatic download you get as soon as you’re issued your whistle.

Well, this fall camp gives University of Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz the chance to show that he has learned from his own past experiences. It’s a chance for him to show his own progress and growth by putting the team in the best possible position by making the right decision about the starting quarterback.

The good news is the signs point to Drinkwitz being better positioned now to make that decision than any other point in his tenure with Mizzou.

“I think this is the fourth year — going into the year — that we’ve had a quarterback competition,� Drinkwitz said on Sunday. “So we’re familiar with it. Hopefully, with that experience comes a little bit more wisdom.�

Redshirt junior Sam Horn, who has been drafted by and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pitcher, and former Penn State backup quarterback and graduate transfer Beau Pribula give the Tigers an interesting duel for the starting job.

It’s a critical decision because the Tigers, picked to finish 12th in the conference preseason media poll, enter this season in position to further establish themselves and prove they’re a program that can reload and compete with the best in the nation annually.

In recent years under Drinkwitz, the Tigers have continually forced their way into the discussion in what’s considered the best college football conference in the nation, the Southeastern Conference.

Despite fighting an uphill battle to catch up to traditional powerhouses such as Alabama, George, Texas Tennessee, LSU and Ole Miss in terms of national attention and notoriety, the Tigers put together back-to-back seasons of at least 10 wins for the first time in a decade, set a program record for home winning percentage (.794), won consecutive bowl games and gone unbeaten in nonconference games against the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC in the past two seasons.

Outperforming expectations and continuing to build on recent success would go a long way in proving that the program has long-term staying power.

Of course, getting the quarterback decision wrong makes that an even taller task, and it probably already appeared as if it were on stilts.

The offense undoubtedly must do its part. Last year, that was a struggle at times. While it’s a new season, a new team and last year’s results don’t carry over to this year, Drinkwitz acknowledged that he and his staff looked at ways to get the ball downfield more coming off of last season’s struggles.

In 2024, the Tigers offense ranked 10th in the SEC in scoring (28.9 points per game), 11th in total yards per game (389.5) and 10th in passing yards per game (225.1), even with star wide receiver Luther Burden III, the 39th overall pick in this spring’s NFL draft, as an offensive centerpiece.

So there’s ample reason for concern that offensive struggles and/or quarterback struggles could derail the Tigers’ season before it gets going.

Drinkwitz drew a comparison that illustrated why the decision will need to be deliberate and thorough, but his example could also serve as a source of anxiety for Tigers faithful.

“I think this actually reminds me more of the first year when it was a battle between Shawn (Robinson) and Connor Bazelak because we didn’t have much tape on anybody,� Drinkwitz said. “So you were kind of going into it without knowing how they were going to respond, and that’s kind of similar here.�

In 2020, Drinkwitz’s first season at Missouri, Robinson started the first two games of the season before he eventually gave way to Bazelak. Robinson subsequently moved to the defensive side of the ball and became a safety, while Bazelak earned shared SEC freshman of the year honors.

A key difference this time that should work in the Tigers favor?

In 2020, Drinkwitz had to balance head coaching duties and offensive coordinator/play-calling duties while sorting through the right QB decision.

Now, he’s got Kirby Moore as the play caller, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and another voice in the evaluation process.

“The three things we’re going to track all the time is how was my footwork, did I make a great decision and was my throw in the right spot,� Moore said of the quarterbacks.

“You can make all three of those correct and the ball can be intercepted because it gets tipped or maybe it’s not caught. So we want to make sure that we’re controlling the controllables on a daily basis. Then let it play out how it does.�

The plan entering camp will be to create as close to a 50-50 split between reps in camp for both of the quarterbacks, according to Drinkwitz.

Of course, because neither has a lot of game experience — Pribula has thrown 56 passes in his career and Horn has attempted just eight passes — so part of the task in evaluating each will be to create game-like conditions.

“We play a ton of situational football,� Moore said. “Right away, we’re going to go into the red zone where things happen faster, the decisions. You want to score touchdowns over field goals. The two-minute, four-minute, have a couple scrimmages. So I think just the speed of the game that we’re practicing in translates.

“First-hand for me, the quarterbacks that I’ve been a part of that have done well on the field are really good practice players. So we want to consistently monitor that and let it play out.�

The Tigers can’t afford to get this decision wrong. Between the experience Drinkwitz has had in recent years and the fact that he has a partner in Moore, the staff should have its best possible chance to get this one right.