With the commitment of 4-star QB Gavin Sidwar, the Tigers are set to hold three Pennsylvania signal callers on the roster in 2026.
As the saying goes: “One is random, two is a coincidence, but three is a trend.” Well Eli Drinkwitz and the Mizzou offense has officially developed a trend with the commitment of 4-star quarterback Gavin Sidwar. Sidwar’s commitment makes it three Keystone State quarterbacks committed or signed to the Mizzou roster, including Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and 2025 freshman Matt Zollers.
Sidwar’s commitment takes the total 2026 tally for Mizzou high schoolers to three, supplementing four-star defensive tackle Anthony Kennedy, Jr. and three-star safety D’Montae Tims. Even in the age of the transfer portal, when players (especially quarterbacks) come and go with the phases of the moon, it’s important to bring in a high school signal caller in every single class. Eli Drinkwitz has yet to start a quarterback who he recruited out of high school. A streak which may continue again this year if Pribula wins the starting job. Will Sidwar be the first to break that streak? Let’s dive in to the Pennyslvania passer:
Where he fits: Clocking in at 6’3, 190 lbs after his junior year of high school, Sidwar has the frame you like to see for a quarterback looking to stand tall in an SEC pocket. As a thrower, he doesn’t have the strongest arm on tape. Of the four scholarship quarterbacks set to be on the roster in 2026, he has the weakest arm by far. That said, Sidwar has plenty of arm strength to throw the ball deep, and when he does he exhibits really nice touch. He showed throughout his junior year that he could hit his receivers, open and covered, in stride 30-40 yards downfield with consistency. While he doesn’t have a 95 mph fastball to rip it on intermediate routes, his accuracy and touch seem to make up for it.
In terms of his athleticism, Sidwar is much more of a pocket passer than Pribula and Zollers. He would much rather move in the pocket and buy time for his receivers to uncover downfield than to scramble and pick up yards with his legs. That said, he does show mobility within the pocket and is able to throw accurately while on the run.
When he’ll play: Nothing can be taken for granted in modern day college football, but as of now the Tigers are set to have four scholarship QBs in 2026 with Pribula, Horn, Zollers and now Sidwar. Regardless of who wins the QB battle in 2025, Sidwar will most likely find himself as the fourth string QB in 2026 and should redshirt that season.
If Zollers really takes off and wins the starting job in 2027, Sidwar could serve as his back up for a couple years before potentially stepping into a starting role as a redshirt junior in 2029. Unfortunately, college quarterbacks don’t seem super willing to sit and learn for more than a year, so it’s really tough to predict who will be where four years out, but Sidwar appears to be a developmental prospect with the opportunity to turn into a good SEC passer by the time he becomes an upperclassman.
What it all means: The Tigers ostensibly have their quarterback for the 2026 recruiting class. While Sidwar most likely won’t see the field for Mizzou for at least a couple years, quarterback depth and stability is vital to building toward long-term program success. Verbal commitments (and signed commitments for that matter) mean very little these days, but it’s a boon for Drinkwitz and his staff to lock down a four-star quarterback relatively early in this recruiting cycle.
As they did with Matt Zollers in last year’s class, the coaches can now parlay the momentum of grabbing a four-star signal caller into attracting talented skill position players to join him on their commitment list. It will also give them a better feel for the NIL budget for the class as quarterbacks typically command a higher-than-average dollar amount. Locking Sidwar down for an agreed-upon price will allow the coaches to move forward more confidently with the dollar amounts they can offer other recruits in the class.