Beau Pribula is good to go.
Pribula, Missouri football’s starting quarterback, was removed from the Tigers’ SEC-mandated availability report Friday night, which means he is currently expected to be available for MU’s game against Oklahoma on Saturday on the road.
That’s a stunning development on an injury that once appeared like it was going to cost Pribula the remainder of the 2025 regular season. Just four weeks after sustaining a “non-fractured dislocated ankle” against Vanderbilt on Oct. 25, the quarterback looks likely to be the Tigers’ starter in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Tigers never set an official timetable for a return for Pribula, but the typical recovery period for his injury designation made it unlikely he would return in the regular season.
Now, he’s cleared to play.
The SEC-mandated reports are required of member organizations every night beginning Wednesday in the leadup to an in-conference matchup, with the final report publishing 90 minutes before kickoff.
The possible designations, from most likely to play to least likely, are as follows: available; probable; questionable; doubtful; out.
Pribula was doubtful on every pregame Mizzou report ahead of the Tigers’ win over Mississippi State this past Saturday and even came out for early pregame warmups, running through non-contact drills on Faurot Field without any visible aid on his ankle or clear limitation to his movement. He was, however, ruled out shortly before gametime.
He debuted on Mizzou’s Wednesday report as ‘doubtful’ before being upgraded to ‘questionable’ on Thursday and fully cleared to play Friday.
In the event Pribula is still unable to play, which is unlikely based on comments made by Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz on Tuesday and the SEC report, then freshman Matt Zollers would make the third start of his college career.
Drinkwitz said Tuesday that if and when Pribula returns, he is still the Tigers’ QB1.
He also indicated Tuesday that the team would use an abundance of caution on bringing Pribula back into the mix against an Oklahoma defense that is as aggressive at attacking the quarterback as perhaps any in the country.
“I think we’ll probably huddle as a group and make a call,” Drinkwitz said. “You know, the very first thing, and the most important thing, is the student-athlete’s health and wellbeing. And playing against an elite defense, you don’t want to put somebody out there who can’t compete at the highest level. And knowing how aggressive and attacking they (Oklahoma) are, it would be a detriment to our team, and to Beau, to put him out there if he’s not able to play up to his level.”
Elsewhere on the Missouri availability report Friday, reserve defensive Elias Williams joined wide receiver and punt returner DaMarion Fowlkes with an ‘out’ designation. Rotational defensive end Langden Kitchen was removed from the report and is cleared to play.
Quarterback Sam Horn and kicker Blake Craig — both of whom were ruled out for the season after Week 1 — were the only other Mizzou players officially ruled out of the game.
Star Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas was downgraded to ‘doubtful’ on the report, as was contributing cornerback Gentry Williams. Oklahoma also ruled out starting offensive guard Heath Ozaeta, backup safety Kendel Dolby and running back Jovantae Barnes.
Mizzou’s game against Oklahoma is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma. It will be the Tigers’ penultimate game of the 2025 regular season and first in Norman since 2011.
Missouri and Oklahoma will release one final follow-up availability report 90 minutes before Saturday’s game.
Missouri football’s full Friday availability report
- WR/PR DaMarion Fowlkes (out)
- DT Elias Williams (out)
- QB Sam Horn (out)
- K Blake Craig (out)
Oklahoma full Friday availability report
- DE R Mason Thomas (doubtful)
- CB Gentry Williams (doubtful)
- RB Jovantae Barnes (out)
- OL Heath Ozaeta (out)
- OL Troy Everett (out)
- OL Jacob Sexton (out)
- Kendel Dolby (out)
- OL Jake Taylor (out)
What is the availability report?
The SEC-mandated reports are not technically injury reports, which some teams — Mizzou often included — provided in years prior. Instead, they are lists that include any players ruled unavailable or possibly unavailable for upcoming games. That could be for any number of reasons, including but not limited to injuries.
The reports are only mandated before in-conference matchups and are closely linked to the growing sports gambling market.
Inaccurate or late reports in football are subject to fines ranging from $25,000-$100,000.
