This accolade means a lot to Missouri QB Brady Cook: ‘The best honor I can think of’

The race isn’t quite run for Mizzou football quarterback Brady Cook, but he’s taken a significant step closer.

He’s earned the trust of his teammates.

Again.

Missouri’s quarterbacks are still locked in a competition ahead of their season-opening outing against South Dakota on Aug. 31 in Memorial Stadium, but two weeks before they take to the field for the 2023 season, the Tigers on Thursday voted Cook as a team captain for the second straight season.

“It’s the best honor I can think of,” Cook said Friday, the day after being confirmed as a team captain. “That’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time. To be a second-year captain, it’s truly a dream.”

Cook is one of six players who will don the capital C on their jerseys this season, joined by linebackers Ty’Ron Hopper and Chad Bailey; running back Cody Schrader; left tackle Javon Foster; and do-it-all defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

To get there, Cook had a helping hand from a player who thrived in his position.

Missouri legend Chase Daniel visited during training camp, spending most of his time observing the quarterbacks.

Daniel, a former Heisman Trophy finalist who has spent 14 seasons in the NFL but is currently a free agent, delivered a message about the meaning of being a Missouri player. During the talk, he called on Cook to stand up and tell the team what it means to him to be a Mizzou player.

“I mean, that was pretty crazy,” Cook said. “That was my first time meeting Chase. I mean, my earliest memories of Mizzou football was Chase Daniel. So yeah, that was crazy.”

Daniel also had a one-on-one talk with the junior, offering advice that has stuck with him in his bid to repeat as MU’s starter.

He talked to Cook about communication and how it relates to leadership. Part of that was being versatile in his relationships with teammates.

“How you communicate with Luther (Burden) may be completely different than how you communicate with Theo Wease,” Cook said. “So you know whether they drop a pass, whether they run the wrong route … you’ve got to communicate different. You’ve got to find your leadership style and find what works for the offense.”

Therein lies the challenge.

Cook has a 6-8 record as MU’s starter. Last season, the junior out of Chaminade in St. Louis threw for 2,724 yards (209.5 per game), 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions — and added 585 yards (45 per game) and six touchdowns on the ground.

There’s an underlying optimism among Missouri players about what new offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s system will do for the team in 2023 and beyond. Explosive is a word that has been repeated often during camp.

Cook said keeping track of MU’s “explosive-play percentage” has been a high priority since Moore arrived.

But that has to translate to on-field results.

The first step — a vote of confidence from his teammates for a second straight year — is complete.

“It means a lot to me, knowing that, you know, the whole team collectively voted on me as a captain,” Cook said. “I think that that means a lot. That gives me confidence. It just gives me confidence. They want me to be their leader.”

Now begins the sprint to the finish in his quest to repeat as starting signal-caller. He’s spent camp attempting to fend off challenges from redshirt freshman Sam Horn and Miami transfer Jake Garcia.

There’s no sign he’s been overtaken, but Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said he anticipates playing both Cook and Horn in game one.

“We’ll see both of them, I anticipate in the first game, and then we’ll kind of play it from there,” the coach said.

Cook hasn’t let his leadership slip during the competition.

“I think a part of the competition is being the best leader,” Cook said. “So I think that’s just a part of it. Obviously, leadership comes with the position, but it also has to be deeper than that. You have to be a true leader of the whole team. The offense is gonna look up to you. The defense is gonna look up to you. I mean, it’s just something that has to be there, so it’s something I focused on within the competition.”

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.

This story was originally published August 20, 2023 at 6:30 AM.