COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Connor Bazelak era is over at the University of Missouri almost as soon as it began.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback from Dayton, Ohio spent two years as the starter for the Tigers and was the co-SEC Freshman of the Year in 2020.
In 24 games with Mizzou, Bazelak threw for more than 5,000 yards, 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. This past season, Bazelak threw for 2,548 yards, 16 touchdowns and and 11 interceptions.
"It has been a wild three seasons at the ZOU, and I have cherished every moment. It was an honor to play with all of my teammates over the years and especially with my fellow captains this year. Thank you to Coach Odom and Dooley for recruiting me to Mizzou, and to Coach Drinkwitz and the rest of the staff for all your efforts for this program the last two season," Bazelak wrote on Twitter.
"We had some awesome victories including the LSU, Kentucky, and Arkansas games in 2020 and the four wins down the stretch in 2021, especially the senior day win over Florida to become bowl eligible this year. I have loved this school since the day I walked on campus, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
This has been a tough decision that I have been thinking about for the last several weeks, but I wanted to be available for my team once last time in the bowl game. After much prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal to continue my academic and athletic career. Thank you again, Mizzou!"
St. Louis native Brady Cook took over for Bazelak as the starting quarterback in the team's bowl game loss against Army, and former East St. Louis star Tyler Macon is also on the roster at QB.
Drinkwitz and the Tigers signed 4-star high school quarterback Sam Horn this past recruiting period.