NCAAF
Missouri has secured a verbal commitment from four-star quarterback Matt Zollers.
Zollers, ranked No. 104 nationally in the 247Sports Composite, picked the Tigers over Georgia, Penn State and Pitt. Zollers visited all of his finalists this spring before announcing his decision at Spring-Ford High School in Royersford, Pa., on Thursday afternoon.
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Zollers had only one scholarship offer (from Old Dominion) prior to his junior season but has emerged as one of the most sought-after quarterbacks of the 2025 cycle.
As a junior, he completed 62 percent of his passes and threw for a school-record 2,917 yards with 37 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He also rushed for 420 yards and seven touchdowns.
Zollers played baseball until this past summer and wasn’t a regular on the 7-on-7 circuit. He competed in the Elite 11 Regional camp at State College last summer, where he impressed with his athleticism. He finished second in the camp’s “athletic” ratings, notable considering that current Penn State freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer and current Georgia freshman Ryan Puglisi were also participants.
Eli Drinkwitz has done a good job of bringing in exciting quarterbacks. Names like Sam Horn and Tyler Macon grabbed headlines during their recruitments. Even transfers like Drew Pyne and Jake Garcia were noteworthy. Mizzou, though, has yet to hit a home run that has paid off big at the quarterback position despite the fact the Tigers are seemingly building something special. To land a fringe top-100 quarterback out of Pennsylvania who had offers from Penn State, Georgia and others is a statement for that build. And if Zollers signs with the Tigers and becomes the future face of the program, maybe Mizzou can reach heights even higher than last year’s 10-win season that concluded with a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. — Ari Wasserman, senior college football writer
Missing out on Zollers is significant. Having one of the top quarterbacks in the country located about three hours away from campus — and having him visit Penn State more than any other campus — and still not securing the commitment has to sting. But it’s also not a devastating setback by any stretch because the Nittany Lions already have a commitment from 2025 quarterback Bekkem Kritza. Penn State is hoping to sign two QBs in this class, so it will be interesting to see where the staff looks next.
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Currently, three of the top five players in Pennsylvania in the 247Sports Composite are headed out of state — edge rusher Zahir Mathis (Ohio State), linebacker Anthony Sacca (Notre Dame) and Zollers. No, Penn State can never keep everybody home, and Zollers wasn’t someone who grew up obsessed with the Nittany Lions — his family actually liked Ohio State — but it sure would’ve been a tone-setting move for this class to snag a fast-rising in-state prospect who had so many other good offers. — Audrey Snyder, Penn State beat writer
(Photo courtesy of Knappy Productions)
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