Gary Drinkel's Press Conference regarding prolific QB Drew Lock

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Drew Lock, who began August as Mizzou’s No. 6 quarterback, climbed to No. 2 with a prolific preseason camp and will play this fall in an undetermined role as the backup to junior starter Maty Mauk, Pinkel confirmed.

Mauk has been MU’s starting quarterback in 14 wins against four losses the last two years, and Pinkel insisted Lock’s promotion has no impact on Mauk’s status.

“This has nothing to do with Maty,” Pinkel said Monday. “This is all about … if something happens to Maty, the first thing you ask yourself is, ‘Who do we think is the best player to put in for our team?’ We really do that for every position.”

Missouri could conceivably name Lock the No. 2 quarterback and still intend to preserve his year of eligibility by keeping him on the bench, but that’s not the approach Pinkel’s staff decided to take. Lock will play, just as Chase Daniel played in 2005 as a freshman backup to Brad Smith … as Blaine Gabbert played in 2008 as a freshman backup to Daniel … as James Franklin played in 2010 as a freshman backup to Gabbert.

In all three cases, the freshman backup took over as Mizzou’s starting quarterback the next season, but with Mauk only a junior — and unlikely to enter the 2016 NFL draft — a Mauk-Lock combination or competition could resurface next fall. Lock’s promotion also pushed backup candidates Eddie Printz and Marvin Zanders further down the chart. They’re listed as even for the No. 3 job.

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Asked if promoting Lock to No. 2 could make things uncomfortable with the other quarterbacks, Pinkel replied, “It doesn’t matter if it’s uncomfortable. You have to do the right thing for your team. It’s uncomfortable if you let all these other things concern you.”

Yes, but what happens if Mauk struggles with his accuracy, as he did during last year’s midseason funk? With Lock in the bullpen, will Pinkel have a shorter leash with Mauk? He wouldn’t entertain those questions.

“You guys are making this … this has nothing to do with Maty,” Pinkel said. “This is the guy, if (Lock) has to go in, it’s the right thing to do for our football team. That’s what it’s about. Don’t confuse it.”

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“This is not about Maty,” Pinkel protested at his Monday news conference. “This has nothing to do with Maty. Don’t confuse that.

“If something happens to Maty, who’s the best guy you can put in?”

Lock’s pure passing skills would push him to the top of a lot of SEC depth charts. “He handles pressure well,” Pinkel said. “He’s extremely accurate. I mean, really accurate. He has a lot of poise, a lot of intangibles. He’ll keep getting better and better as we go.”

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