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| Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel will not have any Gabbert's on his roster this season. Blaine was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft and Tyler has decided to transfer. - Photo courtesy of Getty Images |
Just when things seemed to be all rosy in Columbia after some great signings by basketball coach Frank Haith, this little nugget comes from Boone County. The move comes as a surprise, especially considering Tyler's brother Blaine Gabbert was recently drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the tenth pick in the NFL Draft.
The younger version of Gabbert had found himself behind sophomore quarterback James Franklin on the depth chart. But Pinkel had never proclaimed that the Franklin was his starter and the depth chart had to of been written in pencil, meaning subject to change.
So what gives? Why is Tyler transferring from the same school that helped make his brother so successful and a top pick in the NFL Draft? Was Tyler and his family expecting to be handed the reigns to the Mizzou offense after Blaine left? Is the younger Gabbert shying away from competition? Is there something else going on at Mizzou that none of us are aware of? Was Tyler just tired of trying to live in Blaine's shadow?
We may never know what actually happened and the real reason why Gabbert has left Mizzou, but the whole thing just feels really fishy.
I'm baffled by the move, especially since Tyler Gabbert does not know exactly where he will go to school next season. I'm especially baffled that this means Tyler will have to sit another season due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules. I'm baffled because it feels like Gabbert was not willing to compete for the starting quarterback job. I'm baffled that if Gabbert stayed at Mizzou, he is one James Franklin quarterback sneak gone awry from calling the signals for Mizzou.
At least the two sides are playing nice with the media.
"We wish Tyler the best and will do everything we can to assist him going forward," Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel in the school's official statement. "He's worked very hard in our program this past year, and we thank him for his efforts. Tyler is a high quality person and an outstanding football player."
Pinkel and the Tigers look to be handling the situation with class. And so does Tyler Gabbert and his family.
"It's actually one of those things where you're taking a leap of faith," Tyler Gabbert's father Chuck Gabbert told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's one of those things where he's looking for a new start and a fresh start."
I could possibly be creating something out of nothing. Tyler may have just been ready for a new start at a new school with a fresh look.
Either way, one question can be answered about next season's Tigers football team. James Franklin is the next quarterback at the University of Missouri.
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