Gerry Bohanon might be exactly the type of quarterback Missouri was looking for

Nobody will mistake Gerry Bohanon for a superstar, but he’s exactly the type of quarterback Eli Drinkwitz has been seeking.

What if I told you there’s a quarterback currently in the transfer portal who profiles as a slightly better version of Kelly Bryant when he entered the portal after his time at Clemson? Would that pique your interest?

It certainly did for me. And apparently this gentleman was of interest for Eli Drinkwitz, too.

Gerry Bohanon waited three years for his opportunity to start at Baylor. The former 3-star recruit finally got his opportunity last season, and all he did was contribute more than 2,500 yards from scrimmage with 27 total touchdowns. He led the team to a 12-2 season and a Big 12 title.

And now he’s been replaced as the starting quarterback.

It’s a cutthroat business, one which currently has Bohanon looking for a new opportunity. He officially entered the transfer portal late last week and took a visit to Columbia on Sunday to learn more about Missouri’s football program.

If Missouri is lucky, he will get to know it even better in the fall.

Bohanon is a really good football player. Great might be a stretch. But he’s good. He’s proven. He’s played at the highest level against some of the best competition the country has to offer. He contributes both as a passer and as a runner. He’s beloved in Waco for his leadership. He’s got a whole heck of a lot to prove.

We’ve gone over some of the previous transfer portal options. I liked the idea of Jayden Daniels; his upside was unmatched. JT Daniels was more than worthy of the potential injury risk.

For my money, Bohanon is a better fit than either of the Daniels would have been.

I went back and re-watched every snap Bohanon took for Baylor this past season against Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State. Those three teams represented three of the best defenses he faced this year. I came away more than a little impressed.

I went in expecting to watch a steadying presence. That’s what comes to mind when one sees a stat line such as his from 2021 (63% completion percentage, 2,200 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions). But he was more than that. Not only did he convert plays within the structure of the offense, but he also created plays, both with his legs and with his arm.

The base of Bohanon’s game is his ability to run. He uses his legs as a weapon on designed run plays and as a method to extend plays when the first read isn’t there. His ability to run was a significant piece of Baylor’s third down offense. He took off and ran multiple times on third and short or medium. The Bears also felt comfortable going for it on fourth and short with Bohanon in the backfield because he had a knack for picking up the necessary yardage.

His legs are the base, but he also has a really solid arm. It’s not as special as JT or Jayden Daniels. He doesn’t have the cannon of an arm Jayden flashed, or the consistent accuracy of JT. But he was a solid blend of the two. There were moments where one would come away amazed by his ability to fit the ball in a tight window. He also had flashes of some beautiful deep balls both outside the numbers and also in the middle of the field.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend Bohanon is the cure to all that plagues Missouri. He’s not going turn a 7-5 team into a 10-2 team. But he’s pretty darn good. He can help. And he might be exactly what Missouri has been looking for.

The best comparison I can come up with is a slightly better version of Kelly Bryant.

Bohanon’s final season at Baylor (2021):

• 173-for-276 (63 percent), 2,220 passing yards (8.0 yards per attempt), 18 touchdowns & 7 interceptions
• 76 rushing attempts, 323 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns

Bryant’s final season at Clemson (2017):

• 262-for-398 (66 percent), 2,800 passing yards (7.0 yards per attempt), 13 touchdowns & 8 interceptions
• 192 rushing attempts, 665 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns

Bryant was probably a more dynamic runner. Bohanon is probably a better pure passer. But they’re more similar than not. Bryant’s season at Missouri went south after he got hurt, but let’s not forget he was really solid the first six games of the season with Missouri starting that year with a 5-1 record.

The transfer portal can be unpredictable. It’s possible Bohanon still has a number of visits planned. Nobody knows where Missouri stands on his list of interested schools. But it can’t be a bad thing that his first visit post-transfer announcement was to Columbia.

Drinkwitz and his staff have recruited a number of potential transfer quarterbacks this offseason. Bohanon might not be the quarterback you thought you wanted. But I think he’s exactly the quarterback Missouri needed.