Tyler Gabbert went to Missouri with high expectations, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Blaine, who was one of the best quarterbacks in the country and on his way to becoming a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft. He left Missouri on a sour note, having lost out to James Franklin in a quarterback battle and was on his way to Central Florida with the hope of starting anew.
Little did Gabbert know that he would have to face the Tigers again. Weeks after he transferred to UCF, the Golden Knights scheduled a home-and-home with Missouri, the first game of which is Saturday in Orlando.
"It's kind of just ironic, going through the whole transition and then having them on the schedule," Gabbert told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
It's unlikely that Gabbert will play against the Tigers. He is the backup to Blake Bortles at UCF and ironically, might have had a better shot of playing at Missouri.
Franklin is having a rough go of it this season. Shoulder inflammation has hurt his confidence and kept him out of the Tigers' win over Arizona St., forcing Corbin Berkstresser into action. Had Gabbert stayed in Columbia, that would have been his chance to play.
Gabbert insists he is happy in Florida, though, and doesn't harbor any ill will towards the Tigers. He is close to his brother, who is playing up the road in Jacksonville and both he and the Tigers say that they left on good terms. But there is still that connection and they will revisit that on Saturday.