Mizzou adds Nebraska QB Daniel Kaelin to 2024 class

Mar 13, 2023 - 5:20 PM

Mizzou’s quarterback situation is the most discussed aspect of the program headed into Eli Drinkwitz’s fourth year. So let’s add a little more fuel to the fire, shall we?

With Jake Garcia currently trying to steal Brady Cook’s job and Sam Horn playing catch up from his baseball injury, Mizzou went ahead and added another name to the mix for 2024 and beyond.

“A three-star quarterback? After Sam Horn, Gabarri Johnson and Jake Garcia?”

As one of our staffers commented on Slack, Kaelin doesn’t have a three-star offer list. The rising senior has drawn interest from all over the country, including Top 25 programs like North Carolina and Kansas State, more traditional powerhouse programs like Miami, Michigan State and Florida State, along with some programs on the rise such as Colorado. Hell, even Ole Miss and Notre Dame have had a chat or two with him.

There’s a chance he blows up in his senior year too. Kaelin has only been the starter at Bellevue West for one season and could take a leap in his final year before college. Should he improve on his strong junior season — 3,186 yards passing, 36 touchdowns, and seven interceptions — he could get the bump from a high three-star to another bonafide four-star signal caller. The fact that Mizzou has grabbed his commitment early is good news.

Get to know: Daniel Kaelin

Hometown: Bellevue, Nebraska

High School: Bellevue West

Position: QB

Ht/Wt: 6’2”, 198 lbs

Rivals Ranking: 3-star, 5.7

247Composite Ranking: 3-star, 0.8826

Total announced offers: 15

Offers to note: Kansas State, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Vanderbilt

If you read Allen Trieu’s assessment of Kaelin on his 247 profile, you may notice that Trieu’s pro comparison for the Nebraska passer is the polarizing Kirk Cousins. That makes a lot of sense to me. Kaelin has a good-not-great arm and isn’t afraid to throw into tight windows, displaying above-average accuracy and good turnover numbers. But when he starts facing faster defenses in the SEC does that boldness become a hinderance if his arm strength doesn’t take a step up? Maybe early on, but Kaelin definitely has the look of a guy who could become a good starter and, given time, potentially even a great one.

What they’re saying: