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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Just like that, it’s football season again. Almost.

Missouri’s fall camp kicks off Sunday with football players moving into dorms for a few weeks of intense preseason practices. The first of those is scheduled for Monday, part of what’s likely to be another hot and sunny build-up to the Thursday before Labor Day.

That’ll mark the Tigers’ 2025 season opener, an Aug. 28 matchup against Central Arkansas.

In the meantime, there will be plenty to examine during camp practices, from a high-profile position battle — you know the one — to the annual possibility of breakout players making an unexpected case for roles.

Here are five MU fall camp storylines the Post-Dispatch will have its eyes on.

The ‘when’ of the QB battle

The who, as far as the competitors go, has long since been established: Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and returner Sam Horn will battle to be Missouri’s starting quarterback. Pribula perhaps has an edge, but only a very slight one — and one that seems slimmer than previously assumed, based on word out of the team facility.

At some point in the coming weeks, the who, as far as the starter goes, will be settled. Coach Eli Drinkwitz will, at some point, pick a starter. Just as interesting a question, perhaps: When will that be?

Drinkwitz has wisely and clearly declined to fit a timeline to the quarterback competition, saying that he’ll only announce a starter once that player has clearly claimed the title. Theoretically, the battle could wrap up this week, or next week, or the one after — but what if it doesn’t wrap up during camp at all?

In 2023, the last time Mizzou held a quarterback competition, the race between Horn and Brady Cook dragged into the season opener. Cook received more of a workload during that game and expectedly won the job, but it’s debatable whether letting the competition take place during a regular-season game helped or hurt his standing as the starter. Is Drinkwitz OK with that happening again, or does the end of camp present something of a deadline for his decision?

Which defenders make it tough on the QBs?

Don’t expect the Tigers’ defensive players to make life easy for Horn and Pribula. Safety Jalen Catalon, a transfer from UNLV, made things especially tough during spring practices.

Who else creates headaches for the offense?

Marvin Burks Jr., who’s expected to start alongside Catalon on the last line of defense, is one candidate. Perhaps the most beneficial to the strength of MU’s defense would be takeaway-generation from the cornerback room.

That group struggled at times last season. Drey Norwood was passable and seems likely to hold on to a starting role this season. Neither Toriano Pride Jr. nor Nick Deloach Jr. could keep hold of the second starting spot, and Washington State transfer Stephen Hall arrived over the offseason to push that duo. Some fall camp havoc created by any of those players could have implications for regular-season playing time.

How many receivers will be in the picture?

Quarterbacks, check. Defensive backs, check. Now for the other part of the passing game: the receivers. How many of them will demonstrate they’re ready for a role this season?

There’s one core group of wide receivers that seems fairly established: Kevin Coleman Jr. in the slot, Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson on the outside, then Daniel Blood off the bench. It’d be no surprise if those four take up the vast majority of targets, but there’ll be routes and passes up for grabs for at least a couple of others. Is that Illinois State transfer Xavier Loyd, who’s jumping back up to the FBS level? James Madison II, who redshirted as a freshman but ought to compete for more now? True freshmen Donovan Olugbode or Shaun Terry II?

The question extends to the tight end room as well. When healthy, starter Brett Norfleet presents great value as a receiving option. That hasn’t quite clicked for Jordon Harris, who’s entering his third season as a tight end. Do transfers Vince Brown II or Gavin Hoffman enter the conversation? The TEs could very well push their way into the receiving hierarchy, too.

Which redshirts burn early?

Related to a couple of names in the receiving section: Which true freshmen look ready for roles? Most of them will wind up redshirting, but there are always a couple who carve out roles as key backups or special teams players.

Olugbode and Terry are among the candidates. Running back Marquise Davis has a distinctly un-freshman physique. Defensive end Javion Hilson faces steep competition at his position group but ought to make a push. A defensive back like C.J. Bass III is often able to crack the special teams bubble.

All of those players have already earned their jersey numbers, which is the first rite of passage for newcomers to the program. Perhaps that’s a sign of roles to come.

Can the Tigers keep a clean bill of health?

A small number of players will enter camp at slightly less than 100%, or at least coming off significant injuries: center Connor Tollison (ACL), edge rusher Darris Smith (ACL), Norwood (Achilles) to name a few. Their recoveries have all gone as planned, or the program at least feels comfortable with where things stand.

But Smith’s injury, which occurred on a fairly innocuous practice rep last fall camp, was a rare example of a freak loss that can happen during the preseason. By blending luck and sports science, can MU keep something like that from happening again while bringing those recovering from injuries back up to full speed?

That might be a lot to ask for, but a clean bill of health heading into the opener against Central Arkansas would be a clear preseason victory for Mizzou.