COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri graduate students Brady Cook and Theo Wease Jr. recently accepted invitations to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Cook, who already participated in the Hula Bowl back on Jan. 11, and Wease Jr. will join previously announced Johnny Walker Jr. at this year’s Shrine Bowl. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This marks the first time since 2020 that three Tigers have been invited to the prestigious bowl during the same season.
Cook, Walker Jr. and Wease Jr. become the 54th, 55th and 56th players in program history to be invited to the East-West Shrine Game, joining John Waldorf (1930), Jack Frye (1937), Maurice Kirk (1938), Paul Christman (1941), Mike Fitzgerald (1943), Don Reece (1943), Bob Steuber (1943), James Kekeris (1947), John Kadlec (1951), Edward Stephens (1951), Don Chadwick (1958), William Rowekamp (1953), Charles Rash (1958), Ed Blaine (1961), Tom Hertz (1962), Conrad Hitchler (1962), Jim Johnson (1962), David Gill (1963), Charlie Brown (1966), Mel Gray (1971), Kellen Winslow (1978), Mark Jones (1979), Kurt Petersen (1979), Jeff Gaylord (1981), Conrad Goode (1984), John Clay (1986), Erik McMillan (1987), Tom Whelihan (1987), Steve Vandegrift (1988), Mike Bedosky (1993), Brock Olivo (1998), Craig Heimburger (1999), Justin Gage (2003), A.J. Ricker (2004), Will Franklin (2008), Chase Daniel (2009), Stryker Sulak (2009), Jaron Baston (2010), Dominique Hamilton (2012), Justin Britt (2014), E.J. Gaines (2014), Josh Augusta (2017), Aarion Penton (2017), Marcell Frazier (2018), Paul Adams (2019), Terry Beckner, Jr. (2019), Kendall Blanton (2019), DeMarkus Acy (2020), Kelly Bryant (2020), Yasir Durant (2020), Johnathon Johnson (2020), JC Carlies (2024), and Harrison Mevis (2024).
Cook, a 6-2, 212-pound St. Louis native, registered 201-of-321 (.626) passing attempts for 2,535 yards with 11 touchdowns and 87 rushes for 223 yards and five scores during his final season. He concluded his career with a 26-13 all-time record as the Tigers’ starting quarterback, which ranks as the second-most wins in program history. In addition, he finished No. 2 in program lore in career passing efficiency rating (143.53), No. 3 in passing yards (9,013) and 200-yard passing performances (26), No. 4 in total offense (10,222) and No. 5 in passing touchdowns. He also became the first quarterback in program history to amass 9,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards (1,209) in a career and joined Chase Daniel (2005-08), Brad Smith (2002-05) and Drew Lock (2015-18) as the only players in MU history with 10,000-plus yards of total offense.
Walker Jr., a 6-3, 250-pound native of Tampa, Florida, led the Tigers in tackles for loss (12.5), sacks (9.5) and forced fumbles (3) last season. He concluded the year holding the longest sack streak nationally (seven consecutive games) and ranked 17th in the country and fourth in the SEC with 0.73 sacks per game. Walker Jr.’s season sack total was the eighth-most in program history and the most by a Tiger since 2014. Additionally, the Second Team All-SEC selection finished the year with 44 tackles, four quarterback pressures, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery. He helped anchor a defense that ranked sixth in the country in third down conversion percentage defense, seventh in first down defense, 17th in total defense, and 20th in scoring defense.
Wease Jr., a 6-2, 210-pound Allen, Texas, native led the team with 884 receiving yards on 60 receptions with four touchdowns. He totaled 100-plus receiving yards on two occasions against Buffalo and Arkansas and posted 50-plus yards 10 times. Against Oklahoma, the wideout notched his first two-touchdown performance since playing for the Sooners back in 2020. He also registered a receiving score against Texas A&M and Iowa in the 2024 TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Wease Jr. concluded his collegiate career with 173 receptions for 2,610 yards (15.09) with 20 touchdowns. He was one of nine active FBS receivers this past season with four touchdown receptions in four different seasons and held a 27-game consecutive reception streak, including every game played as a Tiger.
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