After starting the final eight games of the 2015 season as a true freshman, Drew Lock might be the favorite to earn back right under center as Missouri coach Barry Odom continues to look for a viable option at quarterback this spring.

But redshirt sophomore Marvin Zanders, a former 3-star recruit from the ’14 class, has been pushing lock during practice and has earned what some might call a promotion. He was handed an orange jersey for Tuesday’s practice, which signifies that he’s eligible for contact, as non-contact QBs wear green.

With 4.5 speed, Zanders provides Odom with a dual-threat look and even if he doesn’t win the starting job outright this offseason, he could give the Tigers’ offense a nice change of pace in special packages that would feature his running ability.

“I want to show every facet of my game,” Zanders said, per the Missourian. “By being in orange, it lets me show my running game a little bit more. I don’t mind it one bit.”

Not only does this give Zanders some valuable real-time experience against a live defense, but it goes both ways; the defense benefits from having to compete against a mobile quarterback in the month of April, full contact included.

“A one-hand tag is not necessarily a tackle,” Odom said. “So for that, we’ve changed his jersey color and he’s taking some contact. We want a more realistic look for him, and (we want to see) if (the defense) can actually tackle him.”