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The Penn State Nittany Lions are gearing up for the College Football Playoff. They’ll be down one quarterback when they take the field vs. SMU later this month.
Reserve signal caller Beau Pribula has entered the transfer portal. He’s looking for an opportunity to land a starting job.
The loss isn’t insignificant for the Nittany Lions. Pribula has played the QB2 role throughout the season, providing the Penn State offense with a change of pace under center.
The sophomore logged nearly 200 snaps this season, most recently playing against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. On the year, he totaled 242 rushing yards, 275 passing yards, and accounted for nine touchdowns.
He was often used as a threat with his legs, giving starter Drew Allar a break while forcing opposing defenses to prepare for a different style of quarterback play. And the Nittany Lions might not be here without him!
Earlier in the season, Allar was injured during a game vs. Wisconsin. Pribula helped his team overcome a 10-7 halftime deficit to win 28-13. He led the offense on two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to allow the Nittany Lions to pull away.
His spot on the depth chart, however, wasn’t enough to keep him happy. With Allar set to return for one more season, Pribula read the writing on the wall. He’s now exploring his options in the portal, announcing his transfer intentions on social media Sunday.
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James Franklin was supportive of Beau Pribula’s transfer decision.
The Penn State head football coach says his backup quarterback was put in a “no-win situation” thanks to the timing of the transfer season.
“Beau Pribula has been a phenomenal teammate and a big reason why we are where we are. Being a backup QB is never an easy thing to do and he went about it the right way. In my opinion, he’s a man’s man. He came into my office and had multiple conversations about this process. We’ve got problems in college football. Beau did not want to leave our program until the end of the season… He felt like he was in a no-win situation, and I agree with him.”
-James Franklin
The transfer portal window opens prior to postseason contests. While players could wait until after some of those matchups have been completed, they then risk losing out on potential opportunities as schools look to fill their roster needs as quickly as possible. Transfers must choose between loyalty and their future. It truly is no-win!
Pribula obviously struggled with that situation, but at the end of the day, he chose his future. It will be interesting to see where he winds up.