Penn State head coach James Franklin hopes that in the future, college football players won’t face the same decision that backup quarterback Beau Pribula had to make.
Pribula, a sophomore who played a key role in helping No. 5 Penn State reach the College Football Playoff, has decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal. As a result, he won’t be part of the team’s push for a national championship, which starts with a game against SMU at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
Franklin spoke about the situation on Monday, saying, “We’ve got problems in college football.” He explained that Pribula didn’t want to leave the team until after the season, but the timing of the transfer portal created a difficult situation for him.
With only one quarterback spot on a team, and those spots filling up quickly, Pribula felt like he had no choice but to transfer. Franklin agreed with him.
According to the rules, players must enter the portal by Dec. 28 to be eligible for transfers. After that, they cannot transfer again until April 16, 2025. Franklin said the current transfer window, which was shortened by 15 days after complaints from coaches, isn’t ideal. He mentioned that Marshall pulled out of a bowl game after many of its players entered the portal.
Pribula, who wants to be a starter for his final two years of eligibility, realized he would likely have to wait another year at Penn State, as Drew Allar, the current starter, is returning for his senior season next year.
Waiting until April to enter the portal would leave him with fewer options and less time to adjust to a new team, as most programs would have already signed quarterbacks and begun spring practices by the time the portal closes on April 25.
Pribula, from York, Pennsylvania, also wanted to compete for an NCAA championship with the program he had always dreamed of playing for. However, the dual-threat player, who contributed 517 yards of total offense and nine total touchdowns this season, will now look for a new program to join.
Franklin shared, “Beau grew up wanting to come to Penn State his whole life. This is his dream school and he had a phenomenal career here, and I just want everyone to understand that most importantly, and why have we created a system where this guy couldn’t finish the season with his team?”
Although Franklin previously stated that Penn State players who enter the portal are no longer part of the team’s plans, he was willing to make an exception for Pribula. However, during practice earlier this week, both Franklin and Pribula realized that the quarterback’s focus was no longer fully on the team.
They agreed it would be best for Pribula to part ways with the team, so he could focus on finishing his finals and visiting potential new schools.
Franklin said, “Beau felt like he was going to have a hard time finishing school, finding a place that he wanted to go to, and still preparing like the starter like he’d been doing all year long.”
While Pribula was not the starting quarterback, he stepped up when needed. He helped keep Penn State’s hopes of reaching the Big Ten title game alive by replacing an injured Allar during a game against Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lions were trailing, but Pribula led them to a 28-13 comeback victory, completing 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, and running six times for 48 yards.
Center Nick Dawkins praised Pribula, saying, “Beau is one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. It’s tough when they have windows like that that allow guys to have to make personal decisions that impact the team, so it’s a tough situation obviously for him and I only wish him the best.”
Without Pribula, Penn State will likely turn to freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer to back up Allar. Although Grunkemeyer has traveled with the team, he has yet to play in a game.
Another freshman, Jaxon Smolik, could also get playing time but was only recently cleared to resume practice after being out all season due to an unspecified injury.
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki acknowledged the challenge of losing Pribula, saying, “It’s a spoke in the wheel of what we’re doing, that kind of package, so it’ll be replaced with another kind of spoke.”
