Former Penn State football quarterback Bekkem Kritza was a work in progress project since joining the Nittany Lions in 2025. However, as a new chapter unfolds in Happy Valley, Kritza was one of the many players to enter the Transfer Portal with head coach Matt Campbell painting a new future for the program.
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Kritza entered the Transfer Portal on Dec. 30. He was the third quarterback from State College to enter the portal, doing so after Ethan Grunkemeyer and Jaxon Smolik. On Monday, Jan. 26, nearly one month later, he announced where his new home is moving forward: Alabama A&M.
Home 🏠 thank you GOD🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/C9wWjZySOl
— Bekkem Kritza (@stretch2025) January 26, 2026
Quarterback Bekkem Kritza transfers to Alabama A&M from Penn State
On the Penn State depth chart, Kritza's name wasn't even thrown into question for his true freshman season. Wide receiver Liam Clifford was tabbed as the emergency quarterback, backing up Grunkemeyer after Smolik sustained an injury in Week 8. Kritza wasn't considered a solid second-string as the quarterback room thinned.
The Hollywood, Fla. native was a three-star recruit and 51st-ranked quarterback from his class, per 247Sports Composite rankings. Kritza was also the 97th-ranked recruit out of Florida. As a transfer, per 247Sports Transfer Rankings, he was ranked 1,404th overall and No. 90 out of quarterbacks in the portal.
Now jumping out of the portal, Kritza transferring to an FCS team isn't surprising considering the uphill climb he had ahead of him with the Nittany Lions. If Penn State's 2025 season went as expected, it still wasn't very likely for Kritza to be considered a solid third-string option depending on his development. With the Bulldogs, he has an opportunity to get more on-field experience, polish his skills, and potentially make a case to jump back to the FBS level for his final collegiate season.
As a senior in high school, Kritza threw for 885 yards and 24 touchdowns over six games. His best performance came in his freshman season where he threw for 3,192 yards and 22 scores. He finished his high school career with 5,824 passing yards and 56 passing touchdowns to his name.