Since losing to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game and learning that his team would be the No. 6 overall in the 12-team College Football Playoff, James Franklin has been preparing his team for a first-round matchup with 11-seed SMU at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, December 21. Now, with just six days until that game, Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki must hatch a new plan, one that doesn’t include backup quarterback Beau Pribula.
On Sunday night, seemingly out of nowhere, Pribula announced that he would be entering the transfer portal and departing the team to seek other opportunities. In his farewell post, the redshirt sophomore quarterback acknowledged that the current NCAA transfer portal system puts players in a difficult situation, forcing many to decide to either leave before the playoff while roster spots and NIL dollars are still available or to stick with their current team for a CFP run and risk forfeiting earning potential by entering the late-portal window after their team’s season ends.
— Beau Pribula (@beauprib) December 16, 2024
While it is not a crushing blow, the Nittany Lions regularly deploy the athletic quarterback in two-QB sets with Drew Allar still on the field. Pribula’s rushing ability provides a unique element that the offense often lacks with its entrenched starter, however, you can argue that most of Pribula’s touches were in hopes of preventing a portal departure this offseason. Pribula played 187 total offensive snaps in 2024, though, just five in the Big Ten title game as his role continued to decrease with Allar steadily improving his play under Kotelnicki.
Pribula’s biggest contribution of the season came in the second half against Wisconsin. Pribula replaced Allar, who was injured just before halftime, and erased a 10-7 halftime deficit, going 11/13 for 98 yards and a touchdown with another 28 yards on the ground. He finished the year 26/35 for 275 yards with five touchdowns, one interception, and four more scores on the ground.
Pribula, a PA native, arrived in Happy Valley as a three-star recruit in the 2022 class, along with Allar, a five-star and the No. 1 QB in the country. He redshirted his freshman season while Allar did not, and so has one additional year of eligibility, but after showcasing his abilities in an expanded role, is done waiting for a starting opportunity at Penn State. This decision likely points to Allar returning to Penn State for 2025 and forgoing the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Pribula gone, four-star true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer will serve as Penn State's backup QB against SMU, and possibly beyond. This decision also makes Grunkemeyer the obvious heir-apparent to Allar in 2026 as a redshirt sophomore. While the loss of Pribula's gadget plays may not hurt the Nittany Lions in the CFP, the loss of depth at the quarterback position will if Allar sustains an injury.