It's go time for former Penn State football quarterback Beau Pribula.
On Saturday, Virginia announced that Pribula won the starting job for the Cavaliers. The former Nittany Lion transferred to the program from Missouri. He spent one season with the Tigers after three seasons in Happy Valley.
Virginia officially names Missouri transfer Beau Pribula QB1 with Pitt transfer Eli Holstein as his backup. https://t.co/1TgfFlyPLg https://t.co/xGSsyReaie
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) July 19, 2026
Beau Pribula beats out Eli Holstein for starting quarterback job at Virginia
Pribula's Penn State career never took off. After a redshirting his true freshman season in 2022, he continued taking a backseat as now Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar was in the spotlight as the blue and white's QB1.
At the end of the 2024 season just before the Nittany Lions started their College Football Playoff run, former head coach James Franklin and Pribula agreed it was best for the quarterback to transfer. He entered the Transfer Portal having not experienced a CFP win with his Penn State squad and landed at Missouri.
Pribula started in all 10 games he appeared in. He sustained an ankle injury in October, but was medically cleared before the end of the season and was back in action for the Tigers. In one season at Missouri, Pribula finished with a 67.4 completion percentage. He threw for 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns on 182 completed passes.
After experiencing the Big Ten and the SEC, Pribula hopes to build on an 11-3 season in the ACC. The the last time the Cavaliers had a double-digit win season was in 1989, and the last time they finished above .500 was in 2019 (9-5).
This isn't the only time Pribula fought for a starting role. At Missouri, the QB1 position was unknown for quite sometime. Even in Week 1, Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz played both Pribula and Sam Horn to see which was a better fit. He based his decision off game action rather than offseason and fall camp performance.
Luckily for Pribula, Virginia didn't draw out this process. Pittsburgh quarterback transfer Eli Holstein was in competition for the starting role, but he will sit back as the Cavaliers primary backup in 2026.
Holstein is listed as a senior on Virginia's roster. He redshirted his true freshman season at Alabama in 2023 and played two seasons with the Panthers. With Pribula having one last chance at the collegiate level, Holstein still has a season to step up as Virginia's starter after 2026.
When Pribula left Penn State, it was a sad day for fans as they watched the Pennsylvania native leave the state and not get a true shot to prove himself as a Nittany Lion. While he didn't have a perfect season at Missouri, his success made the blue and white faithful proud and that support will likely continue as he takes on the ACC.
Pribula will face former Penn State head coach James Franklin in the regular season finale. Virginia and Virginia Tech are scheduled to play Nov. 28.
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