Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterDec 15, 2024, 09:33 PM ET
- College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula is set to enter the transfer portal and leave the team ahead of the College Football Playoff, citing an "overlapping CFB playoff and transfer portal timeline."
Pribula, a redshirt sophomore from York, Pennsylvania, had been a key part of Penn State's offense throughout the season while playing behind starter Drew Allar. He tied for second on the team in rushing touchdowns with six and was third in both carries (38) and rushing yards (242), giving first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki a unique change-up quarterback.
The 6-2, 206-pound Pribula also completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards with five touchdowns and an interception. He saw his most extensive action in the second half of an Oct. 26 win at Wisconsin, when he replaced an injured Allar and completed 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, and added 28 rushing yards.
"The current NCAA post-season model creates a challenge for student-athletes," Pribula wrote on social media. "The overlapping CFB playoff & transfer portal timeline has forced me into an impossible decision. After speaking at length with my family and coaches, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my intentions to enter the transfer portal and depart from the team to explore opportunities elsewhere."
Penn State will host SMU on Dec. 21 in a first-round CFP game at Beaver Stadium.
The portal has quickly populated since officially opening Monday, and a number of quarterbacks have begun selecting their transfer destinations for the 2025 season. SMU's backup quarterback Preston Stone also entered the portal last week, although he plans to remain with the Mustangs through their CFP run.
Pribula isn't the first quarterback to enter the portal before his team competes in the CFP. Former Texas backup quarterback Maalik Murphy entered the portal in mid-December 2023 and departed the team before the Longhorns faced Washington in a CFP semifinal. Murphy transferred to Duke and started throughout the 2024 season before re-entering the portal.
Allar and Pribula are the only Penn State quarterbacks to attempt passes this season (tight end Tyler Warren has five pass attempts). True freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, ESPN's No. 76 recruit in the 2024 class, is set to back up Allar for the CFP.
