James Franklin is tearing up the college football schedule amid a key transfer ahead of the CFP

Penn State is the No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff and hosts No. 11 seed SMU on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions have a big game to focus on and try to focus their attention on this game.

However, after backup quarterback and Redzone contributor Beau Pribula announced his intention to transfer before Penn State’s first-round game, citing that the “overlapping CFB playoff and transfer portal schedule” had forced him to make “an impossible decision,” agreed his former coach Franklin ripped up the college football schedule while praising Pribula’s contributions.

“We have problems in college football, and I can give you my word, Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program, and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season,” Franklin told the media Monday. “But the way the portal is and the timing and the way our team plays and when you play the quarterback position and there’s only one spot and those spots are getting filled more and more, he felt “Like he’s hit a dead end.” I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the student-athlete and I don’t think it’s in the best interest of college football.

Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar announced he would return for the 2025 season. While the announcement came after Pribula’s announced transfer, these conversations about Allar’s return likely also contributed to Pribula’s decision to leave Penn State. Had Allar gone to the NFL, Pribula likely would have been the favorite to become the starting quarterback in Happy Valley.

But now Pribula is in the portal and Penn State has failed to contribute to their success in the most important part of its season.

Pribula, who has two years of eligibility left, is second on the team with six rushing touchdowns on 38 carries this season. He rushed for 242 yards. Pribula also completed 26 of 35 pass attempts for 275 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.