Don’t blame Beau Pribula or Penn State – the broken system is to blame for the QB’s difficult exit

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Beau Pribula was on the practice field Sunday afternoon as Penn State held its first on-field practice ahead of Saturday’s College Football Playoff game at Beaver Stadium.

Pribula spent the last three years on campus, fulfilling a childhood dream. Growing up in York, Pennsylvania, there was really only one place the quarterback could ever imagine playing college football. As a child, he kept an eye on his beloved Nittany Lions and even dressed up as a Penn State football player for Halloween. This was his dream school.

Pribula watched from afar as a mobile quarterback named Trace McSorley helped propel James Franklin’s program forward. He wanted to be like him. Even as the Nittany Lions added another quarterback to the 2022 recruiting class, there was five-star prospect Drew Allar, the in-state kid who talked so often during his recruitment about wanting to help bring a national championship to this one Bringing place – idolizing the place he grew up in – was still all in there.

Until Sunday night, Penn State and Pribula thought they might somehow be able to beat an NCAA schedule that wasn’t designed for players like him. This model does not provide flexibility for quarterbacks who know they will have to find another team before the start of the next semester but who are also instrumental to their current team’s postseason success.

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— Beau Pribula (@beauprib) December 16, 2024

Pribula is not just any backup quarterback on a playoff team. He is a leader who played a role in every game this season and scored nine touchdowns. He was the guy who came on as a substitute at Wisconsin to help Penn State win a tough road game. The Nittany Lions regularly used a two-quarterback package with Pribula and ran plays designed specifically for him. His speed and change of direction gave the defense a lot to think about.

Penn State planned to have Pribula on the field this weekend for the team’s most important game of the season — until it became clear Sunday, when Franklin sensed his quarterback was “distracted” by everything that was unfairly asked of him. was.

“We have problems in college football,” Franklin said Monday. “And I can give you my word – Beau Pribula didn’t want to leave our program and he didn’t want to leave our program until the end of the season. … When you play the quarterback position and there’s only one spot and those spots keep getting filled, he felt like he was put in a no-win situation, and I agree with him.”

Tears welled up in Franklin’s eyes as he spoke joyfully about a player who desperately wanted to be on his team but also knew he had to take care of his future. Allar announced Monday that he plans to return for his senior season in 2025, information that was surely passed between teammates and friends before any of them made their decision public about next season.

“Unfortunately, that’s the situation in college football right now,” Allar said. “He’s one of the reasons we’re here. It’s a shame he can’t go out with us on Saturday.”

What should Pribula do? A broken system led him and Penn State to this no-win situation. Immediately after Pribula’s announcement on Sunday evening, some fans unfairly criticized him for leaving the team and thus leaving. Getting upset about a player in this predicament is unfair. Criticism of his commitment if this ridiculous schedule results in the transfer portal window closing on December 28th is the reason for fans to vent their anger.

Yes, the portal remains open longer for teams in the playoffs, but Penn State could still be playing games well into January. The national championship will take place on January 20th. How many schools will still be looking for a starting quarterback in January? Many quarterbacks whose teams compete in minor league bowl games or whose teams did not qualify for a bowl have signed with their next schools.

There is also a risk that Pribula will remain in the knowledge that he has planned a move. Franklin has long maintained his policy that once a player enters the transfer portal, his locker is cleared out and he is no longer on the team. But as long as Pribula’s name wasn’t in the portal, he couldn’t legally have any contact with other teams. And how will he complete his visits as Penn State prepares for the most important game of the season? Oh, and Penn State also has finals this week.

Sure, he could wait until the next transfer window opens in April, but good luck finding a team and winning a starting spot if you’re not on campus for spring ball.

And yes, Penn State’s opponent on Saturday, SMU, has a backup quarterback (Preston Stone) who entered the portal but is still on the team. But every situation is different. What works for SMU may not work for Penn State.

“Why did we create a system where this guy couldn’t finish this season with his team?” Franklin said as he called for someone to take over the role of college football commissioner.

“Obviously I have a responsibility to Penn State and our football program, but I also feel like I have a responsibility to Beau Pribula as well,” he said. “I hate it. I do. I hate it for him. I hate it for Penn State, but I also don’t think it’s right for college football.”

Franklin even seemed open to potentially changing his own portal rule to keep Pribula around longer, saying he asked some of the team leaders if they thought it could work. Ultimately, Franklin said Pribula felt there was no way he could maintain his high level of preparation, complete this semester, talk to other schools and take visits as the playoffs begin.

“It’s the first time something like this has happened, so there’s really no right answer to any of this stuff,” tight end Tyler Warren said. “This is the best thing for him at the moment, but we love him. That’s our guy. This is my roommate and he is one of my better friends. It’s different at the moment, but he’s a great teammate and we have a lot of respect for him.”

And so Penn State continues with one less quarterback in the meeting room and a game plan in which offensive coordinators Andy Kotelnicki and Franklin said they would “leverage different pieces of the puzzle” to bring in other players to help offset Pribula’s departure. Whether it’s players who have seen the field this season or others who have impressed on the development teams, Franklin said they need to find a solution. In reality, this chaotic NCAA calendar has left them no choice.

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)