Penn State backup QB Pribula skips CFP and enters portal

Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula will enter the transfer portal and leave the team before the College Football Playoff, citing an “overlapping CFB playoffs and transfer portal schedule.”

Pribula, a redshirt sophomore from York, Pennsylvania, was a key part of Penn State’s offense throughout the season while playing behind starter Drew Allar. He ranked second on the team with six rushing touchdowns 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 one interception. His most extensive action came in the second half of an Oct. 26 win at Wisconsin, when he replaced the injured Allar and completed 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown and added 28 rushing yards.

“The current NCAA postseason model presents a challenge for student-athletes,” Pribula wrote on social media. “The overlapping CFB playoffs and transfer portal schedule forced me to make an impossible decision. After speaking at length with my family and coaches, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my intention to enter the transfer portal and leave the team to explore opportunities elsewhere.

Penn State hosts SMU on Dec. 21 in a CFP first-round game at Beaver Stadium.

The portal has filled quickly since it officially opened on Monday and a number of quarterbacks have begun selecting their transfer targets for the 2025 season. SMU’s backup quarterback Preston Stone also entered the portal last week, although he plans to remain with the Mustangs during 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 left the team before the Longhorns faced Washington in the CFP semifinals. Murphy transferred to Duke and played the entire 2024 season before returning to the portal.

Allar and Pribula are the only Penn State quarterbacks attempting passes this season (tight end Tyler Warren has five pass attempts). True freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, ESPN’s No. 76 recruit in the 2024 class, will back up Allar for the CFP.