Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula will next suit up for Missouri. Pribula, who entered the transfer portal last week ahead of Penn State’s first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff, made his decision official on Sunday as the Tigers announced his signing.
Beau is a Tiger.
✍️ @beauprib #MIZ | #STP pic.twitter.com/GDiamxyV4g
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 23, 2024
Pribula served as Drew Allar’s backup the last two seasons. With two years of eligibility remaining and Allar planning to return to Penn State in 2025, Pribula spent the past week searching for his next school. The timing of Pribula’s exit, which he called an “impossible decision” in a statement on X, left Penn State entering the Playoff without its versatile backup quarterback whose unique role in Andy Kotelnicki’s offense allowed him to see playing time in every game this season.
Pribula finished the season having completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. He also ran the ball 38 times for 260 yards with four rushing touchdowns. Most notably, the 6-2, 207-pound quarterback stepped in on the road at Wisconsin this season and played the entire second half of the 28-13 win when Allar was injured, completing 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards with one touchdown and added 28 rushing yards. It was the best and most comfortable the lifelong Penn State fan had ever looked in a Nittany Lions uniform.
Allar and Pribula were both part of the 2022 recruiting class that is now the cornerstone of Penn State’s roster, and Pribula helped lead the peer recruiting efforts. Teammates spoke this past week about the challenges of not having Pribula this postseason, and some posted about him even after Saturday’s 38-10 first-round win against SMU.
Crying in da club https://t.co/oQzJ8Z9xvA
— DeLuca (@dominic_deluca9) December 22, 2024
The Nittany Lions expected to have Pribula on the roster this postseason, but James Franklin said last week it became clear as game prep started that there was no feasible solution in which Pribula could visit other schools, take final exams at Penn State and prepare to play in a Playoff game. Both sides agreed last Sunday that Pribula would move on, and without him Penn State elevated true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who saw the field late in place of Allar in Saturday’s win.
At Missouri, Pribula will look to replace Brady Cook, the Tigers’ starter the last three seasons. Missouri backup Drew Pyne appeared in six games this fall.
There is, however, one more Penn State connection to Missouri’s new-look quarterback room. Tigers signee Matt Zollers, a four-star prospect from Springford High School in Royersford, Pa., was heavily recruited by Penn State but picked Mizzou over the Nittany Lions, Georgia and Pitt. Missouri’s quarterback of the future missed most of his senior season of high school due to injury.
(Photo: John Fisher / Getty Images)
