Adam Rittenberg, ESPN senior writer
Penn State coach James Franklin defended backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who entered the transfer portal on Monday and will leave the team before the College Football Playoff, saying “we’re There’s a problem in college football” and Pribula “should not be put in this position.”
Franklin said the opening of the transfer portal overlapped with CFP preparations and games, creating a sense of urgency for quarterbacks making transfer decisions and creating an untenable situation.
“The overlap of the CFB playoff and transfer portal schedules forced me to make an impossible decision,” redshirt sophomore Pribula, who plays in Penn State’s offense, wrote on social media on Sunday Played a clear role behind starter Drew Allar.
Aral wrote in the portal after he notified Penn State coaches that he would return for the 2025 season.
“We have a problem in college football and I can guarantee you that Beau Pribula doesn’t want to leave our program and he doesn’t want to leave our program before the end of the season,” Franklin said Monday. “But the way the portal is going, , the timing and the way our team is playing, when you’re at the quarterback position, there’s only one position, and those spots are being filled, he felt like he was put in a situation that wasn’t… winnable, I agree with him.
“Number one, I hate it, and number one is Beau Pribula. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the student-athletes, I don’t think it’s in the best interest of college football.”
Franklin said Pribula “is a great teammate and a big reason why we’re where we are,” and said he accepted the challenging role of backup quarterback.
Pribula had multiple conversations with Franklin before finalizing the decision and timing.
CFP No. 6 seed Penn State will host No. 11 seed SMU on Saturday in a CFP first-round game.
Pribula, a redshirt sophomore, ranks second on the team with six rushing touchdowns and third in rushing (38) and rushing yards (242). He also completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
Pribula isn’t the first quarterback to enter the portal before his team plays in the CFP. Former Texas backup quarterback Maalik Murphy joined the team in mid-December 2023 and left before the Longhorns faced Washington in the CFP semifinals.
Murphy transferred to Duke and started the entire 2024 season before re-entering the portal.
SMU backup quarterback Preston Stone also entered the transfer portal last week, but will remain with the Broncos (CFP).
Alar and Pribula were the only Penn State quarterbacks to attempt passes this season. Ethan Grunkemeyer, No. 76 in ESPN’s Class of 2024, is a true freshman who will back up Allar in the College Football Playoff.
