Penn State football adds commitment from 2025 quarterback Bekkem Kritza
Penn State has picked up a quarterback in the Class of 2025. Fresh off his third visit to Happy Valley over the weekend, Boulder (Colo.) Fairview signal-caller Bekkem Kritza announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Tuesday evening. The three-star prospect made his choice while on campus this weekend.
“I came in and I was ready to commit and get my recruitment over with,” he told BWI earlier this week. “I had a feeling, ever since I went up there the first time, that the vibe was different. I took a few other visits and stuff, checked out other schools, and realized that I wasn’t going to find it anywhere else like they do. The honesty and loyalty part, I’m not going to find that anywhere as much as I did at Penn State.
“Once I realized that, I started to connect more and more with coach [James] Franklin. We were on the phone probably every other day. All the coaches text me every day. It wasn’t just checking to see how I was doing on the field, but also off of it. How my life was going and things like that. Them doing that, it was a big difference maker for me.”
Penn State staff made the difference in Kritza’s recruitment
Franklin and the staff, even without an active full-time offensive coordinator at this point, made the difference for Kritza.
“That whole staff, from coach Franklin all the way down, that’s really what I looked for,” he said. “I know a lot of colleges, they like to tell you all the good stuff when you’re on a recruiting visit. They tell you all the good things, how good you are and things like that. With them, they told me the good things but also told me the things that I needed to work on. Having those coaches be honest like that, it doesn’t get any better than that on and off the field.”
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The 6-foot-5, 185-pound prospect threw for 1,747 yards and tossed 20 touchdowns to just three interceptions in six games as a junior for Fairview in 2023. He spent his sophomore year in California after starring as a freshman in 2021 at Fairview. That year he threw for a state-best 3,192 yards with 23 touchdowns. He was named the Colorado Prep Reports 5A North Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman.
Kritza is Penn State’s sixth commitment in 2025 class
Kritza is the No. 33 quarterback nationally and the No. 1 prospect in Colorado according to the On3 Industry rankings. He camped for the Nittany Lions in July and also attended the Lasch Bash recruiting barbecue before the season.
Penn State made a change at offensive coordinator on Sunday, as Franklin relieved Mike Yurcich of his duties. Kritza was informed of the news this weekend and he said it doesn’t change his opinion of the Nittany Lions.
“I love coach Yurcich, that’s my guy, don’t get me wrong. But when I commit to a school, I’m committing to the school and to the head coach,” he said. “I’m not really committing to a quarterbacks coach or an OC. He’s a great guy, a great coach, I’m always going to keep in touch with him, but that’s my take on that.”
