Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula plans to enter NCAA transfer portal; will he stick with the Lions in the Playoffs?
Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, a source told On3’s Pete Nakos on Sunday night. The Nittany Lion passer is not expected to be with the team for the College Football Playoff, per Nakos. Head coach James Franklin’s program is the No. 6 seed and faces SMU in the first round. Kickoff is set for Noon ET on Dec. 21. TNT will televise the game from Beaver Stadium.
Pribula completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception this season. He also rushed 38 times for 260 yards and four scores. He was the Lions’ backup for the last two seasons. If he ultimately decides to not stick around for the Lions’ College Football Playoff matchup with the Mustangs, freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer will likely be the team’s backup quarterback. Penn State could have redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik back in action. But, his status has not been updated since Sept. 25.
“Jaxon is able to do only what you have seen so far,” Franklin said. “He’s been cleared to throw pat and gos in pregame. So that’s just kind of where he’s at.”
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Pribula rose to the occasion to lead the Lions over Wisconsin on the road earlier this year with Allar sidelined. It would likely not be in a Playoff spot without that win.
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“I’m proud of him,” Franklin said after the game. “He’s a winner. He accepts his role and is battling every week to be the starting quarterback. Makes plays with his feet, his mind and his arm. I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s a big time player and he’s unselfish in a time in college football that a lot of guys are selfish.”
Added Pribula:
“My coach, Danny O’Brien, does a great job of keeping the mindset of preparing us to start. So it really wasn’t hard. Just had to settle in a little bit. My teammates had my back. Thankfully, we’ll walk out of here with a dub. It was a great atmosphere.
“I didn’t want to let my teammates down. We work to hard to give up something like that. Just come in and do my job and that’s all I have to do. Keep these wins coming.”
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