The Tigers have found their portal quarterback.
Beau Pribula, a Penn State transfer, committed to Missouri football on Sunday, per a report from 247Sports reporter Matt Zenitz. With three-year starter Brady Cook set to graduate at the end of this season, the Tigers were actively looking for a player to join the QB room in 2025.
Mizzou landed on Pribula, who also reportedly drew interest from UCF, Indiana, Ole Miss and Iowa.
Pribula will join a room with Sam Horn, Drew Pyne, and 2025 signee Matt Zollers, who, like Pribula, hails from Pennsylvania.
Here are three things to know about Missouri’s transfer quarterback:
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Why did Beau Pribula enter the transfer portal?
Pribula drew national attention when he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 15, less than a week before Penn State’s first-round College Football Playoff game against SMU, which the Nittany Lions wound up winning Saturday.
Penn State’s starter, Drew Allar, later announced he is returning for the 2025 season, meaning Pribula — who played a unique role in PSU’s offense — was likely to be a backup again next season.
Transferring gave Pribula a better chance of starting, but the timing, as he noted in a message shared on social media, was inconvenient.
“The current NCAA postseason model creates a challenge for student-athletes,” Pribula wrote. “The overlapping CFB playoff and transfer portal timeline has forced me into an impossible decision. After speaking at length with my family and coaches, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my intentions to enter the transfer portal and depart from the team to explore opportunities elsewhere.”
If Pribula had not entered the transfer portal, he likely would not have been able to take any official visits until January. There is a recruiting dead period from Monday until Jan. 1 for transfers, which means teams would not have been able to host him on campus until the new year. Most teams will likely have filled their quarterback position by then.
What are Pribula’s strengths?
Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki used Pribula in a number of ways, frequently bringing him into the game for designed runs. Despite being the backup, Pribula was an important part of the PSU offense.
Over the past two seasons, Pribula has taken 94 carries for 571 yards, which is more than 6 yards per attempt, and 10 touchdowns. He’s a hard-nosed, often-head-first runner, which shares some characteristics with Cook.
The main question facing Pribula is whether or not he’s ready to run an offense by himself, as he’s only attempted 56 career passes in college. He has completed 66.1% of those attempts, throwing for 11.5 yards per completion and recording nine passing touchdowns and one interception.
Where did Beau Pribula go to high school?
Pribula was a three-star recruit out of Central York High in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2022. Penn State is approximately two hours north. He was ranked as the No. 29 QB in his class.
The quarterback had offers from multiple Power-4 schools, including Syracuse, Nebraska, and Northwestern.
Current Missouri quarterback Sam Horn also was a product of the Class of 2022.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 3 things to know about new Missouri football quarterback Beau Pribula
