"We’ve got problems": Penn State HC James Franklin holds nothing back on QB Beau Pribula's transfer decision

Modified Dec 18, 2024 18:54 GMT

NCAA Football: Washington at Penn State - Source: Imagn — NCAA Football: Washington at Penn State (image credit: IMAGN)

Beau Pribula has decided to leave the Penn State Nittany Lions ahead of the College Football Playoff, leaving James Franklin's team without a backup quarterback. Despite the added risk it adds to their CFP participation, Franklin seems to be highly understanding and supportive of Pribula's move.

On Tuesday's press conference, the Nittany Lions coach opened up about the situation and filled in reporters on the details.

“In my opinion, he’s a man’s man,” Franklin said. “Like came into my office, had multiple conversations with me about this process. We talked last week, had no intentions of leaving, but we’ve got problems in college football.

“And I can give you my word: Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season. But the way the portal is, and the timing of it, and the way our team is playing, and when you play the position of quarterback and there’s only one spot and those spots are filling up, he felt like he was put in a no-win situation. And I agree with him.”

Beau Pribula's numbers in 2024 for Penn State

While Drew Allar has taken the majority of offensive snaps for Penn State this season, and there's no doubt that the starting job is his, Beau Pribula has played a significant wildcard role for the program. He has recorded 275 passing yards with five touchdowns and interception.

This leaves a question mark on who will be the Nittany Lions' signal-caller next season, as there's a possibility that Allar could declare for the NFL draft.

When does Penn State play next? A brief look at the Nittany Lions CFP matchup

The No. 6-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are set to face the No. 11-ranked SMU Mustangs in the first round of the CFP on Saturday. The game will start at noon and will be played at Beaver Stadium. Penn State will host due to being the higher-ranked school. Heading into the game, the Nittany Lions are 8.5-point favorites.

The game will air on TNT.

About the author

Andres is an analyst who has reported on college basketball and college football at Sportskeeda since 2023. Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in law from Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela, and has minor in International Relations. Andres holds a college certificate in Sports Entities Management from Unisport Management School in Spain. He is also an alumnus of the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management by FIFA and Universidad Metropolitana, and has been accepted into the Harvard CORe online program for which he was awarded a grant.

Given his background in sports management, law and business, Andres loves any chance to jump into the industry side of things and explain what's happening behind the curtain. He takes care when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff and ensures he refers only to appropriate and respected sources.

His favorite college team is the Arkansas Razorbacks. While Troy Aikman and Joe Montana are two of his most favorite QBs, he is also an admirer of Joe Burrow's style and is rooting for Riley Leonard to do well.

Andres is an avid reader, likes adventure sports, dabbles in rock climbing, and is also a scuba diver. He is also an enthusiastic gamer, especially when it comes to strategy PC titles and loves his fair share of Halo.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez