I got a chance to talk to Marty Leap of Happy Valley Insider, our Penn State site, to help you guys get to know Mizzou's likely next starting quarterback a bit better.
Here are my questions and Marty's answers.
Kyle: What was Beau's story coming out of high school? Was he expected to be the QB of the future when Penn State got his commitment or was the part-time production the past couple of years more of a development once he got to Happy Valley?
Marty: Pribula was not heavily recruited in high school , but there are some layers to that. He was an in-state kid who grew up a Penn State megafan. So when the Nittany Lions offered, his recruitment essentially shut down. Everyone knew how it would end. This is why despite Pribula being one of the most prolific quarterbacks in recent Pennsylvania history, his recruitment was not exactly a crazy one.
As for what was expected of him, that also has some layers to it. Pribula committed to Penn State in August of 2020. At the time, he was viewed by many as a good quarterback prospect but there was some questions about his ability to be a "franchise" QB. In March of 2021, Drew Allar committed to Penn State and everything changed. Allar was very quickly viewed as the future at quarterback, but there was still plenty of hope/optimism that Pribula could still have a role with the Nittany Lions.
Kyle: What's the feeling like around the program with him heading out of town?
Marty: With Allar set to return for his senior season, no one is surprised that Pribula decided to transfer. There was some surprise that he decided to enter the portal when he did instead of sticking with the team through their College Football Playoff run, but everyone understands why he made the decision he did. Had you told anyone around Penn State back in August that Allar would be back in 2025, they all would have told you the expectation would be for Pribula to transfer.
Kyle: The game tape shows he's a pretty talented runner, but how would you assess his passing ability at this point?
Marty: Pribula isn't a poor passer, but there is work to be done. There is no denying his athleticism and ability to utilize his legs, but his passing ability remains a work in progress. Now, to Pribula's credit, he has steadily improved as a passer since arriving at Penn State, but he's never going to be a quarterback with a big arm or one who can squeeze the ball into a tight window. Any offense with Pribula as the starting quarterback has to be a run-first offense.
People will point to his performance in the second half against Wisconsin this season when he came off the bench for an injured Allar and led the Nittany Lions from a 10-7 deficit to a 28-13 victory. He made some important throws in that second half, but was aided by a Wisconsin secondary that lacked athleticism and the closing speed necessary to make throwing windows disappear. Against secondaries with elite athleticism/coverage skills, I'd still have some concerns about Pribula's passing.
Kyle: Mizzou has had a very tough quarterback, if not the most physically gifted one, in Brady Cook. How would you describe Pribula's grittiness?
Marty: Pribula is a tough kid. when he's been on the field for Penn State, he has not been afraid to be a physical runner. He has taken big hits and hopped right back up.
He may not be 'go to the hospital and return to win the game' tough, few are, but toughness or grittiness will never be a question with Pribula.
Kyle: Is there anything else you think Mizzou fans need to know about the new guy taking snaps for the Tigers?
Marty: I think Beau Pribula is a good quarterback. Is he a great quarterback who can navigate a team to a National Championship? Probably not. But he's a great runner and a good-enough passer to navigate a Power 4 team with talent around him to a 9/10-win season.
Which, in today's college football, may be all it takes as a P4 team to reach the playoff.
I would expect Beau to give Mizzou fans two strong seasons as the starter and be a good bridge to Matt Zollers.
Thanks again to Marty, that's a lot of good info on the new guy in Mizzou's backfield.
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