Beau Pribula details difficult decision to transfer from Penn State, memorable goodbyes from teammates

Just a week before Penn State took on SMU in the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions saw their backup quarterback make a difficult decision. News broke of Beau Pribula’s plans to enter the transfer portal, meaning he would not be with the program for the first-round game.

Pribula built a strong connection with his teammates during his time in Happy Valley, which made the move even harder. In fact, he recalled practicing the day he chose to enter the portal after two years as Penn State’s backup quarterback.

Now the quarterback at Missouri, Pribula looked back on that December moment during the winter portal window. He also remembered the moments he spent with his teammates after speaking with James Franklin.

“I didn’t even realize it, how much my teammates appreciated me and everything, until I left,” Pribula said on Next Up with Adam Breneman. “It was kind of controversial when I left. I had to leave before the playoffs. I still remember that day – it was a Sunday, the week before SMU, the first round of the playoffs. And I practiced that day. Like, I didn’t even know I was going to transfer. I had just come down from Coach Franklin’s office. We had finally come to the decision where I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to have to move on and I can’t play in this game, unfortunately. I’ve got to pack my stuff up.’ That was a crazy feeling, being there for three years.

“But I’ll never forget, there were guys left over in the locker room … and I remember, it was like Zane Durant, Jaylen Reed, Dani Dennis-Sutton. I went up to them and I told them, ‘Guys, I’m transferring and I have to leave right now. I appreciate you guys for everything, I just want to say goodbye and everything.’ I was kinda nervous – I was like, ‘Are they going to be, like, screw this guy? He’s leaving us right before the playoffs?’ But I’ll never forget, they weren’t just supportive of me. They were so excited for me and my future.”

As they recovered from practice, Pribula and Dennis-Sutton had a heart-to-heart conversation. The star pass rusher made it clear there was no animosity after the quarterback chose to embark on a new journey. Instead, it was gratitude, and Beau Pribula said it’s a conversation that will stick with him for years to come.

“I was in the shower with Dani. We were taking a shower and he was like, ‘Man, I am so excited for you,'” Pribula recalled. “I’m like showering and like, ‘Thanks, man.’ I’m over here real sad. This is my last few minutes in the facility. He’s like, ‘Look at me, man. I am so excited for you. Everybody knows it. The whole team knew. We are just so excited for your future. I can’t wait to see what you do.’

“They don’t realize how much that meant to me. In that moment, it couldn’t mean more to me.”