Beau Pribula reveals interest in Wisconsin, Iowa throughout transfer process before Missouri decision

Once Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal after two years at Penn State, he learned just how quickly things move. He started planning visits – and he saw roster spots disappear as schools sought commitments.

Pribula looked back on the transfer process during an appearance on Next Up with Adam Breneman this week. He specifically recalled interest in Wisconsin immediately and he was even gearing up to take a visit to Madison. However, the Badgers landed Billy Edwards Jr., answering their quarterback question.

Before he committed to Missouri, Pribula also took visits to UCF, Ole Miss and Iowa. He also told Breneman a trip to Indiana was later canceled. As he weighed his next steps, Pribula and his family quickly formulated a plan.

“It was insane,” Pribula said of what it was like once he officially hit the portal. “My brother’s calling me and he’s like, ‘You’ve got to come home. We’ve got to get on a flight right now. Pack some stuff.’ The plan was to go to Wisconsin, like, right away. But like I said, spots are closing like that. Next thing you know, it’s like, ‘Okay, we’re not going to Wisconsin anymore because they just got a quarterback.’

“So I was like, never mind, we’re going here and then there, and then there, and then there. … Then the window’s going to close right before Christmas, so it was like on the road. Let’s scout the schools that we want to take visits to and we’re most interested in, and go there and see and talk to the offensive coordinator.”

If Pribula had to pick a runner-up, he said Iowa would be the closest finisher in the race behind Missouri. The culture in Iowa City stood out to him, although he admitted it was a bit different vibe than what he experience in Columbia. After all, Kirk Ferentz has been the head coach since 1999.

“It’s tough to say, but I think Iowa was probably the second one that was close to fitting the criteria I had,” Pribula said. “Much different experience. … Loved Coach Ferentz. He was awesome through the whole process. Iowa was like, you walk in that facility, it’s like it’s frozen in time. There’s oakwood everywhere, all the coaches have been there for 40 years. But it was cool. They have a great culture there. It was much different.”

Beau Pribula recalls Missouri commitment

When Beau Pribula chose to visit Missouri, he didn’t know much about the program. His knowledge boiled down to a few facts. The Tigers won 10 games back-to-back years and he had a skillset similar to Brady Cook.

The program quickly jumped out. Pribula immediately noticed the facilities as he took an elevator to meet with Eli Drinkwitz. Then, he spent a couple hours with offensive coordinator Kirby Moore – and he was sold.

“The first thing was, ‘Wow, they have really nice facilities,'” Pribula said. “I went in there, I’m taking an elevator to the fourth floor to talk to Coach Drink. … I was like, this is kind of nicer than Penn State. Like, what?’ But it was really just getting with Coach Drink, the head coach. Hanging out with him, and then Kirby Moore, the offensive coordinator. … It was really just those two things. Am I a good fit?

“Met with the offensive coordinator for a while. An hour, two-hour meeting just talking about scheme and stuff like that. I was like, that’s kind of what I want right here. This OC’s dialed, they have a really good football team and they have a really good football program going on an upward trajectory. I was like, ‘I’m gonna take these other visits to compare and contrast and see. But I don’t know. It’s going to be tough to beat.'”