Recapping quarterback Beau Pribula's path to Penn State
Penn State fans, the following story appears in Blue White Illustrated’s upcoming Class of 2022 recruiting magazine. It features over 70 pages of analysis, bios and superlatives on the most recent class. You can order today at BlueWhiteOnline.com.
In just about every Penn State recruiting class you’ll find one or two players who have loved the Nittany Lions since they were young. No matter how many offers they get, Penn State always seems to be the team to beat.
For the Class of 2022, it was quarterback Beau Pribula who fits this mold. A native of York, Pa., he grew up attending games as a fan throughout his youth, and although Pribula said it didn’t cloud his judgment, playing for the Nittany Lions was truly a dream come true.
“Penn State was always my dream school, although I tried not to let that influence me during this decision,” Pribula said following his commitment, which took place way back in Aug. 2020. “But quarantine was a unique time. Coaches and I had a lot of time. I think I talked to coaches more over [those] couple months than I normally would’ve if this was a normal environment. That really helped me develop relationships with these coaches pretty quickly, even without visiting all of them.
“But I was still able to evaluate each school, and I did that. It just got to the point where I knew Penn State was the one that I wanted to go to, and that school just so happened to be my dream school growing up.”
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As an underclassman, Pribula predominantly played safety his freshman season before taking over at quarterback as a sophomore. His brother, Cade, was actually the starting quarterback for Central York in 2018. He went on to play at Delaware, with Beau taking over at quarterback in 2019.
Then, leading into his junior season, Central York hired Gerry Yonchiuck as its head coach, and that’s when Pribula’s statistics started to rocket. 2020 will go down as his breakout year, as Pribula threw for 2,156 yards and 34 touchdowns, while also rushing for another 519 yards and 14 scores on the ground.
Not only did he win the PIAA District III 6A championship, but he ultimately led Central York to a birth in the state championship, too. The Panthers ended up losing to powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep, but Pribula’s efforts were recognized by coaches across the state, as he was named the Pennsylvania 6A Player of the Year.
Despite losing seven teammates who went on to play at the Football Championship Subdivision after his junior season, Pribula was excellent his senior season, too. He finished with 2,575 yards passing and 33 touchdowns in 2021. Most impressive is the fact that he completed over 70 percent of his passes.
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“This isn’t a once in every 10 years kind of player. This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player for any coach,” said Yonchiuck.
“It’s hard to explain how much he’s taken his game to a different level. He just takes over games when he needs to now,” Yonchiuk said. “He’s seeing the field so well now. Also, his competitive fire burns as much or more than ever, which says so much about him. I mean, he was the 6A Player of the Year last year in Pennsylvania, and he’s hungrier now than ever before. He’s just taken everything to a whole new level. He’s extremely confident in his ability, and that’s inwardly more than outwardly, which makes him just an excellent leader and mentor.”
A three-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus, Pribula arrived at Penn State in January and is now participating in winter workouts. This past week, strength coach Chuck Losey made it clear that he’s happy with Pribula’s progression so far.
“I think you guys are gonna find [Pribula] is a gritty, gritty young man,” Losey said. “He’s a very good athlete. He’s a dynamic athlete. Really pleased with everything he’s doing.”
