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Last year, former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula got an opportunity to lead an SEC program. This year, he gets another shot. This week, he beat out fellow transfer Eli Holstein to become the new starting quarterback for the Virginia Cavaliers.
The most important aspect of Pribula's career redemption has been his ability to shake away the memories of a tough start to his collegiate career. Pribula started out as a redshirt freshman in 2022, seemingly waiting to succeed Drew Allar. However, after two years of waiting, Pribula didn't see much field time and believed it was in his best interest to transfer. He ended up at Missouri and proved that he could play at an elite level while playing in 10 games for the Tigers. While a gruesome ankle injury cut his season short, Pribula was one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC last season when on the field. He threw for 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 67.4 completion percentage.
Now, he moves to his third straight conference in as many seasons as the Virginia Cavaliers look to build on a successful campaign that saw them reach the ACC championship game. The irony of the Cavaliers' new-look QB room is that Pribula's backup, Eli Holstein followed a similar journey. Holstein redshirted at Alabama, then went on to play two seasons at Pitt. The Cavaliers will bank on that experience to make them true ACC contenders.
After Pribula transferred, Nittany Lions fans everywhere were disappointed that the hometown kid didn't get a chance to stick around. Now, they can applaud him for a career rejuvenation four years in the making.
Now that he is the starting quarterback at Virginia, we could get a potential matchup between former Penn State quarterbacks in the final game of the regular season in the ACC. Pribula and Virginia will visit in-state rival Virginia Tech, coached by James Franklin and expected to be led by quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (who transferred from Penn State to follow Franklin to Blacksburg). Grunkemeyer took over as Penn State's starting quarterback last season following a season-ending injury to Allar.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Former Penn State QB wins starting job with new ACC program
