Central York’s Beau Pribula helps Penn State begin to rebuild its QB room

As a kid, Beau Pribula could be found in his yard daily playing football in a Penn State jersey.

Neighbors could see a young Pribula pretend he was a Nittany Lion all afternoon until he was called inside for dinner with his family. Like most youth football players in Pennsylvania, however, it seemed like playing for Penn State would always just be a dream for Pribula growing up in York, a town not known for its premier college prospects.

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Those memories made what happened on Wednesday night even more special. A week before the quarterback was set to sign his national letter of intent and join the Nittany Lions, he hosted Penn State head coach James Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich at the dinner table in his childhood home and shared some salmon and pork with his new coaches.

“Sometimes you get caught up in what you have to do to succeed and be great, but sometimes you have to step back and realize, I was once a little kid who dreamed to be in this position,” Pribula said. “To have them in my house and have the head coach of Penn State eat with us, it was pretty amazing.”

In three seasons as the starting quarterback at Central York High School, Pribula posted phenomenal numbers. He threw for 5,826 yards with 73 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, completing 66% of his passes.

Pribula was considered a dual-threat prospect because of his ability to make plays on the ground with his 6-foot, 2-inch, 215-pound frame. He added another 1,227 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns.

Pribula shed the “athlete” label when he quarterbacked Central York to the PIAA Class 6A title game in 2020 against St. Joseph’s Prep, the first time a team from York reached a state championship.

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For Pribula to get playing time at Penn State, he will have to work for it. Sean Clifford announced on Friday that he will return next season. Christian Veilleux returns as the likely backup to Clifford after Ta’Quan Roberson announced Monday that he entered the transfer portal.

However, the biggest competition for Pribula is probably the other quarterback in his recruiting class. Drew Allar was named Ohio’s Mr. Football and is ranked the top quarterback prospect in the 2022 class by 247Sports after he threw for 4,433 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior.

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The 6-5 Allar is the highest-ranked quarterback Franklin recruited, but Pribula is the first Pennsylvania quarterback to receive a scholarship from Penn State since Sto-Rox’s Paul Jones in 2010.

As a three-star recruit with a dual-threat skill set, Pribula drew comparisons to former Penn State star Trace McSorley, despite McSorley’s slighter 6-foot, 182-pound frame.

Both Allar and Pribula will enroll early in January after they sign with Penn State this Wednesday. If Clifford struggles or suffers another injury, there could be three quarterbacks fighting for the starting spot this spring.

While he is excited to get to work and earn an opportunity to get on the field, Pribula has taken some time to reflect on what he achieved during training in preparation for life as a college athlete.

He’s got a long way to go to achieve all his dreams, but the kid who used to dress up in a Penn State jersey is about to get his own.

“I’m sure it’s not fully set in yet, but just to accomplish everything not just I have, but my teammates and coaches have at Central [York], and then being able to go to Penn State on a full ride, it’s something I’ve always really wanted and it’s great to be able to accomplish that,” Pribula said.