Penn State Quarterback Beau Pribula Playing With a 'Lot of Confidence' This Spring
Pribula says he has connected with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. "A lot of the stuff that we do is right up my alley.”
Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula hasn’t had much showcase time yet for the Nittany Lions, redshirting in 2022 and playing sparingly in 11 games in 2023. He did, however, make some splashes near the end of the season, filling in for an injured Drew Allar against Rutgers and claiming a role in two-quarterback sets.
Penn State coach James Franklin and his staff teased the “Pribula package” for weeks before Allar and Pribula appeared together on-field. Once the Lions put the play on tape against Maryland, Pribula became a frequent part of Penn State’s offensive attack. He was a major focal point after Franklin fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, too.
Pribula’s rushing ability offers an element that Allar does not possess. He rushed for 329 yards on 56 attempts (5.9 yards per carry) and had Penn State’s longest rush of the season for some time. And despite throwing just four touchdowns, Pribula showed trick-play proficiency, which has him looking forward to working with first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
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“The amount of things that we can do [excites me]. This offense is a little bit different from the last offense, in terms of terminology and verbiage,” Pribula said this week on a Zoom call. “You guys will understand once you see us play about how many different things we can do and how many different looks we can give a defense.”
The Pribula package is very likely to stick around in 2024. Kotelnicki worked with mobile quarterbacks during his time at Kansas, which helped lead to the nation’s eighth-best rushing attack. Kotelnicki employed two-quarterback sets with the Jayhawks, as well as pure quarterback option plays that are sure to be part of his plan to give the best players the ball.
“First of all, I've had a ton of fun this whole entire spring. This offense fits me really, really well,” Pribula said. “And it's something I'm becoming really comfortable with. A lot of the stuff that we do is right up my alley.”
There may have been a period when Kotelnicki’s offense was more difficult to install, based solely on the amount of terms and verbiage it requires. But as spring has progressed, the offense has grown easier, and Pribula said Kotelnicki’s teaching style has made “everything easier and everything makes more sense.”
Pribula mentioned that he has become much more comfortable standing in the pocket, making his progressions and completing downfield throws. When he does leave the pocket, Pribula said he has somewhat unintentionally become more comfortable keeping his eyes downfield rather than immediately tucking to run.
“As I have been here for a while, I can kind of open up my entire game. I just really think I've kind of stepped it up this spring,” Pribula said. “I had my redshirt season and last season, which a lot of experience helped, but I'm just in a really good state of comfort, and I have a lot of confidence right now.”
Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.
