Beau Pribula Receives Early Prediction To Be Virginia's Starting Quarterback in 2026

Pribula is coming over from Missouri where he was the starting quarterback for the Tigers

Nov 22, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) throws during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers had to fill in a lot of holes in the transfer portal and they have done so with one of the bigger classes in the ACC. One area of concern for the Cavaliers was that last year's starting quarterback Chandler Morris was not able to get another year of eligibility while two other quarterbacks on the roster entered the portal. UVA needed to land not one, but two quarterbacks in the portal and it is hard to argue that they could have done much better.

First, Tony Elliott and his staff landed a commitment from Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula and then got a commitment from Pitt transfer Eli Holstein. Pribula was Missouri's starting quarterback when healthy this past season while Holstein was the starter for the Panthers in 2024 and began the 2025 season as the starter before being benched.

Who starts?

Oct 25, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) passes during the third quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Pribula is the heavy favorite to be the quarterback for Virginia this upcoming season and a trio of ESPN analysts predicted the same:

2026 starter: Beau Pribula, redshirt senior, Missouri transfer

"Why he'll start: Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers explored a few options in the portal while awaiting a verdict from the NCAA on Chandler Morris' request for an additional year of eligibility. Once the waiver was denied, they moved quickly to get Pribula on campus and get him signed. Pribula put up 2,238 yards of total offense, 17 TDs and 11 turnovers in his first year as a full-time starter, led the Tigers to a 6-1 start and showed his toughness in coming back from a dislocated left ankle in less than a month to start the team's final two games. He's a dual-threat talent who should fit nicely in offensive coordinator Des Kitchings' system.

Competition: We're not going to see quite as many offseason quarterback competitions this year with the elimination of the spring transfer window forcing teams and players to make tough decisions in January, but the Cavaliers could have an intriguing one. One day after landing Pribula, they also took a commitment from Pitt transfer Eli Holstein. He's coming in with 14 career starts in the ACC and two more years of eligibility. A backup with that level of experience is a luxury these days, and it was a smart move by this staff after watching Morris play through injuries in 2025. We'll see if he's given an opportunity to earn the job in spring practice."

Pribula was the starter for the majority of the season for the Tigers, aside from when he was out with an injury, and had a solid season as a dual-threat quarterback. Pribula had Missouri at 6-1 when he was injured and threw for 1,971 yards with 17 total touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing 67.4%. Pribula finished with a 76.2 overall grade in 672 snaps according to PFF.

247Sports ranked Pribula as the No. 133 player in the transfer portal and the No. 15 QB. He was the second highest rated quarterback that had yet to commit to a school. Before visiting Virginia, Pribula also visited Tennessee and Georgia Tech.

He is going to bring a dual threat presence to Charlottesville and is a very different quarterback from Morris. The next part for Virginia is going to be finding someone who can be a reliable backup, as Pribula did have trouble with injuries last season.

This is a huge victory for Virginia and will also give this year's Commonwealth Clash an interesting twist. Pribula originally played for current Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin while at Penn State.