The transfer portal game is a crazy deal. And it’s turning detrimental day by day for the regular college football peak season. Like, sure, you can have a sigh of relief when Sherrone Moore pulled in Bryce Underwood from LSU as a potential fixture of his long-time woes; if you see it from Brian Kelly’s perspective, you will no longer be in that bubble. Well, the tragedy hurts everybody in the loop. Penn State just received a punch in their gut when Beau Pribula, out of nowhere, announced his intent to hit the portal ahead of the essential SMU game. But you can no longer be mad at him after a crucial reality check.

It’s brutal not to have your team’s Mr. Reliable in a high-intensity playoff. We can feel what James Franklin is feeling. But what is the tea here? Who is to be blamed for the mishap? Can we sit and blame the Nittany Lions’ backup QB for his ‘impossible’ move? No siree! Joel Klatt explained the why pretty clearly while shedding some light on the QB phenom’s questionable future.

“Beau Pribula posted on Sunday to X that he is transferring from Penn State, and he did this now five days or six days before their first playoff game as they host SMU, and I tell you what, man, this is wild, and I hate it for Beau Pribula and in his tweet, he mentions the fact that he hates that. He’s in this situation. Why is he in this situation? Because the transfer portal is open during the season and it’s going to close on December 28th,” the prudent Fox analyst blamed it on the flawed system.

Pribula, a sophomore, appeared in all 13 games this year, throwing for 275 passing yards, five touchdowns, and an interception on 26-of-35 passing. He also had 38 carries for 242 yards and four touchdowns. It would be a real loss for Franklin and the team to let him slip before the final playoff run, which can stretch as long as late January. So, it kind of left the kid in a dual mind. On one side, he has his future, and on the other side, lies his loyalty to the team. The NCAA post-season timeline poses a real challenge for the athletes.

Klatt continued the rebel rant,

Pribula had his family and coaches’ constant support in his tricky decision to move on and explore, and he had his own sweet right to do so. But at the same time, it would be better if he could do both. ‘‘If you’re a quarterback looking to go and start somewhere, so what’s he supposed to d?o I mean, I’m not going to sit here and tell the kid hey man, forget about your own future and just do it for the team. I cannot in good conscience sit here and look a kid in the eye like that and say that,” Klatt explained the contrasting reality.

Regardless of the debate, it would be a bitter pill to swallow for the coach who had unwavering faith in his backup guy through thick and thin.

James Franklin absolutely adores what Beau Pribula brings to the table

Pribula might not be the starting QB for Penn State, but everything he did was beyond the spot. The team used him in the specific packages and never regretted it. He was on a real tear against Wisconsin when starting quarterback Drew Allar sat out with an injury in the second half. Pribula wowed the fans, completing 11 of his 13 pass attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown, along with 28 yards on the ground.

Franklin has had a special appreciation for Pribula ever since he stepped into Pennsylvania. He deems the kid extremely smart, mature, and competitive, both in the classroom and on the field. The veteran coach has primarily been impressed by his ability to make big players through the legs. But he had sheer confidence that he could do the same with his big, sturdy arms, too. The coach credited Pribula’s unique threat as a runner and spot-on play-action pass at the right time. But sadly, the Beau Prbula era is over for the York native.

Now, Franklin had to find somebody new to fill that void, which wouldn’t be easy amidst the playoff hurry. But hopefully, the Nittany Lions will make it through, and so will Beau Pribula, wherever he lands the next.