Franklin on portal-CFP overlap: 'We got problems'

Penn State coach James Franklin defended backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who entered the transfer portal Monday and will leave the team before the College Football Playoff, saying “we got problems in college football” and that Pribula “should not be put in this position.”

Franklin said the timing of the open transfer portal, which overlaps with CFP preparation and games and creates urgency for quarterbacks to make their transfer decisions, creates an untenable situation.

“The overlapping CFB playoff & transfer portal timeline has forced me into an impossible decision,” Pribula, a redshirt sophomore who had a clear role in Penn State’s offense behind starter Drew Allar, wrote Sunday on social media.

His portal entry comes after Allar informed Penn State’s coaches that he would return for the 2025 season.

“We got problems in college football, and I can give you my word Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program, and he did not want to leave our program until the end of the season,” Franklin said Monday. “But the way the portal is and the timing of it and the way our team is playing, and when you play the position of quarterback and there’s only one spot and those spots are filling up, he felt like he was put in a no-win situation, and I agree with him.

“Number one, I hate for it, most importantly for Beau Pribula. I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the student-athlete, I don’t think it’s in the best interest of college football.”

Franklin said Pribula has “been a phenomenal teammate, has been a big reason why we are where we are right now,” and said that he embraced the challenging role of backup quarterback.

Pribula had multiple conversations with Franklin before finalizing his decision and the timing.

Penn State, the No. 6 seed in the CFP, will host No. 11 seed SMU on Saturday in a CFP first-round game.

Pribula, a redshirt sophomore, is tied for second on the team with six rushing touchdowns and was third in both carries (38) and rushing yards (242). He also completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards with five touchdowns and an interception.

Pribula isn’t the first quarterback to enter the portal before his team competes in the CFP. Former Texas backup quarterback Maalik Murphy entered the portal in mid-December 2023 and departed the team before the Longhorns faced Washington in a CFP semifinal.

Murphy transferred to Duke and started throughout the 2024 season before re-entering the portal.

SMU backup quarterback Preston Stone also entered the transfer portal last week, but he will remain with the Mustangs through their CFP run.

Allar and Pribula are the only Penn State quarterbacks to attempt passes this season. True freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, ESPN’s No. 76 recruit in the 2024 class, is set to back up Allar during the College Football Playoff.