By Mark Pszonak
Everyone knew that the transfer portal would be a hot topic in December, but not many thought that so much of the news would be negative. The timing of the portal window has caused plenty of frustration in the college football world, especially in places like Penn State where backup quarterback Beau Pribula announced his plans to transfer yesterday. Today, head coach James Franklin shared his thoughts on his quarterback’s decision and the transfer portal calendar:
"Beau Pribula did not want to leave our program… To have a transfer portal/free agency going on right in the middle of the playoffs… We need somebody running college football."
James Franklin calls for a CFB Commissioner after backup QB leaves during playoffs ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SRRdeIMHc0
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 16, 2024
Coach Franklin made plenty of logical comments during his press conference. Logical comments that you would have thought the NCAA would have considered before scheduling the transfer portal window in the middle of the first expanded playoffs. But they didn’t.
Coach Franklin’s comments were honest and to the point. But for me the one that stood out was, “He felt like he was put in a no-win situation” when referring to Pribula’s decision. Knowing that Drew Allar had decided to return for the 2025 season, which was announced today, Pribula was suddenly forced to make a decision. He deserves the opportunity to showcase his abilities as a starter at another school. But with the current portal calendar it was impossible for him to do so in a manner that made sense for him and Penn State.
So now Pribula will be leaving his teammates as they prepare for a potential run to the National Championship, while Penn State is losing a backup quarterback who proved this season that he is good enough to start at the P4 level. As Coach Franklin stated, it truly is a no-win situation for everyone.
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