Penn State may still be searching for a quarterback in the Class of 2021, but there’s already an excellent candidate to potentially fill that need in next year’s class.

Last Friday, James Franklin reached out to York, Pa., native Beau Pribula for a surprise talk over FaceTime. While it wasn’t the first time that he had been in contact with Penn State, it was the first time that the Nittany Lions’ head coach wanted to speak with Pribula and his family over the phone.

“I’ve always been in contact with Coach [Tyler] Bowen and one of their recruiting assistants, but it was sort of sudden [when I learned about the offer],” Pribula said. “I had just gotten off the phone with Wake Forest when my high school coach called me and said that Coach Franklin wanted to get me on FaceTime. So, I FaceTimed him and he met my family before offering me. It was super exciting.”

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Like so many other prospects that have come out of Central Pennsylvania, Pribula wasn’t hesitant to admit that he grew up a Nittany Lion fan.

“My parents have always been Penn State fans,” Pribula said. “We always go up to State College for about a game each year. We watch every other game on TV.”

After playing safety and wide receiver his freshman season - Pribula’s brother, Cade, played quarterback for Central York in 2018 and is now finishing his redshirt freshman season at Delaware - Pribula became the starting quarterback in 2019. For his sophomore season, he totaled more 1,600 yards of offense and scored 18 touchdowns in eight games. Most importantly, he helped lead Central York to its best record (9-2) in over a decade.

Franklin and his assistants have been monitoring Pribula since the summer before his freshman season, when he camped at Penn State.

“Last summer, I went to their seven-on-seven camp and then I also went to their Whiteout Camp. I also went to one of their camps the year before,” Pribula said. “All of those experiences were good. I enjoyed working with Coach [Ricky] Rahne at camp last summer.

"Coach Rahne also told me that if I wanted to show my athleticism for them that day, I could run some routes, so I did that for a little bit [at the Whiteout Camp]. But I was mainly there to play quarterback that day.”

Pribula impressed, running a 4.6-second 40-yard dash last June. The staff’s interest continued throughout his season, which earned him an invite for the game against Purdue.

“That was a lot of fun. Obviously, I’ve been to games before, but to get on the sidelines before the game and shake Coach Franklin’s hand at midfield, that was a lot of fun,” Pribula said. “Also, I just enjoyed the time with my dad. We had real nice seats, so that was a really fun experience. I’m looking forward to doing that again.”

In addition to Penn State, Pribula holds early scholarship offers from Temple, Wake Forest and West Virginia. He was also one of the first prospects that Rahne offered when taking over at Old Dominion. He added that Arizona State and Rutgers have also been in contact in recent weeks. Pribula also took an unofficial visits to Wake Forest, March 3, and Rutgers, March 8.

Of course, like every other prospective student-athlete, Pribula’s summer visit plans are currently up in the air. However, he made it clear that he wants to get back to Penn State as soon as possible.

“I want to get back there in the summer, for sure," Pribula said. "I talked to Coach Ciarrocca recently and he said he wants to get me up there to watch me throw and stuff, so I’d love to come back to camp or just visit."

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