Beau Pribula has played his last snap at Penn State.

The kid from York, Pennsylvania, who dreamed of wearing basic blues growing up announced his decision to enter the transfer portal Sunday night. Per Pete Nakos of On3, that decision became a reality when Pribula filed his paperwork to enter the portal on Monday.

Fans took to Twitter, often berating Pribula for his decision to leave the Nittany Lions less than a week before Penn State begins its College Football Playoff quest against SMU on Saturday, December 21. While Pribula’s decision wasn’t shocking, many fans were upset by the timing.

Pribula’s decision came suddenly for Penn State. He practiced on Sunday just a few hours before he announced he would enter the portal. James Franklin said that while Pribula didn’t want to leave Penn State early, other schools wanted him to take recruiting visits and consider the portal more seriously before the playoffs.

Franklin, along with several current and former players, spoke up in Pribula’s defense both online and in person in the hours following Pribula’s announcement.

“Beau Pribula has been a phenomenal teammate, has been a big reason why we are where we are right now. Parents, awesome. High school coach, awesome. Being a backup quarterback is not an easy thing to do with, and he never approached it that way,” Franklin said Monday afternoon at a press conference. “Had so much confidence in our team based on how he went about his business and prepared like a starter again, which is something talk about all the time, but it’s easier said than done.

“He also, in my opinion, he’s a man’s man. Came into my office, had multiple conversations with me about this process. We talked last week. [He] had no intentions of leaving. But we got problems in college football. 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.”

The likes of Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Dom DeLuca, Micah Parsons, Sean Clifford, and Liam Clifford also gave Pribula their support online.

“Cannot emphasize how much love I got for this dude,” Sean Clifford, Penn State’s starting quarterback when Pribula arrived on campus as a freshman, wrote in a Twitter post. “A winner, competitor, leader, and great teammate. Whatever program picks him up is lucky. Go be great 9!

“Wish you the very best lil bro! You did it right!” Parsons wrote. “Got your degree and was true class act! Good luck!”

Starting quarterback Drew Allar, who announced he’d return to Penn State for the 2025 season on Monday, also gave Pribula his support in a press conference.

“Since we came in together, we’ve been here for three years together, and I wish Beau nothing but the best. He’s been a great teammate to not only me but the entire team as well, one of the hardest workers on our team,” Allar said. “He’s going to do really well wherever he lands, and I’m hoping for the best for him because he deserves it. Extremely hard worker, extremely humble about himself and his process. So he’s going to do really well no matter where he lands.”

Pribula’s roommate, John Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren, also endorsed Pribula’s character Monday afternoon.

“It’s difficult, but I understand it,” Warren said. “There’s really not a right answer to things, and that’s just what’s best for him at the moment. And we love him. He’s our guy, he’s my roommate. That’s one of my better friends. It’s different right now, but he’s a great teammate, and we got a lot of respect for him.”

Despite all that happened with Pribula, Franklin didn’t express any regrets about how the young quarterback’s time with the Nittany Lions turned out.

“Knowing everything I know right now, I go back and recruit the heck out of Beau,” Franklin said. “[He] grew up wanting to come to Penn State his whole life. This is his dream school, and [he] had a phenomenal career here, and I just want everybody to understand that most importantly. And why have we created a system where this guy couldn’t finish this season with his team? And there’s going to be people who say, ‘Well, he could have.’

“But I’m trying that one in any situation that I’m in personally, professionally, I always try to take a deep breath and look at things from both perspectives and in my mind as the head coach at Penn State. Obviously, I have a responsibility for Penn State and our football program, but I also feel like I also had a responsibility to Beau Pribula. So I hate it. I do. I hate it for him, and I hate it for Penn State.”