Beau-lieve in Pribula

The previous two seasons of Missouri Tigers football were defined by starting quarterback Brady Cook. Back-to-back double-digit win seasons, victories in the Cotton Bowl and Music City Bowl and a miraculous mid-game comeback during the Tigers’ 2024 homecoming bout against Auburn helped turn Cook into a monumental face of the program. 

Cook, however, left the program and took his talents to the NFL, signing with the New York Jets’ practice squad. Cook led the Tigers to their most successful two-season stint in over a decade, and left big shoes to fill. 

It was hard to imagine anyone replacing what Cook meant to the program.  Who would’ve guessed that his successor would be a fourth-year college player with no starting experience? That was the case for former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula, who amassed 19 total touchdowns and 995 all-purpose yards for the Nittany Lions, all while never starting a game. 

The dual-threat quarterback was stuck behind starter Drew Allar for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but waited patiently for a chance at the starting job. Despite rumors of entering the 2025 NFL Draft, Allar decided to stick around at Penn State for an additional season, meaning Pribula would be stuck as the backup for another season. 

In light of Allar’s decision, Pribula entered the transfer portal in search of a chance to win a starting role. Missouri, in need of a new starting quarterback, offered him a spot.

Pribula signed with the Tigers on Dec. 22, 2024, and was widely seen as the immediate successor to Cook. What followed, however, was a quarterback battle between Pribula and redshirt junior Sam Horn that lasted the entire offseason and wasn’t decided until midway through the Tigers’ Week 1 game against Central Arkansas. 

Pribula was set to split starter duties with Horn in the Week 1 bout, until Horn suffered a fractured right tibia that ruled him out for the remainder of the game –– and season –– after just one snap.

In an instant, the starting job was handed to Pribula by default, but he earned the gig. In his Missouri debut, he racked up a career-high 348 total yards and four touchdowns. His dual-threat ability was on full display, including a highlight 31-yard dash to the end zone and a 50-yard touchdown pass to wideout Marquis Johnson.

Pribula’s dual-threat playstyle raises questions about his durability. It was clear that Pribula’s electric play style was going to be pivotal to the team’s success moving forward, regardless of the injury risk it presents. 

“Beau’s gonna be Beau,” Eli Drinkwitz said in a press conference Sept. 2, “I don’t want him thinking, I want him doing.” 

Pribula led the Tigers into battle against the Kansas Jayhawks later that week, resuming a historic rivalry following a 14-year gap. In the biggest game of his career, Pribula came through. 

He completed 30 of his 39 passing attempts for 334 yards and three touchdowns, completing a 15-point comeback to take down the Jayhawks 41-32 and bring the War Drum back to Missouri. 

Pribula continued his stellar play in the Mayor’s Cup matchup against South Carolina. Despite his All-American starting left tackle, Cayden Green, being ruled out from the contest just under 24 hours before kickoff, Pribula delivered. He threw for 171 yards and a touchdown while tacking on an additional 72 yards on the ground en route to a 29-20 victory.  

His superstar-level play under the spotlight has brought Pribula into the Heisman conversation, the annual award given to the nation’s best player. No Tiger has ever won the Heisman before, and only two have been finalists, so Pribula is entering into historic territory within the program. 

The Tigers have had a relatively easy start to the season, facing zero ranked opponents through their first four weeks and remaining in the comfort of Memorial Stadium. As the Tigers’ season advances to take on potentially-ranked opponents on the road, Pribula’s path to the Heisman trophy will only grow tougher.  

 

Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]

Copy edited by Anna Catlett and Ava Mohror | [email protected] 

Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]