Beau Pribula finally has the job he’s been chasing.
Virginia announced Saturday that the former Penn State quarterback has won the Cavaliers’ starting quarterback battle, beating out Pitt transfer Eli Holstein. Pribula arrives in Charlottesville after one season at Missouri, following three years in Happy Valley.
For Pribula, this is the latest stop in a college career that never quite opened up at Penn State. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2022 and stayed behind then-Penn State starter Drew Allar, who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
By the end of the 2024 season, just before the Nittany Lions began their College Football Playoff run, James Franklin and Pribula agreed it was best for him to transfer. He entered the portal without having been part of a CFP win at Penn State and ended up at Missouri.
His year with the Tigers gave him a real chance to play. Pribula started all 10 games he appeared in, missed time in October with an ankle injury, then returned after being medically cleared before the season ended. He finished with a 67.4 completion percentage, 1,941 passing yards and 11 touchdowns on 182 completions.
Now he gets another swing at being QB1, this time in the ACC. Virginia is coming off an 11-3 season, and the Cavaliers are looking to build on that after the program’s last double-digit win season came in 1989. Virginia also hasn’t finished above .500 since 2019, when it went 9-5.
The starting job at Missouri was no easy handoff either. Eli Drinkwitz didn’t settle on a quarterback right away, and even in Week 1 he used both Pribula and Sam Horn to figure out who fit best. That decision came from game action, not what happened in offseason work or fall camp.
Virginia moved faster with its choice. Holstein, who transferred from Pittsburgh, will be Pribula’s backup in 2026.
Holstein is listed as a senior on Virginia’s roster, redshirted his true freshman season at Alabama in 2023 and spent two seasons with the Panthers. That also leaves him with a season after 2026 to make his own push as Virginia’s starter.
Pribula’s departure from Penn State hit hard for fans who had watched the Pennsylvania native leave without getting a true shot to prove himself as a Nittany Lion. His success at Missouri didn’t erase that, but it did give the blue and white faithful something to feel good about. That support figures to follow him into the ACC.
There’s also a familiar date waiting on the schedule. Pribula will face former Penn State head coach James Franklin in the regular-season finale, when Virginia and Virginia Tech are set to play Nov. 28.