STATE COLLEGE — Beau Pribula, the star from Central York, showed intriguing promise as a late-game running quarterback last year.
That role figures to shift and increase under new Penn State football offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who’s known for creatively using his best athletes to attack defenses, no matter position or depth chart status.
That certainly includes a projected backup quarterback with the unique skills of Pribula.
The redshirt sophomore who’s gotten stronger, faster and potentially tougher for defenses to deal with since his season-ending foray in the Peach Bowl.
“Beau obviously has some elite athleticism, and you have to tap into that,” Kotelnicki said during Penn State’s Media Day interviews in Holuba Hall. “His change of direction is elite for his position. His speed is really good, great. I don’t know if it’s elite. … But his change of direction is elite, probably top one percent (for quarterbacks).”
Pribula flashed that last season, with somewhat surprising results. Though he usually played only at the end of games, after the outcome was decided, he ran with ease through opponents who seemingly knew what was coming. He averaged 6 yards per carry and totaled 329, the ninth-highest season total for a Penn State quarterback.
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In his biggest moments, when he relieved injured starter Drew Allar against Rutgers, he ran for a career-best 71 yards on eight carries and scored a touchdown.
He threw well in spots last season but had limited opportunities. He completed 11 of his 21 passes for 149 yards and four touchdowns.
Now, Pribula maintains he’s a stronger, faster version of himself. He’s added five pounds of muscle and expects to play at 210 pounds.
“He can power clean the house, which you don’t see from quarterbacks,” said senior center Nick Dawkins, describing Pribula’s weightlifting exploits. “He moves so well, and he’s built like a tank.”
Pribula said he’s also the fastest he’s ever been as a runner — though he smiled as he declined to name testing times.
How much will he play earlier in games this fall? How will his run-first approach differ under Kotelnicki?
No one is willing to delve into such game plan details or projections, certainly not yet.
He does, though, seem likely to accentuate Allar’s big-armed pass game in a more robust role, from the sounds of coaches and teammates.
Listen to someone like senior defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas, one of those responsible for defending Pribula in practice. His success, J-Thomas claims, goes beyond speed and athleticism.
“He has that knack to see things open up very quickly,” he said. “His reaction time is so much quicker than most QBs we see in a game because he’s able to see the line open up and just go …”
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: How Beau Pribula is better for Penn State football in the Big Ten
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