Beau Pribula Through Eyes of Former Teammates, Defenders, New Coaches

Rain prevented Eli Drinkwitz from taking his daily morning walk outside on April 29. He opted to instead take a walk inside Missouri's athletic facilities.

There, he saw Beau Pribula practicing in the indoor practice facility.

"He's a guy who works out all the time," Drinkwitz said of Pribula in a press conference the evening of April 29. "He's very consistent about trying to improve and has a daily routine, and I think that shows to his teammates what they can expect from."

Pribula's teammates at Penn State came to expect this from the quarterback, who transferred to compete for the Missouri Tigers' starting job for the 2025 season.

"He was probably one of the hardest workers we had at Penn State," former Nittany Lions linebacker Kobe King said at the NFL Scouting Combine.

That level of work stayed consistent even when Pribula wasn't expecting opportunities. He sat behind Sean Clifford in the first season of his career, and behind Drew Allar each of the past two.

"He worked hard every single day," former Penn State safety Jaylen Reed said at the Combine. "(He) brought his A-game every single day. He never complained when the job wasn't his, when he was behind Drew, he never complained. He was always a team player. "

That effort has already become apparent to more than just Drinkwitz in Missouri.

"He comes in, he works," wide receiver Marquis Johnson said during a spring press conference. "He gets his stuff done. He's very passionate about what he do. I'm very happy he's here."

This summer, Pribula enters another starting competition, set to duke it out with redshirt junior Sam Horn. In spring practices, Drinkwitz intentionally didn't look to name a starter.

"I told those guys that there is no plan to try to name a starter through spring," Drinkwitz said at the beginning of spring practices. "I don't really believe in that because I think it puts too much pressure on the team and everybody involved. This is about individual player development."

For both Horn and Pribula, they're in pretty good hands when it comes to indivual player development under Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore. Both have establish track records when it comes to developing quarterbacks.

Their ability in this department is evidenced in the growth Brady Cook saw in his three years as a starter. For the first three years of Cook's career, Drinkwitz was both the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Moore was brought in to fill both of those roles ahead of the 2023 season.

Over his time under the mentorship of those two, Cook went from a three-star prospect who struggled in his first year as a starter to the third-leading passer in program history.

"I can't say enough," Cook said of the role Moore and Drinkwitz played in his development. "He (Drinkwitz) taught me everything I know about the games and Kirby, obviously, the last two years, coming in, giving me a new perspective on my game, the offense at Mizzou, and ultimately getting me to this point."

Pribula is also an ideal fit for the Missouri offense with his ability as a runner. With the offensive system utilizing as much wide-zone run schemes as it does, a mobile quarterback can open up the play-action game. Cook rushed for 1,219 yards on 361 carries in his time with the Tigers, having a knack for when to tuck the ball down and make something happen with his legs.

"It's definitely a benefit," Moore said of mobility in quarterbacks. "It's a thing I've seen firsthand the last two years, being with Brady. All of our guys have been able to extend plays, be a part of the run game, be a plus-one team at times. That's something in this conference you got to be able to do when you need it."

For the last two seasons, Pribula found a role with Penn State as a running specialist, subbing in for Allar to take 94 carries for 571 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has surprising speed and power.

"His play style was definitely different than any other quarterback i've seen," King said. "His running style, like people wouldn't think he's that fast or like that strong or that explosive, he kind of catches guys off guard when he runs around and then bend a corner."