Oct 26, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Beau Pribula (9) celebrates after earning a first down during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Ex-Penn State 4-star QB wanted to transfer to Wisconsin until Badgers added Billy Edwards Jr.

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 6:41 AM ET

If the Wisconsin Badgers hadn't landed Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland in the transfer portal, they might have gotten a four-star Penn State quarterback instead.

Redshirt junior quarterback Beau Pribula transferred from the Nittany Lions to Missouri, but in an interview on " Next Up with Adam Breneman," he revealed that Wisconsin was his first choice.

"The plan was to go to Wisconsin like right away," Pribula said. "But spots were closing like that. Next thing you know, it was like, 'OK, we're not going to Wisconsin anymore because they just got a quarterback.'"

“I practiced the day I transferred.”

Beau Pribula opens up on @NextUpWithAdam about the most emotional moment of his career — leaving Penn State before the playoff run.

It wasn’t about chasing NIL. He didn’t plan to leave.

Just a brutal decision in a broken system.

Now, he’s… pic.twitter.com/eOfbnp8JXU
— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) July 10, 2025

Pribula entered the transfer portal on December 15. The next day, Edwards Jr. announced his commitment to the Badgers.

A week later, the Penn State QB went to Missouri instead, where he is projected to be their Week 1 starter.

Pribula actually had his most productive college performance against the Badgers in 2024.

After starter Drew Allar injured his knee in the first half at Camp Randall Stadium, Pribula came in and completed 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, while adding six carries for 28 yards on the ground.

Real ones will always remember the Beau Pribula Wisconsin game #WeAre

pic.twitter.com/uGWqJPNYb8
— Connor Griffin (@RealCGriff) December 16, 2024

He played in 24 games at Penn State but never had the chance to start after coming to State College in the same recruiting class as Allar.

The Badgers opted for a more experienced starter in Edwards, but now Badgers fans will be paying extra attention to how Pribula performs at Missouri and wondering how it would have gone if he had come to Wisconsin instead.