It seems one of the most popular player on any football team can be the backup quarterback. When an offense is looking sluggish and in need of a bit of a jolt, the backup quarterback may have the best opportunity to connect much-needed life into any offense. Penn State fans are familiar with that concept over the years with Michael Robinson emerging from a backup role (along with a handful of position changes to get him on the field) and Trace McSorley’s first real chance to show what he can do backing up an injured Christian Hackenberg in the Gator Bowl against Georgia with a furious fourth-quarter rally (before ultimately falling a bit short).
Entering the 2024 season, Penn State looks to have one of the best backup options available with [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag], who will be the top backup to incumbent and projected starter [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. What makes Pribula so valuable to the Penn State offense is his ability to do some things on the field Allar is not expected or capable of pulling off, like using his legs to generate some speed and mix things up on the ground. Even with a new offensive coordinator coming in with Andy Kotelnicki, fans should expect to see a decent amount of Pribula involved in the offense even with Allar taking the majority of the snaps at quarterback.
247Sports thinks highly of Pribula going into the new college football season. In a ranking of the top 10 backup quarterbacks in the country, 247Sports ranked Pribula at no. 6 on its list.
“The Nittany Lions are confident Pribula will be difference-maker this season as a run-threat after rushing for six touchdowns and 329 yards last fall,” 247Sports noted. “Pribula gives the Nittany Lions a wrinkle in short-yardage situations and can protect Allar when the tough yards are needed.”
Most fans would probably love to see the running game, fueled by Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, take care of the short-yardage situations with authority, but it should not be unexpected that Pribula will be used at times to keep the defense guessing.
The biggest question remains just how Kotelnicki will utilize Pribula, and if that will involve Allar coming off the field or keeping both on the field at the same time.
According to the 247Sports backup QB rankings, Pribula is the fourth-best backup option in the Big Ten. Oregon‘s Dante Moore is at the top of the Big Ten list as he backs up Dillon Gabriel in Oregon’s first season in the Big Ten. Ohio State‘s Julian Sayin, expected to back either Will Howard or Devin Brown, is the no. 3 backup QB on the list. USC‘s Jayden Maiva is next on the list at no. 4. Maiava is projected to be the top backup to Miller Moss as the Trojans enter the Big Ten.
You can view the full top 10 backup quarterbacks in 2024 according to 247Sports.
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