Virginia is trying to keep its momentum from a dominant 2025 season. After last year’s QB, Chandler Morris, lost eligibility, head coach Tony Elliott brought two standout QBs from the portal. Pittsburgh’s Eli Holstein came with an aggressive resume, including more than 3,000 career passing yards and 400+ rushing yards. However, months after competing for the QB1 role, he has lost it to one of James Franklin’s standout QB recruits from 2022.

Elliott has now chosen Beau Pribula to be the Cavaliers’ QB1 for the 2026 season. This settles the competition that had been going on since spring. Furthermore, Pribula now has experience from playing for not one, but three big-time college programs. That includes Penn State, with which he reached the playoffs. As for Elliott, he says, Pribula was a clear winner of the competition a lot sooner than when it was finally made public.

“I didn’t publicly make a big announcement. But I told the guys at the start of the summer, based on the body of work, that [Pribula] is where we’re going,” Elliott told Greg Madia of The Daily Progress. “So the team’s known. I just didn’t make a big [statement] because I didn’t want that to create any additional distractions and talking points… We had enough body of work to be able to say, ‘This is where we’re going.'”

Pribula, Holstein (from Pitt), and sophomore Cole Geer competed for the role across 14 spring practices. The Missouri transfer ultimately offers Virginia a more complete package. At Missouri last season, he played 10 games and threw for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He also ran for 297 yards and six touchdowns on 95 carries. That rushing ability matters because Pribula can add a designed run threat to the offense and extend plays when protection breaks down. However, there were some issues Virginia might want to address.

His final season in Missouri was not perfect. He struggled with consistency late and finished his final four games with no touchdown passes and four interceptions. Still, he brings actual starting experience in the SEC, along with a season of running an offense under pressure. Before Missouri, Pribula was the backup to former Penn State QB Drew Allar as he joined James Franklin’s team in 2022 as a No. 6 four-star QB in the class.

Beau Pribula opens up on becoming Virginia’s QB1

After redshirting as a freshman, Pribula earned occasional reps in 2023 (149 passing, 329 rushing yards). Entering the 2024 season at Penn State, expectations were high, and Pribula helped the team on crucial occasions as it reached the playoffs. That season, he notched 517 all-purpose yards at an impressive 74.3% efficiency. However, when Drew Allar decided to stay for one more season, he looked for newer pastures.

“You’ve got to earn the respect of [the team] by being in the facility 24/7, [and] putting your head down and working right away,” Pribula said about his journey to becoming a QB1 at Virginia. “As time progresses and you get around the guys more and do spring ball, you become more comfortable, and they become more comfortable with you.”

Pribula entered the portal before Penn State’s playoff opener against SMU because waiting until after the postseason would have made visits and enrollment before spring practice far more difficult. He later said the decision was controversial because he had to leave before the playoff run ended.

Yet he also said his former teammates supported him and were excited about his future. Missouri became his first attempt to earn a starting role. And now, finally, in his final season of college, he has won that role. Hopefully, he will replicate last season’s heroics and lead Virginia to another dominant 11-win season.