Remember the Beau Pribula transfer portal jump and the huge NIL deal that Missouri threw at him? No one really saw that coming. He was just the guy waiting in the wings while Drew Allar took the spotlight. But when Pribula hit the transfer portal last winter, eyebrows across the country shot up, especially once word got out that Missouri landed him with a jaw-dropping 7-figure NIL deal. A kid with fewer than 100 college pass attempts suddenly became the face of the post-Brady Cook era. People didn’t just feel surprised. They felt stunned.
How does a quiet, dual-threat QB from Happy Valley cash in like a 5-star superstar without the film to back it up? That’s where the story gets interesting. Missouri didn’t just see potential; they invested in it. And for the first time since that move, Beau Pribula is speaking up. In a wide-open interview on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Pribula gave fans an inside look at the deal, the decision, and why money wasn’t what drove him to Columbia.
“I didn’t care about it.” That’s the confession of Beau Pribula in a raw sit-down in his hometown of York, PA. The 6’2, 203-pound redshirt junior peeled back the curtain on how it all unfolded. He revealed he wasn’t sweating the numbers but that it was his brother, Cade Pribula and his agent who handled the negotiations. “I had zero conversations about money with anybody like thankfully, I don’t want to talk about that stuff. I don’t have interest in doing that,” he said. “But like my agent, Cade, whatever, would just talk to the team GMs and they would work it out.” Can you blame a 22-year-old for opting out of the headache talk?
Imagn Images
Beau Pribula never brought up the NIL conversation nor negotiated a single penny himself. And yet, Missouri rounded up $1.5 million in NIL money. “I didn’t know what was going on really but I was like, ‘That’s good. Like, I’ll take it. I’ll play football for free. I love it, but I’ll take it,’” he recounted. “Just getting paid at all to play football. I mean, it’s awesome. I think it’s great for players. I think they deserve it, but it was pretty crazy.” It’s a sign of the times. SEC teams are no longer just recruiting. They’re investing and this kid became the Tigers’ latest blue-chip stock. But why drop seven figures on a guy with fewer than 100 collegiate pass attempts?
The answer is simple. Missouri needs a post-Brady Cook era plan desperately. Cook, who was once the heartbeat of the Tigers’ offense, hit a wall in 2024 with injuries and inconsistency. Mizzou had to pivot and Beau Pribula, who posted a 66.1% completion rate and ran for 571 yards and 10 TDs at Penn State, checked a lot of boxes. “I knew Beau would have a little bit of a learning curve still with the offense, but I was impressed with how much he’s already understanding it and knew it and grabbed a hold of it,” Drinkwitz said after spring camp. “Excellent leader, very dynamic with his feet, sound, solid decision-maker.” And the fit clicked immediately, even for the QB.
Beau Pribula wants to be the best QB he can be for Missouri
Beau Pribula wasn’t even familiar with Missouri before his official visit, but he knew about their Cotton Bowl takedown of Ohio State and loved what he saw in Eli Drinkwitz. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder,” Pribula said. “I love it.” From the moment spring ball kicked off, Pribula was all in. “It wasn’t hard at all, I was so locked in. I have been ever since,” he said. “Ever since I’ve left Penn State, nothing’s mattered to me more than being the best quarterback I can be.” That mindset is what made the Tigers comfortable handing him the keys and a check.
Missouri also landed 4-star freshman Matt Zollers in the 2025 class. And then there’s Sam Horn who gives current QB competition. But this is Beau Pribula’s job to lose. With two years of eligibility and a full NIL war chest backing him, he’s not here to be another clipboard holder. “I got two years left, and I want to have no regrets,” he declared. Last season, the Tigers finished at No. 22 on the AP rankings.
Now, as Missouri eyes another top-25 finish, Beau Pribula’s rise could be the biggest portal win yet. From underused backup at Penn State to $1.5M face of the offense, it’s college football gone wild.
The post Beau Pribula Breaks Silence on 7-Figure NIL Deal With Mizzou appeared first on EssentiallySports.