When James Franklin was hired at Virginia Tech, one thing was certain: change was coming to the roster for the Hokies, and it was going to be a rather big turnover. One position that was destined to have turnover was the quarterback position.
Kyron Drones was heading to the NFL; Pop Watson and Garret Rangel hit the Transfer Portal, and there were two freshmen on the roster who were coming back: Kelden Ryan and AJ Brand. Finding a quarterback through the portal was inevitable.
When the dust settled in the middle of January, the Hokies landed Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer, who ended up following Franklin and position coach Danny O'Brien to Blacksburg. In the overall big picture, it wasn't surprising. However, one name that was considered to be on Franklin's radar was Beau Pribula, and on Thursday, ESPN dropped a story that is very interesting as to how close Virginia Tech was to landing the former Nittany Lions and Missouri signal caller.
Beau Pribula nearly ended up at Virginia Tech before Virginia
It sounds like Pribula was going to be Virginia Tech's quarterback in 2026. In fact, it sounds like it was a done deal. In an ESPN article by Max Olson, Pribula sounded like someone who was ready to be the next Hokies QB in 2026. Then, all of a sudden, things changed.
While Pribeau was on his visit, according to his agent Joe Gazza, rumors began to swirl that Grunkemeyer was going to Virginia Tech. That sent Pribula into a crazy travel schedule that saw him end up in Charlottesville with Virginia. What a turn of events.
We'll see quickly if the decision turned out to be the right one for Virginia Tech, but you can't think that a move like this might come back to haunt them in 2026. The two rivals will clash at Lane Stadium in late November for the Commonwealth Cup. Pribula vs. Grunkemeyer, assuming both are healthy.
It makes sense that Franklin and O'Brien coveted Grunkemeyer. He has more eligibility remaining than Pribula. Grunkemeyer got some valuable playing time last year at Penn State after Drew Allar went down with an injury, which makes the decision one that makes sense for the Hokies. If he didn't get the experience, would the Hokies have gone to Pribula for a year instead, the more seasoned quarterback? We'll never know.
I'm sure we're going to hear, leading into the game at Virginia Tech, that Pribula will have a chip on his shoulder for the game and feel that he was wronged by Franklin, O'Brien, and Virginia Tech. Whatever he needs to fuel his fire, good for him. However, when it comes to the Transfer Portal and decisions having to be made quickly, nothing is a given. That's just the cold, hard truth about college football in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google