Strong Junior Season Propelled Beau Pribula To Four-Star Status

Back on August 3rd, Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class added their quarterback. This came via commitment from Central York standout Beau Pribula. At the time of his commitment Pribula was a three-star prospect, who appeared to be low hanging fruit.

While, technically, Pribula would likely still be classified as low hanging fruit due to being a lifelong fan of the Nittany Lions, he has since shot of ranking boards. This is due to Pribula putting together a terrific junior season for the Central York Panthers. On his way to leading the Panthers to a state championship game appearance, Pribula had one of the best seasons in the history of York County.

During the 2020 season the lone game that Pribula and the Panthers lost was in the Pennsylvania 6-A State Championship Game against Philadelphia’s St. Joe’s Prep. Despite this loss, it was still a remarkable junior campaign for Pribula.

Possibly the biggest driving force behind Pribula’s successful season was the coaching change that Central York made. Gerry Yonchiuk, known in Eastern Pennsylvania as a bit of a quarterback whisperer and an offensive guru, gave the Panther offense a much needed shot in the arm. Dropping their run heavy attack of the past, Yonchiuk brought a pass happy spread offense to Central York, and Pribule benefitted from it in a big way.

Pribula finished the season with a 68% completion percentage, to go with 2,156 yards and 34 touchdowns. This included just 7 interceptions. Pribula, who is a plus athlete, still used his legs as well as he rushed for 519 yards and 14 touchdowns.

During his junior season, Pribula made a huge improvement in his accuracy. His impressive 68% completion percentage was a big jump from the 55% completion percentage he had as a sophomore in 2019. The most impressive part about this is that it came in 114 extra pass attempts.

On film, Pribula looked much more comfortable in the pocket than he did as a sophomore. He also moved better in the pocket, and did a great job of using his athleticism to avoid pressure and give his receivers a chance to get open.

Pribula’s arm strength and deep ball also improved in 2020. As he continues to get older and stronger, his arm strength should continue to improve. He also does a terrific job of not just leading his receivers, but, for the most part, also putting the ball in a place where his receivers can than pick up yards after the catch.

In the pocket Pribula showed improved footwork over his sophomore season. That said, one area he could improve by doing a better job of setting his feet before throwing after he has moved around in the pocket. There are times he fails to do so which leads to him throwing off his back foot or making unbalanced throws, both of which are always dangerous.

When Pribula runs the ball he is not afraid to be physical. His toughness also shines through on some throws where he stands in the pocket and makes a good throw as he is getting hit. He also put his toughness and physicality on display as a safety for the Panthers. As a runner, Pribula has sneaky good athleticism and burst.

You can watch his full senior season film below.

The success Pribula had also helped to propel his team. Central York captured their first District 3 Championship in school history, as well as reaching the PIAA State Championship Game for the first time in school history.

Pribula’s junior season was not just a great one statistically, but it was also a season where he made great strides as a quarterback. His foot work, arm strength, accuracy, and ability to keep his eyes down the field all improved during his junior campaign. With all of this, he more than earned his new four-status.