How does the old saying go? “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
In the weeks following Virginia’s 13-7 Gator Bowl victory over Missouri, Tigers original starting quarterback Beau Pribula has jumped ship and made his commitment to the UVA program official.
While we did not see Pribula in that contest, the 6-foot-2, 212-pound junior accounted for 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air, and an additional 297 yards and six scores on the ground in nine full regular season games.
It is important to consider that those numbers are skewed by multiple leg injuries and a few outlier performances against the SEC’s top defenses. That said, they will not have UVA fans ecstatic, no matter how you cut it.
At the very least, Pribula will operate comfortably in Des Kitchings’ system, which leans on power running on early downs, and asks the quarterback to make enough sound reads to keep the chains moving. The bigger question is whether Pribula can deliver the game-changing plays that Chandler Morris used to swing so many close games. There may be additional upside to unlock with Pribula’s blend of arm talent and running ability, especially if he can get fully healthy, and that could be the difference between a middle-of-the-pack ACC finish and another run at a conference title.
We would also have to imagine that Cole Geer will be given every opportunity to compete for the job. If the talented rising sophomore is able to take a leap from now until the end of fall camp, the outlook of Virginia’s quarterback situation would be completely different.
While the 2026 transfer class has fully emphasized dominating the trenches and maintaining a plethora of running back options that can take advantage, the top priority must shift to adding receivers for Pribula to throw to. Of course, with the importance of quarterback depth in college football, it may not hurt to add another veteran to that room as well.
