Penn State QB Bekkem Kritza plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

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Penn State true freshman quarterback Bekkem Kritza plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal once the two-week window formally opens Friday, On3 has learned. Kritza will have four seasons of collegiate eligibility after redshirting this past season in Happy Valley.

Kritza, a 6-foot-5 and 200-pound freshman, signed with the Nittany Lions as a three-star prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Fla.) and the No. 50 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, according to Rivals Industry Ranking. Kritza entered the season as Penn State’s fifth-string QB before sliding up to fourth-string following the season-ending injury to senior starter Drew Allar.

After battling some injury issues earlier this season, Kritza was made available to potentially play in late October, according to interim head coach Terry Smith, though he never saw the field in 2025.

“Bekkem Kritza, you know, he’s coming off an injury. He’s available this week,” Smith said on Oct. 27, according to On3‘s BlueWhiteIllustrated. “If he had the opportunity to go into the game, you know, the game plan would be very similar. We would have to keep it simple for him to have success and not demand a lot from him.”

Kritza picked Penn State over offers from Miami, Texas A&M and Washington, with Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki serving as his main recruiter.

“I think that kid (Kritza) is unbelievable. When you look at what he can do with the football, with not a ton of training, he doesn’t have a QB guy or anything like that,” Kenny Sanders, the Penn State director of player personnel, toldBlueWhiteIllustrated after National Signing Day in February. “I think I told somebody once (said) that he might have the best raw arm talent I’ve ever seen coming out of high school. Just throwing off platform. He is such an unpolished gem, in my opinion. I could probably spend an hour just talking about what I think Bekkem Kritza is going to be once he gets here. For me, he’s going to be someone that really thrives in the structure that we’re going to provide.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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