Penn State Sports Magazine
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5 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State picked up a quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle when Bekkem Kritza of Boulder, Colo., told the coaching staff during a visit to campus for the Michigan game in early November that he planned on signing with the Nittany Lions. Kritza made his pledge public on Nov. 14, announcing that he had chosen PSU over Colorado, Miami and Texas A&M. "I came in and was ready to commit and get my recruit- ment over with," said Kritza, who has received a three-star grade in the On3 Industry Ranking. "I had a feeling, ever since I went up there the first time, that the vibe was differ- ent. I took a few other visits and stuff, checked out other schools, and realized that I wasn't going to find it any- where else like they do. The honesty and loyalty part, I'm not going to find that anywhere as much as I did at Penn State. "Once I realized that, I started to con- nect more and more with Coach [James] Franklin. We were on the phone proba- bly every other day. All the coaches text me every day. It wasn't just checking to see how I was doing on the field, but also off of it. How my life was going and things like that. Them doing that, it was a big difference-maker for me." Kritza's visit in November was his third to PSU, and the timing might have seemed awkward in that the Nittany Lions dismissed offensive coordina- tor Mike Yurcich the day after falling to Michigan, 24-15. But while Yurcich had played a significant role in his recruit- ment, the move didn't dissuade Kritza from choosing PSU. "I love Coach Yurcich, that's my guy, don't get me wrong. But when I com- mit to a school, I'm committing to the school and to the head coach," he said. "I'm not really committing to a quar- terbacks coach or an OC. He's a great guy, a great coach, I'm always going to keep in touch with him, but that's my take on that." The 6-foot-5, 185-pound prospect threw for 1,747 yards and tossed 20 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions in six games as a junior for Fairview High this past fall. He spent his sophomore year in California after starring as a freshman in 2021 at Fairview. That year, he threw for a state-best 3,192 yards with 23 touchdowns and was named the Colorado Prep Reports 5A North Offen- sive Player of the Year. Kritza is the No. 34 quarterback na- tionally and the No. 1 prospect in Col- orado according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He camped with the Nittany Lions in July and also attended the Lasch Bash barbecue before the season. It was during those previous visits that he built the relationships that sold him on PSU, and he continues to have faith in the program, even with the leader- ship of the offensive coaching staff now in transition. "That whole staff, from Coach Frank- lin all the way down, that's really what I looked for," he said. "I know a lot of colleges like to tell you all the good stuff when you're on a recruiting visit. They tell you all the good things, how good you are and things like that. With them, they told me the good things but also told me the things that I needed to work on. Having those coaches be honest like that, it doesn't get any better than that on and off the field." ■ Colorado Quarterback Joins Penn State's 2025 Class S E A N F I T Z | S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M Although he played in only six games as a junior at Fairview (Colo.) High, Kritza threw for 1,747 yards and 20 touchdowns with just 3 interceptions. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER COMMITMENT PROFILE BEKKEM KRITZA Bekkem Kritza is an interesting case. He first came onto the scene as a ninth-grader playing in Colorado. He's a guy who was tall and lanky and stuck out from a stature per- spective and certainly put together some solid film early on. He then transferred to Santa Margarita in California and didn't play a lot as a sophomore, so we didn't get to see much of him up until this past fall when he transferred back to Colorado. I think he's a guy with a strong arm who can make some impressive high-end plays. There are certainly some physical tools there. The next steps for Kritza are to become more consistent on a play-to-play basis, continue to work on his accuracy and really just gain experience. Kritza has played less than some of his peers, given that he didn't see much action as a sophomore. I think he's a pretty good athlete who can move well in and around the pocket. He's probably better at throwing with his feet set than on the run at this point. The highs are notable, but he'll need to continue improving his overall consistency and accu- racy. It will be interesting to watch him over the next year or so. More than anything, it was nice to see him get back on the field as a junior. He has some promising flashes, but his development process as a quarterback is only just beginning. — Charles Power, On3 scouting director P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N