Former Penn State QB1 Ethan Grunkemeyer is expected to be the starter at QB for Virginia Tech when the season opens on Sept. 5 with VMI, but first-year coach James Franklin is going to make Grunkemeyer earn it.
“Right now, they’re all getting reps, and it rotates by day in terms of what reps they’re getting, who they’re getting the reps with, and then we just track everything,” Franklin told reporters after practice on Thursday.
Grunkemeyer was on the depth chart at Penn State behind three-year starter Drew Allar and with Beau Pribula, now the QB1 at Virginia, taking the #2 spot when Pribula transferred out after the 2024 season and ended up at Missouri.
After Allar was injured in the Week 6 loss to Northwestern that got Franklin fired, Grunkemeyer stepped in, though he lost his first three starts – at Iowa, at Ohio State and at home to eventual national champ Indiana, who rallied in the final minute to eek out a 27-24 victory.
Penn State won four straight to close out the season, with Grunkemeyer throwing six TD passes without a turnover, which is impressive.
Grunkemeyer was 23-for-34 for 260 yards and two TDs in Penn State’s 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl in what turned out to be his finale with the program.
The QB battle at Tech includes former four-star recruit Bryce Baker, who redshirted as a true freshman at North Carolina in 2025; another redshirt freshman, Kelden Ryan; and Troy Huhn, a four-star recruit who is a true freshman.
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Chris Graham
