Former Penn State QB Ethan Grunkemeyer was thrust into action after Drew Allar’s season-ending injury against Northwestern last season. Without any prior starting experience, he led the team to four consecutive wins, including a 22-10 bowl game victory against Clemson. But just as he got to the last play of the game, instead of his 260-yard passing performance, his PSU future clouded his mind.

Grunkemeyer was stuck between two choices: whether to stay at Penn State, a program he loved, or enter the transfer portal. But he blocked that background noise. Answering reporters after the game, the QB smiled and signaled, “Enjoy the bus ride back with the guys.” He didn’t know it was his last bus ride with the team. But when he analyzed everything, following his old coach to Virginia Tech felt like the right choice.

“I’m a loyal guy. I love Penn State. That place had given me opportunities. I wanted to be able to repay that. So it was really tough for me as a person,” Grunkemeyer said on Adam Breneman’s May 8 podcast. “But sometimes, you just got to look past how you feel, and you just got to make the best decision for your future.”

Grunkemeyer had earned a shot at QB1 even with the arrival of a new head coach at Penn State. He completed 124 passes on 178 attempts for 1,339 yards, with a 142.6 RTG last year. That’s exceptional for a player who came off two brutal losses against Ohio State and Indiana and hadn’t seen a single snap as a starter before.

“There’s been a ton of growth. And I’m excited to have that carry into the offseason,” Grunkemeyer said about his 2026 hopes in Happy Valley. “…Want to keep it rolling and keep that trajectory high [and] trend in the right direction.”

Ethan Grunkemeyer passed at a stellar 78.2% efficiency in his last four games, including four touchdowns, and threw zero interceptions. That should have clarified his thoughts about the starting QB1 spot at Penn State. However, new coaches bring new schemes and new players and often show reluctance to continue with the old guard. Grunkemeyer wasn’t going to bank on that uncertainty. After all, he had 3 years of eligibility left.

“You lost your coach halfway through the season, and then you come out and beat a top-tier program in a bowl game. Part of my excitement was like, ‘hey, Penn State’s an awesome place.’ So I wasn’t really thinking about that (transfer decision) as much,” Grunkemeyer said. “A couple of days after the game, it kind of hit where it’s like, ‘hey, I got to finally make a decision. It definitely wasn’t easy. Luckily, I got to go home because we were on break and talk to my family about it. It was definitely a tough time.”

During his recruitment, Ethan was an overlooked 4-star QB in a star-studded 2024 class at Penn State. He was the 9th-ranked QB nationally and the 4th-ranked signal caller from Ohio. Of course, it would always have taken something special for Ethan to become a starter at a power-4 program. He did that last year but trusted James Franklin’s development, who recruited him at Penn State. Despite that, winning the QB1 spot won’t be a cakewalk either at Virginia Tech.

James Franklin aims to ‘evaluate’ the QB room before declaring a starter

James Franklin’s options at the Hokies aren’t limited to Ethan Grunkemeyer. The new head coach has also brought in Bryce Baker from North Carolina, and the duo is now fighting for the QB1 spot, as seen during the Hokies’ spring scrimmage. Baker compiled 140 passing yards, completing 15 of the 27 passes in the game, taking two sacks but rushing for 32 yards. Grunkemeyer’s numbers weren’t that high, but he clearly delivered a potential QB1 performance.

“Right now, he’s the only quarterback that we have that we can really evaluate in a game. So, we need to get a chance to see those other guys live,” James Franklin said about Grunkemeyer and the QB competition with Baker. “We’re not gonna do that a whole lot, but we need to do it a little bit so we get an idea of who they are, when the bullets are flying.”

In the spring scrimmage, Grunkemeyer completed 13 of the 17 passes for 136 yards, while also throwing a pick. Overall, the former PSU QB’s performance was efficient, which should easily get him the QB1 spot at Virginia Tech. He also wants to correct some of the issues that led to the interception in the game. As for Bryce Baker, he was also a talented 4-star QB in Bill Belichick’s 2025 class, and considering his talent, it won’t be effortless for Grunkemeyer to win the QB1 battle.