With the playoff run departure of veteran backup quarterback Beau Pribula to the transfer portal and ultimately Missouri, true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer is now the man after The Man.
In other words, if Drew Allar goes down with an injury against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve — as he did at Wisconsin, when Pribula saved the day…and possibly the season — Grunk will be the Nittany Lions’ quarterback.
Who’da thunk it?
Grunkemeyer, who is 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, already assumed the role last week in the opening round of the CFP at Beaver Stadium, when he entered the game for fourth-quarter mop-up duty with Penn State leading SMU, 38-3. (The final was 38-10.)
It was the first appearance in a college game for Grunk, who arrived on the University Park campus last January as the ninth-rated quarterback in the Class of 2024, according to On3. His first drive, and pass, did not go well.
Here’s the tip — 17 of them, actually — on the still-new PSU QB2:
1. His first college pass was an interception. On Grunk’s initial real-life drive as a Penn State quarterback, with the No. 1 offense still in the game, PSU offensive tackle Nolan Rucci was whistled for a false start. The second play was a 1-yard run by Nick Singleton. On the third play, a second-and-14 call from the PSU 39, Grunk threw a slant pass to wide receiver Trey Wallace, who lined up wide right. Grunk’s throw was a tad high, but Wallace leaped and got two hands on the ball, which slipped out of Wallace’s hands, tipping it into those of SMU’s Brandon Crossley. Tough start.
2. James Franklin’s response? According to TribLive, “Franklin was visibly upset and yelling with quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien immediately after the interception, as shown by TNT’s broadcast. Perhaps Franklin would have preferred Grunkemeyer handed the ball off in that situation.”
3. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelknicki’s post-game response to the pass and pick? “You probably want that throw a little more on the body or just hand it off, but it happens. So you go back out there, you get it out of the way and you respond to adversity.”
4. The next two drives went better. SMU’s interception led to a short-field touchdown, but Grunk acquitted himself a bit when Penn State got the ball back. He ran off six plays for 15 yards and a first down, thanks to a 9-yard completion to Wallace. On the game-ending drive with Grunk at QB, Penn State ran the ball three times for 8 yards.
5. Kotelnicki’s assessment of Grunk’s overall play: “I think he handled the moment fine. He was prepared all week to go into the game. I think any time that you’re the backup quarterback or the third-string quarterback, you need to prepare like you’re the starter and he does that.”
6. Grunk’s final stats vs. SMU: Twelve snaps, 1 of 2 passing for 9 yards, 1 interception, 19 yards.
7. Allar on Thursday on helping Grunk with game prep: “The good thing is, I haven’t really had to. That’s the way he’s wired and the way he’s motivated. He’s not externally motivated. He’s internally motivated by what he wants to accomplish in his career. Obviously, I think he has a really bright future ahead of him.”
8. Allar’s assessment on Thursday of Grunk’s skill set: “As far as the quarterback standpoint, he can make every throw on the field — really strong arm, really accurate. I think he processes really well, especially for being a true freshman in college football. I think going against a defense like we do every day, since he’s been on campus since spring ball through fall camp and throughout the season, has helped him grow mentally. I think he’s done a fantastic job since he’s been on campus. I think I’ve started to see him gain that confidence in himself these last couple of weeks. He really just knows how to go about his business at the end of the day.”
9. Franklin, last week when he officially named Grunk as Allar’s understudy: “Ethan will be the backup quarterback in the game. [Jaxson] Smolik still isn’t cleared medically. So, Grunk’s done a really good job and put himself in a position that we have a lot of confidence, and he was getting a ton of reps this week.”
10. Franklin’s ringing endorsement of Grunk mid-season: “I’m a huge fan of Grunk. And I think there’s a ton of excitement in our program [for him]. You talk to our defensive coaches and talk to our defensive players about the respect they have for Grunk. We have a relationship with Brad Maendler [the Ohio-based quarterback trainer, who also works with Allar]. And I think he’s done a phenomenal job. There’s a lot of excitement in our program about Grunk. He’s really kind of a nice blend of Drew and Beau, in some ways. And he makes some throws that are really impressive.”
11. PSU scout team quarterback Jack Lambert agrees. Lambert gave me this scouting report of Grunk in the preseason: “Grunk is a real competitor. He’s a student of the game. He’s really come along since he got here. He came in throwing like an NFL guy the first day he stepped on campus.”
12. That continued on Thursday, during a short media viewing window of Penn State’s practice in Holuba Hall before the Nittany Lions departed for Arizona. (See above.) After Allar, Grunk got the lion’s share of reps.
13. Franklin on the number of Grunk’s practice reps prior to naming him QB2: “You’re talking about a guy that’s – I don’t know what the numbers are…but, if I had to guess? I bet you Grunk’s probably got about 350 reps in practice and Jaxon — who we love and think has a very, very bright future — wasn’t able to get those reps.”
14. How Grunk moved to No. 2. Smolik, who is in his second season at Penn State, was injured in the spring, with a leg injury requiring surgery, which moved Grunk to No. 3. And, while Smolik was cleared to practice in recent weeks, he is not game ready health-wise.
15. “There is no Option No. 3” behind Grunk, Franklin said prior to the SMU game.
16. Tight end Tyler Warren would very likely get the nod over Lambert, should both Allar and Grunk be unavailable. A former high school QB, Warren threw for 1,149 yards and 14 TDs as a senior. In 2024, Warren has taken a ton of snaps as the Wildcat QB, completing 3 of 6 passes for 35 yards and a TD. He’s also rushed 24 times for 197 yards and four TDs, with an average carry of 8.2 yards.
17. What about Grunk in high school? Glad you asked. He was the lone quarterback commit in Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class and was a consensus four-star in high school. As a senior at Olentangy High School in Ohio, he led his team to an 11-2 record, while completing 66% of his passes for 3,517 yards and 39 touchdowns.
