Freshman QB gets first reps for Penn State in College Football Playoff; Who is Ethan Grunkemeyer?
Leading SMU 38-3 with 10:42 to play in the game, Penn State turned to true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer in the first round of the College Football Playoffs. The Nittany Lions’ new backup had not taken a snap prior to Saturday.
Following Beau Pribula’s decision to enter the Transfer Portal and not participate in the playoffs last week, Grunkemeyer was thrust into a role behind Drew Allar. Pribula took all the backup snaps for the Nittany Lions this season, leaving a huge gap in experience between the starter and the new backup.
The Penn State staff is still incredibly high on the freshman from Ohio, though.
“I’m a huge fan of Grunk. And I think there’s a ton of excitement in our program [for him],” James Franklin said in October. “You talk to our defensive coaches and talk to our defensive players about the respect they have for Grunk. As you guys know, we have a relationship with Brad Maendler, 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 [Allar] and Beau [Pribula] in some ways. And he makes some throws that are really impressive.”
The No. 9 quarterback in the Class of 2024 according to the On3 Industry Rankings, Grunkemeyer went from spring riser to Under Armour All-American on the back of a strong finish to his high school career. He led his Olentangy squad to an 11-2 record as a senior — a seven-win improvement from the year before — while throwing for over 3,500 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Grunkemeyer enrolled at Penn State in January and quickly moved up a rung on the quarterback ladder with a spring injury to Jaxon Smolik. He was an involved member of the room with veterans Allar and Pribula ahead of him.
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“There’s only so much time to go around, but I think Danny [O’Brien]’s doing a really good job and I think Grunk is doing a really good job,” said Franklin. “Just like you heard in the conversations about with Beau, those guys are preparing as if they’re the starter. That’s one of those things that is easier said than done.
“But Grunk’s improvement has been dramatic. I think he’s got a special future. We are fortunate to have those guys here. I think watching what happened on Saturday, I think that doubles down and reinforces it to those guys. Hey, I better have my stuff together. But there’s only so many reps to go around.
Penn State redshirt sophomore Smolik has been cleared for practice, but not games, Franklin said this week.
“The difference is Jaxon been out all year and really has only been cleared for about the last week. So, um, obviously those things impact, right,” said Franklin. “You’re talking about a guy that’s – I don’t know what the numbers are. We were actually running the numbers before I left and haven’t gotten them yet but, if I had to guess? I bet ya, I bet ya Grunk’s probably got about 350 reps, you know, in practice and Jaxon, who we love and think has a very, very bright future, wasn’t able to get those reps. So all those things will be factored in before we make those decisions.”
