Virginia Tech has named Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer its starting quarterback, and the redshirt sophomore will make his Hokies debut Saturday night against VMI.
ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported the news on Monday.
“Sources: Virginia Tech has named transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer the starting quarterback, and he’ll debut for the Hokies against VMI. Grunkemeyer is a Penn State transfer who threw for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns. Won his final four starts of the year at Penn State,” Thamel posted on X.
The decision makes official what had been widely expected throughout fall camp. Grunkemeyer already had been named one of six team captains, a sign of the trust first-year coach James Franklin placed in a quarterback he originally recruited to Happy Valley.
“This is making official the expected, as he’s been named a team captain. Grunkemeyer started the final seven games of the season for Penn State last year, including throwing for a career-high 260 yards and two touchdowns in the Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson. He was recruited to Penn State by new Tech coach James Franklin,” Thamel wrote in a follow-up post.
Grunkemeyer completed 123 of 178 passes last season for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions, a 69.1% completion rate and a 142.6 passer rating. He went 4-3 as a starter after taking over when Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
The first three starts were brutal: losses at Iowa, at Ohio State and at home to eventual national champion Indiana. Grunkemeyer threw four interceptions and one touchdown in those games. Then the offense settled.
In his final four starts, he completed 73.8% of his throws for 777 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions.
The closing stretch included an 81% completion game at Rutgers and the 23-of-34, 260-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 22-10 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson. Those four wins also gave Penn State bowl eligibility after Franklin was fired following a 3-3 start.
Franklin was hired at Virginia Tech on Nov. 17, 2025, after the Hokies finished 3-9, their worst winning percentage since 1992. Brent Pry, who coached Virginia Tech from 2022 until his midseason firing last September, is now Franklin’s defensive coordinator.
Grunkemeyer, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound former four-star recruit from Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, followed Franklin, offensive coordinator Ty Howle and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien to Blacksburg. He entered the transfer portal after the 2025 season and committed to Virginia Tech in January. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Virginia Tech opens the Franklin era at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at sold-out Lane Stadium against the VMI Keydets. The schools have not played since 1984. Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 49-25-5.
The Hokies are heavy favorites against an FCS opponent that lost its season opener 38-10 at Idaho State while installing a new triple-option offense. The game will air on ACC Network.
Franklin declined for weeks to name a starter publicly, saying the staff wanted competition to continue into game week. Grunkemeyer routinely took the first-team snaps, however, and his selection as a captain weeks ago left little doubt.
“It’s not the best player, and it’s not a popularity contest,” Franklin said after captains were announced. “It’s who are the guys that are living the standard day in and day out, and then who are the guys also that are willing to have tough conversations with their teammates?”
The rest of the quarterback room includes North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker plus Kelden Ryan and true freshman Troy Huhn. Grunkemeyer is the only one with Power Four starting experience.
Virginia Tech’s rebuilt roster features more than 50 newcomers. Grunkemeyer is the most important of them. Stability at quarterback has been scarce in Blacksburg in recent seasons, and the Hokies are counting on the Ohio native to provide it from the first snap of a new era.
