James Franklin has announced Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer will be Virginia Tech's starting quarterback this season. That's not a surprising result, but Franklin turning to a familiar face at that position could raise the Hokies' floor as they try to execute a quick turnaround in Blacksburg.
When Grunkemeyer followed Franklin to Penn State, most assumed that this would be the outcome, but Franklin said Grunkemeyer becoming the starter was never a guarantee. Grunkemeyer's primary competition was North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker, but the former Nittany Lion put together a better body of work in the offseason.
"He's been the leader in the clubhouse for a number of practices -- any maybe weeks," Franklin said. "I don't think it was a foregone conclusion that this was gonna happen, or we would've told you guys and made an announcement. I think it's been a real competitive room."
A four-star recruit and the No. 8 quarterback in the 2024 signing class, Grunkemeyer played in 11 games for the Nittany Lions last fall, and he was able to stabilize the team after a rocky start resulted in Franklin's firing. The first-year Virginia Tech coach said that experience, as well as Grunkemeyer's mobility, played a big role in the decision.
"He's got his teammates' respect," Franklin said. "I think there's a level of consistency and maturity that he's shown to give the coaches and his teammates trust. I think you guys know his game experience, which we think is valuable, as well as his ability to distribute the ball and his decision-making. ... He's worked really hard on getting stronger and more explosive. I think he has the ability to still be a threat in the running game or extend the play."
When Drew Allar went down with a season-ending injury in Week 6, Grunkemeyer took over as the full-time starter for Penn State and flashed some real potential. He completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
There was plenty to like from Grunkemeyer, and now he will give Franklin a shot to push Virginia Tech up the ACC totem pole in short order.
Grunkemeyer brings experience and knowledge
Baker didn't bring any game experience with him to Blacksburg, and Grunkemeyer has 12 college appearances under his belt already. That means something in today's era of college football, where teams like to find more veteran quarterbacks who can command an offense rather than living with the volatility of an unproven option.
According to 247Sports, Grunkemeyer's "consistency and grasp of the offense gave him the edge" over Baker in this competition. Additionally, a leadership role was "natural" for Grunkemeyer, who quickly won over the locker room after arriving on campus.
It's also significant that Grunkemeyer has a base knowledge of the scheme after working with offensive coordinator Ty Howle at Penn State. Howle was the co-offensive coordinator from 2023-25, and he steps into that role full-time with the Hokies.
Not only did Grunkemeyer learn the offense at Penn State, but he also got to run it agains stiff competition in the Big Ten. Grunkemeyer had to face Iowa, Ohio State and Indiana in three straight games last fall. Grunkemeyer struggled in all three games -- though he was better against the Hoosiers -- but he won't see a three-game gauntlet like that in the ACC.
When the schedule softened up down the stretch, Grunkemeyer got more comfortable, and his performance clearly improved. Over Penn State's final four games, he threw six touchdowns to zero interceptions while completing 73.8% of his attempts.
That's notable because Virginia Tech has a relatively soft opening to its 2026 schedule. The Hokies start with VMI and Old Dominion before playing ACC bottom-feeder Boston College and Big Ten bottom-feeder Maryland, though the latter might be trickier than it looks on paper.
Grunkemeyer and the rest of the offensive pieces have time to iron out the wrinkles before Pitt rolls into town on Oct. 2.
Wide open ACC
Behind Miami, the battle for the second-best team in the ACC should be pretty wide open. Louisville and SMU are in a tier by themselves in that regard, but neither of those teams is necessarily a lock to reach Charlotte.
Virginia also looks pretty formidable after thrashing NC State in Week 0, but how much of that was the Cavaliers asserting themselves as a conference championship contender, and how much of it was the Wolfpack laying an egg after losing several key pieces?
Besides, what if Grunkemeyer takes another step forward and lives up to his blue-chip potential in his second season as a starter? That would give the Hokies a clear quarterback edge in most of their conference games.
Virginia Tech does have to face Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal), Kevin Jennings (SMU) and Darian Mensah (Miami), but there is a reality in which Grunkemeyer could be the best quarterback on the field in the team's other six conference games. As you can see from our Power Four quarterback rankings, the ACC isn't necessarily flush with elite quarterback play.
If Grunkemeyer clicks, it's easy to see Franklin and the Hokies exceeding expectations in Year 1.
