Virginia Tech just handed the keys to its offense to a guy who spent his first two college seasons taking orders from the same coach who's now running the show in Blacksburg. Pete Thamel confirmed Sunday that Ethan Grunkemeyer, the Penn State transfer, has been named the Hokies' starting quarterback, and he'll get his Virginia Tech debut against VMI.
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.
The timing isn't a coincidence. James Franklin was fired at Penn State in October after a 3-3 start, then landed at Virginia Tech in November. Grunkemeyer, who Franklin recruited and coached during his first two seasons in Happy Valley, followed him to the ACC this offseason. Now the two are picking up right where they left off, just in different colors.
Grunkemeyer didn't win this job on potential alone. He beat out three other Hokies quarterbacks — Bryce Baker, Kelden Ryan and Troy Huhn — none of whom have thrown a pass in a real college game, and Franklin has publicly credited Grunkemeyer's offseason strength gains and decision-making for sealing the competition.
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.
There's real tape backing the hype, too. Grunkemeyer threw for 1,339 yards and 8 touchdowns against 4 interceptions last season at Penn State after taking over the starting job for the final stretch of the year. He closed it out on a heater — winning his last four starts, throwing 6 touchdowns with zero picks over that span, and capping it with a 260-yard, 2-touchdown performance in a Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson.
Making him a captain before he's played a single snap for the program is a statement from Franklin about how much trust he's already put in Grunkemeyer's hands. It's also a signal that Virginia Tech isn't treating this like a rebuilding transfer situation — they're building the offense around him from day one.
The debut is set: Virginia Tech opens the season against VMI on September 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. It won't tell the whole story of who Grunkemeyer is as a Hokie, but it's the first real look at whether the chemistry he built with Franklin at Penn State travels.