Ethan Grunkemeyer is Virginia Tech football's new quarterback. (Nick Brown)

Ethan Grunkemeyer
Quarterback
Penn State
6-2, 207
3 years of eligibility remaining (r-So.)

Virginia Tech picked up its biggest transfer portal commitment to date when Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer elected to join his former coaches in Blacksburg on Wednesday. He will be a redshirt sophomore in 2026.

The Lewis Center, Ohio, native was one of the most sought-after quarterback recruits in the country when he signed with the Nittany Lions out of high school, as you can see from his rankings:

• ESPN: No. 76 overall, No. 5 QB, No. 4 player in Ohio
• 247Sports: No. 103 overall, No. 8 QB, No. 3 player in Ohio
• On3: No. 117 overall, No. 10 QB, No. 5 player in Ohio
• Rivals: No. 234 overall, No. 15 QB, No. 10 player in Ohio 

Grunkemeyer stepped in for an injured Drew Allar as Penn State’s quarterback in 2025, starting the final seven games of the season. He got off to a slow start but won his last four games as a starter. He completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

Over his last five games, he threw seven touchdowns to just one interception and completed 73 percent of his passes. His best two performances came in his final two games against Rutgers and Clemson:

• Rutgers: 17-of-21 (81%) for 209 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs
• Clemson: 23-of-34 (67.6%) for 260 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

New Virginia Tech quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien developed Grunkemeyer the last two years at Penn State.

“Grunkemeyer’s strength would be that he’s a very good anticipatory thrower, seeing windows,” O’Brien said last August. “He sees the game very well.”

Grunkemeyer has a strong, accurate arm, and he’s a very advanced passer for his age. With his pledge, the Hokies most likely have their starting quarterback for 2026 and beyond.

He joins a quarterback room that’s been revamped since James Franklin’s arrival. The Hokies saw Pop Watson and Garret Rangel go into the portal, signed Troy Huhn in the 2026 class and added North Carolina signal-caller Bryce Baker as a transfer. A.J. Brand and Kelden Ryan remain on the roster, too.

He’s the Hokies’ 23rd transfer portal acquisition of the offseason. For more information on Virginia Tech’s comings and goings in the portal, click here for Tech Sideline’s roster management page.

Ethan Grunkemeyer links:

247Sports On3 College Sports Reference Penn State Bio