Former Penn State coach James Franklin delivered one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the Virginia Tech Hokies program after he was appointed last year. One of the most important players that Franklin attracted to Blacksburg was former Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
Grunkemeyer was the Nittany Lions’ backup quarterback until QB1 Drew Allar got injured in October, after which he took the reins after Franklin was fired.
James Franklin Addresses Hokies’ QB1 Battle
Despite the widespread belief that Grunkemeyer will be the Hokies’ starting quarterback next season, while speaking to reporters on Monday, Franklin revealed that the QB1 battle was far from a foregone conclusion.
“We’ve made sure that the players all know that everything was being evaluated. So the strength staff was having an evaluation, the winter workouts, that’s why we tracked all of the competitions. That was a factor: the meetings we are allowed to have, all those types of things,” Franklin said.
MORE: Deion Sanders on Recruiting: ‘I Don’t Trick-or-Treat’ With Families
“We’ve got to find a way to get them reps because there’s guys who are unbelievable in the meeting room and they can’t do it out on the field. Although we will have a starting point, it is fluid and also why we are going to do as much two-spot teaching and two-spot drills as we possibly can. It’s almost impossible at the QB position to base it on winter workouts.”
In addition to signing Grunkemeyer, Franklin signed former North Carolina quarterback Bryce Baker, who redshirted his freshman season under coach Bill Belichick and did not take the field for the Tar Heels. Baker was a four-star recruit who was ranked the No. 8 quarterback and No. 80 overall prospect in the class of 2025.
Baker was highly recruited by current Virginia Tech quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, who was then at Penn State under Franklin.
Despite his limited game time as Allar’s replacement last season, Grunkemeyer still tallied 1,339 passing yards, 8 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He earned a PFSN College QB Impact score of 76.6 after saving Penn State’s season and leading the Nittany Lions to bowl eligibility after a woeful 3-6 start to the season.
Grunkemeyer then led the Nittany Lions to a 22-10 win over the Clemson Tigers in the Pinstripe Bowl, going 23-of-34 for 262 yards and 2 touchdowns, before he entered the transfer portal and joined Franklin at Virginia Tech. His signing has heightened expectations for the new Franklin era in Blacksburg.
