Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer plans to enter Transfer Portal
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer plans to enter the Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. Grunkemeyer came in and started games for Penn State following the injury to Drew Allar this past season.
Grunkemeyer played his high school football at Olentangy in Lewis Center, Ohio. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024. He was the 108th-ranked player overall and the ninth-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle.
In 2024, Grunkemeyer only appeared in one game for Penn State. In the process, he would use his redshirt. That one game came in the College Football Playoff against SMU. He had a nine-yard completion in that game.
Entering the 2025 season, Grunkemeyer won the backup job for Penn State. He’d be called into action once starting quarterback Drew Allar went down with a season-ending injury. That, in general, came at a very awkward time for the Penn State program. Not only did long-time starting quarterback Allar get injured, but the next day, head coach James Franklin was fired. In his place, Terry Smith took over as the interim head coach.
Grunkemeyer would start the final seven games of the season for Penn State, including a Pinstripe Bowl win. After dropping the first three games he started, Penn State would turn things around quickly and win four in a row to wrap up the season.
In the end, Grunkemeyer finished 2025 completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns. That was against four interceptions. He also had one rushing touchdown.
To replace James Franklin, Penn State has turned to former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. Finding the team’s next starting quarterback will prove to be vital in his roster construction going into next season.
Changes coming to the Transfer Portal
The December calendar, with recruiting, transfers, and bowl preparation, has become a major point of concern in college football. In an effort to alleviate that, there have been some major changes made to the portal.
There will now only be one window to enter the Transfer Portal. The Spring window has been entirely removed while the Winter window has been moved from December to January. It’s also been cut down to just 10 days. Of course, how effective this ends up being remains to be seen.
The Transfer Portal will now officially open on January 2nd. It’s set to stay open through January 16th for players to enter.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos