Penn State QB Ethan Grunkemeyer entering NCAA transfer portal

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Penn State and new head coach Matt Campbell officially need a quarterback in 2026. With Drew Allar running out of eligibility and one quarterback already in the portal, Penn State saw one more quarterback option for 2026 opt to enter his name in the transfer portal this offseason with Ethan Grunkemeyer apparently choosing to explore his options this portal season.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Grunkemeyer will be entering the transfer portal. Coming off his redshirt freshman season, Grunkemeyer would have three more years of eligibility to use with any new school that lands him.

Grunkemeyer was the primary backup for Allar during the 2025 season and was the player who stepped in to lead the offense midway through the season once Allar suffered a season-ending injury. After some tough outings in his first official starts, Grunkemeyer continued to grow and improve with more playing time. With Grunkemeyer at quarterback, Penn State ended the season on a four-game winning streak, capped by a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over Clemson.

Backup quarterback Bekkem Kritza already entered his name in the transfer portal this week, which was somewhat expected to be the case. Penn State did sign one quarterback, Peyton Falzone, in the early signing period for the Class of 2026. As it stands right now, Falzone and redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik are the only two quarterbacks in the fold for the 2026 season. Iowa State commit Kase Evans has also been released from his commitment to Iowa State in the Class of 2026 and is set to join the Nittany Lions.

Putting aside the possibility that either Grunkemeyer or Kritza could end up staying at Penn State, the Nittany Lions will need to push for a quarterback out of the transfer portal to either land a proven starter or just fill the depth chart a bit. Fortunately, perhaps, there is a quarterback in the transfer portal that Campbell is quite familiar with.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht is likely to be one of the more attractive quarterbacks in this year’s transfer portal, and Penn State seems to be an easy option for a leading candidate. Between the familiarity between Campbell, his staff, and Becht, and the big need for a QB in Happy Valley, a possible pursuit of Becht just got a lot more important for Penn State.

The NCAA transfer portal opens Friday (Jan. 2) and remains open through Jan. 16. During that time, any player can enter the transfer portal. Once the transfer window closes, no players can enter the transfer portal until after next season. The only exceptions are for the two schools in the College Football Playoff championship game and any program that hires a new coach. Players taking part in the national final have a special five-day window following the game to enter the portal.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State QB Ethan Grunkemeyer entering NCAA transfer portal

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