Penn State got a lesson in building a roster with a new coach when Matt Campbell brought dozens of Iowa State transfers to State College. Many of them are expected to have significant roles with the Nittany Lions, and now we’re seeing a similar scenario transpire elsewhere.
James Franklin deployed the same strategy as Campbell, taking a bunch of Penn State players with him to Virginia Tech and thrusting them into feature roles. The latest player to receive this treatment is quarterback Ethan Grunkmeyer, a Penn State transfer who was named the starter on Monday afternoon, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
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. pic.twitter.com/mHc3gJlinh
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 31, 2026
The redshirt sophomore got some starts down the stretch for the Nittany Lions and had a little bit of juice, throwing for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns to just four interceptions. If Grunkmeyer was able to perform like that against Big Ten competition, he should be able to pick up right where he left off in the ACC.
Penn State and Virginia Tech will both be running out new head coaches this season and starting new quarterbacks from their coaches’ old schools. Only time will tell how well these teams operate with all these changes in place.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State transfer named starting QB at Virginia Tech
