Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
9 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Two members of Penn State's 2024 recruiting class — quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer of Lewis Center, Ohio, and tight end Luke Reynolds of Westford, Mass. — made big jumps in the recruiting rankings in June and July. When Reynolds committed in March, he was outside of the nation's top 1,000 players in the On3 Industry Ranking, which is a weighted average of the grades from the four major recruiting networks. Grunkemeyer, meanwhile, was No. 644 nationally when he offered his pledge in May. They were the two lowest-ranked players in Penn State's class at one point. Those ratings now look silly after Grunkemeyer earned an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals and Reynolds participated in the All-22 Finals, events that took place in Los Angeles in June. Grunkemeyer was one of 20 quarterbacks nationally to earn an invitation to the country's premier quarterback camp. He ended up finishing No. 3 in On3's Power Rankings, behind only five-star prospects Julian Sayin and Dylan Raiola. "Ethan Grunkemyer was the most pleasant surprise at the Elite 11 Finals," On3 scouting director Charles Power wrote. "We entered the event having liked what we saw on video from his junior season and previous camps. With that said, the Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy product exceeded expectations. ... He was the On3 MVP on Day 1, showing fluid, explosive ability as a passer. He continued to impress on the final two days." Both 247Sports and ESPN elevated Grunkemeyer to four-star status in June and On3 followed suit in early July, ranking him as the No. 176 prospect and No. 10 quarterback nationally. That additional four-star grade from On3 bumped him up to No. 204 nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking and made him the No. 13 quarterback in the nation, per this weighted average score. Reynolds' rise has been even steeper. Last year at this time, he was prepar- ing to play quarterback for Cheshire (Conn.) Academy. As his junior season went on, he began seeing more action at tight end and grabbed the atten- tion of Penn State assistant coach Ty Howle. This spring, lots of other people saw what Howle had seen. During com- bine drills at the All-22 Finals, Reynolds ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash and a 4.3-second 20-yard shuttle, and he registered a 38-inch vertical jump. "The Penn State pledge seemingly ran hundreds of routes without show- ing noticeable fatigue," Power wrote. "Reynolds backed up his top-notch combine athleticism by showing excellent burst and change of direction within his routes." On3 and the three other major sites all upgraded Reynolds to four-star status. That catapulted his On3 Industry Ranking into the top 100, checking in at No. 89 overall and No. 8 among tight ends nationally. — Ryan Snyder C L A S S O F 2 0 2 4 C O M M I T M E N T S Name Pos Ht Wt Rating* Home School Antoine Belgrave-Shorter CB 6-0 175 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Jacksonville, Fla. Mandarin Egan Boyer OT 6-8 260 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Cornelius, N.C. William Amos Hough Caleb Brewer Ath. 6-4 295 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Reading, Pa. Wyomissing Josiah Brown Ath. 5-11 170 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Hicksville, N.Y. Holy Trinity Diocesan DeAndre Cook DL 6-3 255 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Washington, D.C. Friendship Collegiate Academy Cooper Cousins OL 6-6 305 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Erie, Pa. McDowell Tyseer Denmark WR 5-10 185 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia Roman Catholic Xavier Gilliam DE 6-2 260 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Columbia, Md. Wilde Lake Peter Gonzalez WR 6-2 200 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Pittsburgh Central Catholic Ethan Grunkemeyer QB 6-2 190 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Lewis Center, Ohio Olentangy Donovan Harbour OL 6-3 340 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Waukesha, Wis. Catholic Memorial Kari Jackson LB 6-1 220 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Bloomfield Hills, Mich. West Bloomfield Dejuan Lane S 6-2 200 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Baltimore Gilman School Quinton Martin Ath. 6-1 185 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Belle Vernon, Pa. Belle Vernon Jon Mitchell CB 5-11 175 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Jacksonville, Fla. Mandarin Luke Reynolds TE 6-4 215 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Westford, Mass. Cheshire Academy (Conn.) Garrett Sexton OT 6-6 265 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Hartland, Wis. Arrowhead Corey Smith RB 5-11 175 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Waukesha, Wis. Catholic Memorial Anthony Speca LB 6-2 215 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vaboue Toure S 6-0 188 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Irvington, N.J. Irvington Mylachi Williams DE 6-3 210 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia Bonner-Prendergast Kenny Woseley Jr. CB 5-11 165 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia Imhotep Charter C L A S S O F 2 0 2 5 C O M M I T M E N T S Name Pos Ht Wt Rating* Home School Kiandrea Barker RB 5-11 185 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Beebe, Ark. The Woodlands (Texas) Omari Gaines CB 6-2 175 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Newark, N.J. Malcolm X Shabazz Jaelyne Matthews OT 6-5 273 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Toms River, N.J. Toms River North * On3 player ratings as of July 11 Committed PSU Prospects See Evaluations Skyrocket