Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Franklin Says Freshman QB Has 'Special Future' At Penn State S E A N F I T Z | S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M True freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has yet to take a live snap for Penn State, but the first-year player out of Lewis Center, Ohio, has already turned heads in Happy Valley. A practice standout during Penn State's bye week in mid-October, Grunkemeyer has gotten his career off to a promising start while backing up junior Drew Allar and redshirt sophomore Beau Pribula. "I'm a huge fan of Grunk, and I think there's a ton of excitement in our program [for him]," coach James Franklin said. "You can talk to our defensive coaches and defensive players about the respect they have for Grunk. … He's really kind of a nice blend of Drew and Beau in some ways, and he makes some throws that are really impressive." Listed in the On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 9 quarterback in the 2024 class, Grunkemeyer went from spring riser to Under Armour All-American on the back of a strong finish to his high school career. He led Olentangy High to an 11-2 record as a senior — a seven-win improvement from the year before — while completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,517 yards and 39 touchdowns. Grunkemeyer enrolled at Penn State in January and quickly moved up a rung on the quarterback ladder with a spring injury to redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik. He made the team's first four road trips as a freshman and continues to be an involved member of the room with veterans Allar and Pribula ahead of him. Quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien said Grunkemeyer and Allar have comparable passing skills, describing them as "elite." "Grunk is hungry," O'Brien said. "He can spin that thing. We've got a really good room in that way. I'm very lucky." Penn State has had to balance getting Allar and Pribula prepared while bringing along the impressive freshman. When Allar suffered a lower-body injury that forced him to sit out the second half of Penn State's game at Wisconsin on Oct. 26, it under- scored the need for everyone on the depth chart to be prepared. "There's only so much time to go around, but I think Danny's doing a really good job, and I think Grunk is doing a really good job," Franklin said. "Those guys are all preparing as if they're the starter, and that's one of those things that is easier said than done. "Grunk's improvement has been dramatic. I think he's got a special future. We are fortunate to have those guys here. Watching what happened [at Wisconsin] re- inforces it to those guys: 'Hey, I better have my stuff together.' But there are only so many reps to go around. … It's hard to get reps for the third guy. If you're not careful, you spend all this time getting all of them ready and you end up getting none of them ready. So, that's the challenge." Three First-Year Lions Forgo Redshirt Penn State has nearly completed its sea- son-long balancing act with the 2024 recruit- ing class. Heading into the last two games of the regular season, three members of the Nittany Lions' freshman class — tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman Coo- per Cousins and safety Dejuan Lane — had played in more than four games, and thus had forgone their opportunity to redshirt. Only three other players — running back Quinton Martin Jr., linebacker Anthony Speca and cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr. — went into the season's final two weeks with the mathematical possibility of exceeding the NCAA's four-game threshold. The other 20 scholarship freshmen had seen action in two or fewer games prior to the team's visit to Minnesota on Nov. 23. Once the regular season ends, the four-game threshold will no longer apply. Postseason games do not count against a player's total. — Greg Pickel FRESHMAN PARTICIPATION 10 Games OL Cooper Cousins S Dejuan Lane TE Luke Reynolds Three Games RB Quinton Martin Jr. LB Anthony Speca CB Kenny Woseley Jr. Two Games CB Antoine Belgrave-Shorter OL Eagan Boyer WR Tyseer Denmark DT Xavier Gilliam DE Max Granville DE Jaylen Harvey CB Jon Mitchell RB Corey Smith S Vaboue Toure No Games DL Liam Andrews OL Caleb Brewer WR Josiah Brown DT DeAndre Cook DL T.A. Cunningham WR Peter Gonzalez QB Ethan Grunkemeyer OL Donovan Harbour LB Kari Jackson OT Garrett Sexton DE Mylachi Williams Ethan Grunkemeyer has been the Nittany Lions' third- team signal-caller this season but did not see action in any of the team's first 10 games. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT