The 2025 college football season has been completely underwhelming for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

After winning the first three games of the regular season, the Nittany Lions picked up their first loss of the year against the Oregon Ducks at home. This loss would eventually foreshadow the rest of the season for Penn State, as the program would drop its next two games, leading to the firing of head coach James Franklin.

In addition to the departure of Franklin, star quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury against the Northwestern Wildcats, which paved the way for redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer to become the team’s starter for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately for the former four-star recruit, he would have to make his first-career start against the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, followed by two straight matchups against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers.

Despite facing adversity in his first two games, Grunkemeyer had an excellent performance against the Hoosiers at home.

LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) on X Great pass play! Some downfield passing from Grunkemeyer

During the team’s most recent battle on Saturday, Grunkemeyer completed 22 of his 31 pass attempts for 219 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. While the stats may not support his performance, it was the poise that Grunkemeyer displayed late in the contest.

Grunkemeyer kicked off his stoic fourth-quarter run with a 20-yard pass to Trebor Pena, setting up running back Nicholas Singleton for a big-time drive that resulted in the Nittany Lions cutting the deficit to three. Penn State’s defense followed up the touchdown by intercepting quarterback Fernando Mendoza, giving Grunkemeyer prime field position.

The newest starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions had one of his best drives on the ensuing possession, completing three passes for a total of 35 yards. Grunkemeyer's final throw of the drive was a 19-yard passing touchdown to Singleton, which gave Penn State its first lead of the game.

FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) on X SINGLETON DOES IT AGAIN 😱 @PennStateFball HAS TAKEN THE LEAD VS No. 2 INDIANA

While the defense was unable to stop Mendoza during Indiana’s last-minute drive, the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s matchup was the growth Grunkemeyer showed throughout his first three games.

It was clear that the young quarterback struggled to find his footing against the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes, but outside of his one interception against the Hoosiers, Grunkemeyer did an outstanding job of steering the ship.