Here’s what Penn State Nittany Lion fans can expect from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer following Drew Allar’s season-ending injury.
After Penn State Nittany Lions’ star quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in week five against the Northwestern Wildcats, fans will now get to see their first glimpse of redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer for the remainder of the 2025 college football season.
As a former four-star prospect coming out of high school, Grunkemeyer was widely considered a top-10 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, as well as a consensus top-5 recruit in the state of Ohio. In his last two seasons at Olentangy High School, Grunkemeyer threw for over 6,100 yards and 64 touchdowns, while also completing 65 percent of his pass attempts during the stretch. The highly-touted prospect also proved to be an effective playmaker in the run game, as he finished with 303 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Many fans, along with the coaching staff, were expecting Grunkemeyer to take the reins in 2026 with Allar potentially being selected in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, the tides have quickly changed, and the young talent will now make his first-ever collegiate start against the Iowa Hawkeyes in week eight.
Here’s everything fans must know about Grunkemeyer before Saturday night.
Grunkemeyer’s Strengths
One of the primary reasons Grunkemeyer was able to become a four-star recruit was his impressive level of accuracy throughout his high school career. His combination of arm strength and elite ball placement was on full display in high school and during the run at the 2023 Elite 11 Finals.
At 6-foot-2, 212 lbs., Grunkemeyer is able to use his frame to help him excel in the passing game, which gives the Nittany Lions the ability to utilize all three levels of the field in the passing game. The young gunslinger may not receive a heavy workload in his first career start, but it’s clear that Grunkemeyer will eventually be able to handle a full playbook later in the season with more experience under his belt.
When asked about Grunkemeyer on Monday, interim head coach Terry Smith gave high praise to the redshirt freshman, stating that the program has “every bit of confidence” in the young quarterback.
"We have every bit of confidence in Ethan,” Smith stated. “He's got a strong arm. He's athletic, super smart kid. We got a lot of trust in him. He's been thrown in there just like I've been thrown in there. So, we got something in common. And you know, he's gonna be ready."
In addition to his effectiveness in the passing game, Grunkemeyer will also be able to use his legs if a play breaks down, as he is an adequate athlete. While he may not have the size and strength that allowed Allar to dominate on the ground, he is more than capable of being a potential threat on the ground.
What To Expect Against Iowa
2025 has quickly become a major transition year at the quarterback position across the entire college football landscape. With multiple powerhouses beginning the season with an inexperienced quarterback at the helm, Penn State will now follow suit in week eight.
Luckily for Smith and the offense, the Nittany Lions possess a perfect one-two punch in running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. The dynamic duo has combined for 728 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns through six games this season, which will be an excellent opportunity to ease Grunkemeyer into his new role.
Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes’ defense ranks fifth in rushing yards allowed per game this season (79.0). This means that the Nittany Lions must find a way to create easy options for Grunkemeyer in order to get him in a rhythm earlier in the contest.