Virginia Tech’s quarterback picture is settled, and James Franklin is sticking with the guy he knows best.
Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer will open the season as the Hokies’ starter, giving Franklin a familiar face to lean on as he tries to engineer a fast turnaround in Blacksburg. It’s not exactly a shock - Grunkemeyer followed Franklin from Penn State, after all - but the coach made clear the job still had to be won.
Grunkemeyer’s main competition came from North Carolina transfer Bryce Baker, and Franklin said the battle stayed live throughout camp.
“He's been the leader in the clubhouse for a number of practices -- any maybe weeks,” Franklin said. “I don't think it was a foregone conclusion that this was gonna happen, or we would've told you guys and made an announcement. I think it's been a real competitive room.”
Grunkemeyer arrived with real pedigree. A four-star recruit and the No. 8 quarterback in the 2024 signing class, he appeared in 11 games for Penn State last fall and helped steady things after a rough opening stretch led to Franklin’s firing. That experience, along with his mobility, pushed him over the top in this competition.
“He's got his teammates' respect,” Franklin said. “I think there's a level of consistency and maturity that he's shown to give the coaches and his teammates trust.
I think you guys know his game experience, which we think is valuable, as well as his ability to distribute the ball and his decision-making. ... He's worked really hard on getting stronger and more explosive.
I think he has the ability to still be a threat in the running game or extend the play.”
Once Drew Allar went down with a season-ending injury in Week 6, Grunkemeyer became Penn State’s full-time starter and showed plenty to work with. He finished with 69.1 percent completions, 1,339 passing yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
That résumé matters even more in today’s college game, where veteran command often beats raw upside. Baker brought no game experience to Blacksburg, while Grunkemeyer already has 12 college appearances and a base knowledge of the system from his time working with offensive coordinator Ty Howle at Penn State. Howle served as co-offensive coordinator from 2023-25 and is now in that role full-time with Virginia Tech.
According to 247Sports, Grunkemeyer’s “consistency and grasp of the offense gave him the edge” over Baker. His leadership also came naturally, and he quickly earned the locker room’s trust after arriving on campus.
The schedule should give him some room to breathe early. Virginia Tech opens with VMI and Old Dominion before facing ACC bottom-feeder Boston College and Big Ten bottom-feeder Maryland, though Maryland may be tougher than it looks. Pitt comes to town on Oct. 2, and by then Franklin and the offense will have had time to clean up the rough edges.
Grunkemeyer’s Penn State tape also showed why Franklin believes there’s more here. He had to navigate Iowa, Ohio State and Indiana in three straight games last fall, and the first two were rough before he played better against the Hoosiers.
But when Penn State’s schedule eased late, he settled in. Over the Nittany Lions’ final four games, he completed 73.8% of his passes and threw six touchdowns without an interception.
That kind of finish gives Virginia Tech something to build around, especially in an ACC that looks wide open behind Miami. Louisville and SMU sit in a tier of their own, but neither looks like a sure thing to reach Charlotte. Virginia has also looked strong after hammering NC State in Week 0, though it’s fair to wonder how much of that was the Cavaliers looking like contenders and how much was the Wolfpack simply falling apart after losing key pieces.
Grunkemeyer could end up changing the conversation in Blacksburg if he takes another step as a second-year starter. Virginia Tech faces Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at Cal, Kevin Jennings at SMU and Darian Mensah at Miami, but there’s a path where Grunkemeyer is the best quarterback on the field in the Hokies’ other six conference games.
If that version shows up, Franklin and Virginia Tech may end up beating expectations in Year 1.
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