The State CollegeJulian Fleming has a lot of experience. He has witnessed numerous Big Ten titles and, more recently, several College Football Playoffs. He is knowledgeable, well-versed in media situations, and cautious with his wording.
Therefore, you should surely pay attention when the fifth-year Penn State wide receiver offers a very optimistic prediction about the future of freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
Watch and see. At a Penn State NIL event with Westshore Home in early December, Fleming stated, “You’re going to be really happy about him.” The kid has one of the highest ceilings of any quarterback I’ve ever seen. He is a fantastic young man.
He’s never seen a ceiling this high? Even after playing at Ohio State alongside NFL first-round choices C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields?
He is good. Excellent, Fleming immediately doubled down. to maintain simplicity.
There might not be much more waiting to see Grunkemeyer s potential, as he s been unexpectedly thrust into a role as Penn State s likely No. 2 quarterback against SMU for Saturday s CFP game inBeaver Stadiumdespite not touching the field in a game this season.
Veteran backup Beau Pribula made the impossible decision to enter the transfer portal on Sunday, while second-year signal caller Jaxon Smolik has dealt with an injury since the spring and just recently received medical clearance.
The decision to understudy Drew Allarthis week will be influenced by both young quarterbacks, according to coach James Franklin on Monday. However, since Grunkemeyer has played about 350 practice snaps this season due to Smolik’s injury, it’s likely that the rookie will be ranked No. 2 on the depth chart when the Mustangs visit.
His growth, like many other people in his class, has been very steep throughout the course of the year, offensive coordinatorAndy Kotelnickisaid. A ton of comfort with where he has developed as a football player. An enormous amount.
Hailing from Lewis Center, Ohio, and Olentangy High School, Grunkemeyer was the No. 7 quarterback in the 2024 class and a highly touted four-star prospect. His pedigree took a rapid rise late in the recruiting process thanks in part to elite arm talent, according to Olentangy coach Wade Bartholomew.
The 6-2, 203-pound gunslinger won t bring to the Penn State offense exactly what Pribula did, considering the latter s ability to threaten defenses with the run. Kotelnicki will have to look elsewhere to recreate that explosiveness on Saturday. But Grunkemeyer will emulate what Pribula did, at least, in the sense that he ll be preparing as if he were the starter all week.
He s a competitor. He understands his role. And if there s one thing Ethan is going to do really well in this situation, he s going to be a great backup, Bartholomew told PennLive over the phone Monday. He s going to do the things he needs to do to help Drew out, to be a teammate and be ready when he s called upon.
Bartholomew knows Grunkemeyer will be set for this situation because of the way he attacked preparation in high school. Unlike many talented preps players, Bartholomew said, Grunkemeyer was often taking notes through the week and prepared more intensely than his peers for Friday nights.
Allar, a noted creature of habit with whom Grunkemeyer shares quarterback trainer Brad Maendler, has noticed similar qualities early in the freshman s career.
He s at the point now where he knows what it takes to prepare, week in and week out, and I think his routine and process is very consistent, the starting quarterback said. That s how he s wired, kind of similar to me.
Bartholomew has seen Grunkemeyer three or four times since the QB s January enrollment in Happy Valley and texts him fairly frequently. He keeps in touch with the Penn State staff here and there, most often speaking with quarterbacks coach Danny O Brien, who consistently relays high opinions and praises Grunkemeyer s professionalism in the facility.
The last time Bartholomew and Grunkemeyer caught up this fall, Grunkemeyer was somewhat stuck as Penn State s third stringer high enough to hang with the varsity group during practice but low enough to see extremely limited reps. So Grunkemeyer went to O Brien and the staff, Bartholomew said, to request more time as the scout-team quarterback.
It was a chance for Grunkemeyer to play more live reps, to work against one of the nation s top defenses and prove his abilities in front of the Nittany Lions coaching staff.
I think he skyrocketed from there, because if there s one thing Ethan s really good at, is he can throw it. I think it gave them a truly good, quality live look at somebody who could sling it in 7-on-7s and team [drills], Bartholomew said. And I think they were really impressed with that, that they were able then to do a lot more on the scout offensive side of things, because Ethan had the ability to make all the throws and do the things that they need a college quarterback to be able to do to give them a good look.
The confidence to have that conversation with O Brien and to lobby for more playing time no matter the level was a good show of Grunkemeyer s quick maturation this season.
Like many Division I talents, he played varsity in high school for multiple years and was used to seeing virtually every snap in practice. Come January, Grunkemeyer had to acclimate to a college class schedule, an elite-level training program and a crop of 100-plus new teammates. He also adjusted to Kotelnicki s system, which relies heavily on verbal play calling through in-helmet communication devices, whereas Olentangy used a signal-based system.
As spring practice went on, Grunkemeyer could recite play calls to a huddle but may have struggled to process what his reads were on a play or where he had to make checks. There was some level of concern that he was falling behind, though that had clearly changed when Bartholomew spoke with Grunkemeyer again in the fall.
Grunkemeyer explained his newfound comfort in the system, while teammates have taken note, too, in his ability to address teammates on the practice field. He s quickly started to grow into his big-boy voice when calling a pre-snap cadence or barking plays.
His confidence is superb, Dawkins said, acknowledging an adjustment period for freshmen at every position, not just quarterback. And seeing how he s grown, not only as a football player but as a man, I think he s ready to command the huddle. You can see it.
Though he hasn t logged a snap this season, the arm talent Bartholomew has raved about is immediately noticeable. Grunkemeyer has thrown tight spirals that rival those of Allar s during gameday warmups this season with a quick release that could make Penn State fans swoon in the not-so-distant future.
That s really, I think, what s going to separate him when he finally gets his opportunity. He s super consistent, Bartholomew said. I mean, the ball is going to be placed in that spot every single time. Very rarely is a ball not where it s supposed to be. With his arm strength, it s kind of just a really good combination.
Bartholomew hadn t spoken yet to Grunkemeyer about the situation in front of his former star passer as of Monday evening, but he planned to reach out on Tuesday and offer some words of encouragement and affirmation.
I m really looking forward to him and his opportunity here. Obviously, nobody ever wishes that something happens to the starting quarterback or Drew, Bartholomew said. But I do think Penn State fans are in good hands if something crazy happened and Ethan had to come in, because I know he s going to be ultra prepared and he s gonna be ready to go.
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