Analysis: BWI Staff breaks down Ethan Grunkemeyer's Elite 11 performance
Penn State quarterback commit Ethan Grunkemeyer won the State College regional Elite 11 MVP on Sunday, punching his ticket to the finals in California on June 14. What made him stand out from the group assembled at State College Area High School? Blue White Illustrated’s Thomas Frank Carr, Sean Fitz and Ryan Snyder provide their thoughts.
Fans can also check out the highlights of Grunkemeyer’s performance below.
Sean Fitz
Grunkemeyer was at or near the top of the ‘A’ group all day long. He was at his best when moving his feet and getting out of the pocket. That’s a good sign, because it matches what we see from him on tape and in pads. As others wore down over the course of the day, Grunkemeyer was able to lean on his mechanics and keep his feet and hips under him to deliver a catchable ball.
Was he the top guy on the day? Rutgers commit AJ Surace probably had the best performance, but Grunkemeyer was right up there. The coaches from the camp really liked what he brought to the table. It was a solid group of quarterbacks in that top group, and while there wasn’t one guy that stepped up and asserted himself as the guy, Grunkemeyer stepped up and was consistently among the best. He was able to throw from multiple arm angles and was especially good rolling against the grain to his left and throwing. It was a very good showing for a guy whose stock continues to rise.
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Ryan Snyder
I would rank Grunkemeyer within my top three for the day. As Sean mentioned, future Rutgers quarterback AJ Surace was the most consistent passer throughout the day. From start to finish, he was the most accurate. Grunkemeyer and Ryan Puglisi would be 2 and 2A in my eyes. It felt to me that Puglisi’s overall arm strength was a bit better, while Grunkemeyer’s release and overall power behind the throw stood out a bit more. I think both proved that they deserve to be four-star prospects.
The two areas where Grunkemeyer impressed me the most were during rollout passes and over-the-shoulder throws. Whether it was across his body or to his dominant side, Grunkemeyer was the most consistent among the top players there. He did throw a few of those passes high, giving him something to work on in the future, but he consistently earned praise from the coaches for his footwork. He also had multiple deep end zone passes while on the run that earned praise from both his coaches and other competitors.
But overall, there’s a lot for Penn State fans to be excited about here. We haven’t received his testing times from yesterday’s camp, but we know Grunkemeyer ran a 4.9-second 40-yard dash and a 4.4-second shuttle at the Under Armour Regional camp two weeks ago.
For comparison, Jaxon Smolik ran a 4.7 40 and a 4.3 shuttle last year at Penn State. Grunkemeyer has an inch on Smolik, but when it comes to weight, hand size, reach and other measurables, they have more similarities than not. I’m looking forward to seeing what Grunkemeyer does on a national stage next month.
T-Frank’s Film Room: Breaking down Penn State commit Ethan Grunkemeyer
Thomas Frank Carr
Consistency was the decisive factor for Grunkemeyer during his performance. His footwork is clean, and he routinely executed the drill the correct way, drawing praise from every instructor in the circuit. But interestingly, mechanics and delivery were not what Grunkemeyer took away from the event. He was focused on being a leader in the group of assembled quarterbacks.
“Leadership is huge. I really tried to make that a point as getting better as a leader. I can bring it out here as well, encouraging those guys, giving them encouragement when they threw a good ball. There were a ton of good quarterbacks here today.”
Grunkemeyer displayed that leadership by being one of the first quarterbacks through each station during the afternoon.
