Penn State commit Ethan Grunkemeyer sparkles in senior season debut
Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer improved his stock as much as any player in Penn State’s Class of 2024 since he committed back in May. The work put in this offseason showed up right away in his senior season debut on Friday evening. The end result was a 46-35 win over Toledo Whitmer for an Olentangy team that won just four games last season.
Grunkemeyer linked up with teammate Andrew Leech on the team’s first play from scrimmage, and Leech turned a slant into an 84-yard score for an early 7-0 lead. He would finish the night by completing 24-of-34 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 80 yards on the ground and scored on an 8-yard scramble in the win.
Check out the highlights from the win below.
Grunkemeyer accepted an invitation to play in the 2024 Under Armour All-American Game a few weeks ago. He was among the top performers at the Elite 11 and left the On3 evaluation staff wanting to see more during his senior season. So far, it appears that he’s on the track.
“[Grunkemeyer] was the number three overall performer for us that week,” On3 Director of Scouting Charles Power told BWI’s Ryan Snyder while recalling the Elite 11. “Now, I also think he needs to continue to play better as a senior. You want to see the progression as a senior on Friday nights, but that’s also baked into his ranking. I think if he comes out and plays really well, he could go up. But just based on his natural passing ability – his mechanics, how the ball comes out of his hand, his coordination – he was among the best we saw out there. I think he arguably had the best mechanics that we saw from anyone.
“So it’s important to remember that he has room to improve as a player on Friday nights. At quarterback especially, it’s important to understand the context of each of these guys’ high school teams. He’s not playing for a powerhouse high school. Some of the guys we’re comparing him to are surrounded by Power Five talent. He’s not. That’s another thing that’s important to understand when it comes to how he plays on Friday nights. The Elite 11 can often be a preview of how these guys will play as seniors. Based on how he looked out there in California, it was encouraging. I think if he can build off of that as a senior, Penn State fans should be excited.”
Grunkemeyer committed to Penn State this spring
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Grunkemeyer committed to the Nittany Lions in May after picking up an offer from offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich during the spring evaluation period. Since then, he’s become one of Penn State’s top peer recruiters in the Class of 2024.
“I think Penn State is a great place for a lot of them, not only football-wise but academically,” Grunkemeyer said. “The relationship I built with coach (James) Franklin is great. It is a very genuine place and a great place overall.”
Grunkemeyer now checks in as the No. 193 overall prospect in the Class of 2024 and the No. 13 quarterback in the On3 Industry Rankings. All four major services now consider Grunkemeyer a four-star prospect.
