Tag: ethan grunkemeyer

Penn State clobbers SMU in College Football Playoff, 38-10

Penn State will face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl after a blowing out SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Penn State’s defense set the tone with a pair of pick-sixes against SMU and the offense eventually got things rolling in a one-sided affair in the first College Football Playoff game in Penn State and Beaver Stadium history. Penn State dominated SMU to advance to the quarterfinal round with a 38-10 victory on Saturday afternoon in chilly Happy Valley.

[autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] will be the answer to a new Penn State football trivia question. It was DeLuca who scored the first touchdown in Penn State playoff history when he jumped in front of a pass from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and returned it nearly uncontested for a 23-yard pick-six in the first quarter. With the Penn State offense still working on thawing out, linebacker [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] gave Penn State a second defensive touchdown in the second quarter with 59-yard pick-six as Jennings was under pressure once again by the defensive front of Penn State.

The offense did eventually get things moving with the running game starting to pick up some steam. Touchdown runs by [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] in the second quarter helped give Penn State a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime. The two running backs ended the day with three combined touchdowns (Allen had a second touchdown run in the fourth quarter to push the Penn State lead to 38-3).

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was not particularly sharp but did complete 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards before getting an early rest in the fourth quarter with things comfortably in hand for the Nittany Lions. [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] finished the game under center for Penn State, taking advantage of the opportunity to get some live experience following the departure of Beau Pribula by way of the transfer portal earlier in the week.

It was a relatively quiet afternoon for Penn State’s star tight end Tyler Warren. Warren caught four passes for 33 yards and ran once for six yards. Warren also attempted a pass, but it fell incomplete. Expect Warren to have a bigger role in the next round.

Penn State will now head to the Fiesta Bowl for a quarterfinal round matchup with Boise State, champions of the Mountain West Conference. Penn State has never faced Boise State but has enjoyed some storied success in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State faces Boise State on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will face the winner of the quarterfinal-round matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame.

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Penn State QB Beau Pribula to enter transfer portal ahead of College Football Playoff

Penn State backup quarterback Beau Pribula enters transfer portal.

Before Penn State ramps up its game week prep for SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the program was dealt a surprise with a transfer portal decision. A key piece of the Nittany Lions offense will enter the portal and will be the program’s most high profile entrant to date.

Penn State quarterback[autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] announced on social media that he will enter the transfer portal. Pribula is a redshirt sophomore who has two years of eligibility remaining and has added another dimension to the Penn State offense as Drew Allar’s backup.

Perhaps the biggest immediate concern surrounding Pribula’s departure is that he will be entering the portal immediately and won’t be with the team through the College Football Playoff beginning this weekend against SMU.

https://www.instagram.com/beauprib/p/DDnuvssuCfy/

The current college football landscape seemed to play a big role in Pribula’s decision. The transfer portal opened last week right as the College Football Playoff was set to begin, forcing players like Pribula into difficult decisions. Pribula likely envisions himself as a starting caliber quarterback meaning he needs to find a home as soon as possible to give himself the best chance to succeed.

It is a tough blow for Penn State who used Pribula quite a bit this season as a change-of-pace quarterback. Pribula completed 26 of 35 passes for 275 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed 38 times for 242 yards and four touchdowns. The dual-threat quarterback should be a hot commodity for programs looking for a capable starting signal caller.

Penn State is now left with Allar, redshirt freshman[autotag]Jaxon Smolik[/autotag] and freshman[autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag]. Grunkemeyer drew rave reviews for his performances this spring and in practices. Whether Pribula’s transfer means that Allar is coming back for one more season or another transfer is coming in remains to be seen, but it without a doubt is still a surprise heading into Penn State biggest game of the year.

The Nittany Lions open the College Football Playoff against SMU at Beaver Stadium on Dec. 21 and will now be without Beau Pribula, a key contributor to their offense.

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Backup QB listed as questionable for Penn State vs. Bowling Green

Penn State will be without these players today against Bowling Green.

Penn State is hours away from welcoming fans back to Beaver Stadium for this season’s home opener. After putting on an impressive showing on the road at West Virginia last week, the Nittany Lions look to improve to 2-0 with ease as they host Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon for an early kickoff.

Penn State will be without a handful of players available according to this week’s updated player availability report, which was just released by the Big Ten football office, per conference policy.

The following players have been ruled out for Penn State in week 2:

In addition, quarterback [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] has been listed as questionable.

Big Ten schools are required to provide a player availability report no later than two hours prior to a scheduled kickoff. The policy was put into effect in 2023 and has seen a few conferences follow that idea in 2024.

MAC schools are also now required to release player availability reports beginning this season under a similar policy. We were still waiting for the player availability report for Bowling Green at the time of this posting.

Penn State and Bowling Green are scheduled to kick things off at noon Eastern on Big Ten Network.

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Matt Zollers picks Missouri over Penn State

Penn State surprisingly missed out on the top in-state QB in the Class of 2025.

Arguably the most important commitment for the Penn State Nittany Lions in the class of 2025 was going to be announced on April 4 as they waited to hear where top in-state quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag] had decided to play his college football. With [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his offensive staff looking to bring in two quarterbacks during this cycle, they were hoping to land the rising four-star recruit who is ranked as one of the top players in Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately for Penn State, he committed to Missouri.

After looking like the leaders in the clubhouse for a long time during his process, Zollers’ recruitment took a national turn as the likes of Georgia, Missouri, and Alabama were part of his final five schools.

“My connections at Missouri were just greater than they were anywhere else. This was a really tough decision for me to make. I ultimately decided this morning,” the talented quarterback told Chad Simmons of On3.

That statement is an eye opener for people who have been following this recruitment process considering he had taken around eight visits to Happy Valley and roughly three to Missouri.

The Tigers really popped onto his radar and made a late push to land him as one of the headliners of their class.

Penn State’s bottleneck at the position could have had something to do with his decision as well.

Incumbent starter [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] could come back for another season after this year, [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] is still a factor alongside [autotag]Jaxon Smolik[/autotag], plus highly-rated [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] from the 2024 class is entering his freshman season.

Still, this is a tough one to swallow for Penn State fans as they lose out on the top-rated recruit in the state of Pennsylvania and someone who was at the top of their board.

2025 four-star QB has Penn State in top six

Penn State makes top six for four-star QB in 2025

Despite the negative discourse that currently surrounds Penn State and their former five-star quarterback, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], the struggles in the 2023-24 season doesn’t seem to have deterred others around the country from viewing the Nittany Lions in a positive light.

Penn State was able to keep their class of 2024 commit, [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], and got him to sign during the early signing period.

They also have a commitment from 2025 three-star quarterback, [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag], under their belts already.

Now, the Nittany Lions have made the top six of 2025 four-star quarterback and coveted recruit [autotag]Malik Washington[/autotag].

The 6’4″ 200 pound Maryland native has been high on Penn State’s list throughout his recruitment, getting him in for nine unofficial visits so far. The last time he visited was during the Michigan game.

Others who made his list are Texas A&M, Oregon, Maryland, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

Washington is ranked as the 20th best quarterback in the country and No. 6 overall player in the state of Maryland, according to On3’s industry rankings.

But despite Penn State already having a commitment in the class of 2025, that has not deterred his interest in the Nittany Lions according to Ryan Snyder of On3 (subscription required).

Washington told Snyder he knows he’ll have to compete no matter which program he chooses to play for.

With Penn State hiring new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag], a new relationship will have to be formed between the two, something that Kotelnicki told him he’s excited to do.

Washington said they haven’t met yet, but that they have been in communication.

As far as where the Nittany Lions stand with the four-star quarterback, Snyder was told that all six schools on his list are pretty even for him right now despite Penn State holding the edge in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

According to those projections, Penn State is in the lead with a 63.5% chance to sign him, while Maryland is second with a 12.8% chance and Virginia Tech is third with a 11.0% chance.

There is still a long way to go in his recruitment, but this is a good sign for the Nittany Lions as they enter another era with a new offensive coordinator.

Top five quarterbacks signed to the Big Ten on early signing day

Who were the top five quarterbacks to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period? #GoBucks

The first day of the early signing period is in the books and the newly expanded Big Ten added a wealth of talent. It would take too long to evaluate every prospect in one piece, but the additions at quarterback earn their own discussion.

There was a great deal of drama for the top quarterback in the class, Dylan Raiola. He bounced his commitment from one school to another. Ohio State was his first choice, but when pen met paper, it was another Big Ten school that made the cut.

With the expanded 18-team Big Ten including four major powerhouses on the West Coast, it should not be a surprise the conference added seven of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation.

It should also not be a surprise that the Buckeyes added one of the highly-ranked gunslingers. The following are the top five quarterbacks to commit to Big Ten Schools during the early signing period based on the 247Sports composite.

Penn State signee Ethan Grunkemeyer gets high praise from On3

Penn State’s star QB of the Class of 2024 received high praise from On3

During the recruiting process of [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], he was not viewed as a highly touted prospect. He began as a three-star quarterback and was largely considered a depth type of piece for Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class.

At the time he committed, he was rated as the 41st quarterback in the class according to On3’s industry rankings.

He is now rated as No. 8 on the day he signed his letter of intent to join the Nittany Lions.

It was a meteoric rise for Grunkemeyer who continued to grow throughout the spring and summer, showcasing his talent that caught the eye of high school talent evaluators.

Now, he’s getting some high praise from Charles Power of On3 who gave out superlatives to the quarterbacks in the class of 2024. Grunkemeyer was tabbed as the QB who has the “best mechanics.”

“Ethan Grunkemeyer is one of the most natural passers in the 2024 cycle. The Penn State signee showed his live arm and fluid mechanics on the camp circuit over the summer and was a standout at the Elite 11 Finals,” Power wrote in his evaluation.

This time period was really when the Ohio native started to turn heads. He kept getting invited back to elite camps across the country, joining others in the class who were widely considered top prospects.

“He carried that momentum onto the field as a senior, where he was one of the most improved 2024 quarterbacks during the fall. Grunkemeyer had by far the best season of his high school career as a senior, completing 66.3% of his passes for 3,517 yards and 39 touchdowns against nine interceptions while leading Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy on a playoff run,” Power added.

Grunkemeyer now is a consensus four-star athlete by all four of the major recruiting sites. On3’s industry rankings have him 111th best player in the country.

“The smooth release, strong arm and overall coordination have been evident over the past nine months,” Power wrote, which contributed to Grunkemeyer earning this superlative.

Now, he’ll enter Penn State’s crowded quarterback room with the opportunity to become a future starter if he continues to grow like he has this past summer.

Biggest theme of Penn State’s 2024 class: balance

Penn State’s 2024 class offers one of the more balanced recruiting hauls in the country.

With the first and busiest day of the college football early signing period behind us, we can confirm that Penn State signed all 25 of its Class of 2024 commits earlier today. It was a “drama-free” signing day according to [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] who spoke after all the commits had signed. The class is now locked in for next year so let’s break it down.

Penn State returns a boatload of starting-caliber players from last season but will lose several starters to the NFL with more expected to announce in the coming month. Penn State has never been a heavy transfer portal school and relies mainly on keeping its returning players intact while reloading with a strong freshman class.

This years’ class is ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports Composite and 16th by On3. With 12 offensive commits and 13 defensive commits this year’s group is evenly balanced eluding to the fact that Franklin and his staff want to add quality depth around the board and fill in any neccessary holes from departing players.

From a positon standpoint is was more of the same type of balance across the board:

  • 7 skill players: QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Quintin Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag], wide recievers [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Tyseer Denmark[/autotag], and [autotag]Peter Gonzalez[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • 5 offensive lineman: [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan Harbour[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • 6 defensive lineman: [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag], [autotag]DeAndre Cook[/autotag], [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag], and [autotag]Mylachi Williams[/autotag]
  • 5 secondary players: cornerbacks Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Kenneth Woseley, Jon Mitchell, and safties Dejuan Lane, and Vaboue Toure
  • 2 linebackers: Kari Jackson and Anthony Specca

No one position or side of the ball dominated the 2024 recruiting cycle for Penn State, but thats a good thing because it shows that Penn State has talent everywhere. Three wide recievers were added to arguably the worst room in 2023 and a playmaking running back was added to a room featuring two former 5-star recruits. The trenches were reloaded with talent and many of the offensive line commits should challenge for starting spots in their first year.

In the time of the transfer portal and NIL perhaps a early signing day like the one Penn State had today is not exciting, but it does not matter Franklin’s method of “underpromise, overdeliver” method still produces wins. It has in the past. Penn State’s 2024 class is balanced, solid, and most importantly adds talent across the board which is key for sustained success.

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Which Class of 2024 players will enroll early at Penn State?

It looks like a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will be on campus in January to get a jump with offseason workouts.

Now that Penn State has officially signed its Class of 2024 on the first day of the early signing period, or at least all of the commitments they had lined up, the page is quickly turning forward. Not to look past the upcoming Peach Bowl against Ole Miss later this month, but winter workouts and spring football will be here before you know it! And it seems a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 is expected to be on campus and ready to get started working with their new teammates and coaches.

Here are the players in Penn State’s Class of 2024 that are reportedly expected to enroll early in January and get started with the program:

  • DL [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Antoine Belgrave-Shorter[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag]
  • WR [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]De’Andre Cook[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag]
  • QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag]
  • LB [autotag]Kari Jackson[/autotag]
  • RB [autotag]Quinton Martin[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Jon Mitchell[/autotag]
  • TE [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Vaboue Toure[/autotag]

Every other member of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will join the program in the summer.

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Early Signing Day Tracker: Say hello to Penn State’s Class of 2024

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting …

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting to receive signed National Letters of Intent from their verbal commitments to make things official. There could always be a player or two who hold off until the traditional signing period in February for one reason or another, but Penn State is hoping for a pretty simple and straightforward opening to the early signing period.

Here is a look at each player who committed to Penn State in the Class of 2024 recruiting calendar and an update on which players have signed in the early signing period.