By now, you have heard about the wild audible that appeared to have been called back in January, when the Transfer Portal opened, by Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin. Missouri transfer Beau Pribula was reportedly in Blacksburg after the first of the year, when news broke that Ethan Grunkemeyer was going to be the Hokies' new signal caller from the portal.
Both players committed to Franklin and quarterback coach Danny O'Brien. Grunkemeyer was the one who ended up as a Hokie and is the projected starter for the 2026 season. Going into the season, there are people high on Grunkemeyer and some who are still questioning how good he could be. One of those potential doubters is Bud Elliott of CBS Sports.
CBS Sports analyst adds more fuel to Ethan Grunkemeyer's fire for 2026
Last year at Penn State, Grunkemeyer stepped in when Drew Allar was injured, and he threw for 1.339 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. He played some very good defenses in losses to Iowa, Ohio State, and Indiana, before he rebounded with wins over Michigan State, Nebraska, and Rutgers to become bowl-eligible. Then he threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns in a Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson at Yankee Stadium.
That didn't seem to be enough for Elliott to believe in him. On his X account on Friday, Elliott asked which quarterback about who fans were still undecided about. Elliott's? Grunkemeyer.
Who's a quarterback about whom you're still undecided?
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) August 21, 2026
For me, it's Grunk
The 6-foot-2 Ohio native has a lot of doubters outside of Blacksburg going into the season. Again, if the ESPN article is accurate about Pribula, there would be a reason as to why Franklin and O'Brien flipped their target through the portal. Grunkemeyer is the younger of the two with more eligibility left. It made sense that was their choice.
Again, Franklin has yet to officially name Grunkemeyer his quarterback, but even after he does, there will still be doubters. Despite playing in just seven games, those games and the experience he got are only going to help him and the Hokies. He has been in Franklin, O'Brien, and new offensive coordinator Ty Howle's system and knows it well.
Whether or not Grunkemeyer hears and sees the doubters out there remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: he will be out to prove that he is the right choice in Blacksburg. There will be a lot of eyes, and a lot of doubters, following him in 2026.
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