When the Transfer Portal opened, new Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin had his eyes set on a quarterback for the 2026 season and maybe beyond. After a majority of the signal callers began. committing and the Hokies didn't have one, it was clear who Franklin's target was: Ethan Grunkemeyer.
Recruited to play for Franklin and position coach Danny O'Brien at Penn State, Grunkemeyer saw action in the second half of last year, replacing the injured Drew Allar. It mgiht have taken longer than some would have liked, but Grunkemeyer committed in January to be Tech's QB.
Through five games this season, Virginia Tech is 4-1, but it's clear that the decision to bring Grunkemeyer to Blacksburg was the right choice. He suffered his first bump in the road on Friday night in a 35-33 loss to Pitt, but his performance, aside from one throw, was very good, according to Josh Yourish of FanSided.
Ethan Grunkemeyer's numbers against Pitt are not as bad as some think
Grunkemeyer played more than well enough for the Hokies to win. There were only two snaps that he would like to have back. A fumble in the third quarter and an interception in the fourth quarter in Panthers territory. Take a look below at Yourish's breakdown of Grunkemeyer's night.
Ethan Grunkemeyer pressured vs. Pitt:
— Josh Yourish (@JYourish3) October 3, 2026
10/13, 182 yards (14.0 ypa) 83.3% adjusted completion
Throws over 20 yards downfield:
5/10 for 164 yards, 2 TD/1 INT (started 5/6)
Rough loss for VT, but James Franklin brought an NFL QB to Blacksburg. Hopefully he gets 2 years of him.
The first interception is one that will be debated for a long time. A simultaneous catch usually goes to the offense, but in this instance, it went to the defense late in the first half. It was on third down; instead of punting the ball deep on fourth down, Virginia Tech gave Pitt prime field position deep in their own end, which turned into a game-changing touchdown before the half.
Grunkemeyer was 30-for-41 for 434 yards through the air with three touchdown passes. He had a clutch NFL-type throw on fourth down on the final drive to tight end Luke Reynolds, giving the Hokies a chance to win the game before John Love's missed field goal happened.
If we've learned anything early this season, it's that this Virginia Tech team is resilient. Maybe the most resilient has been Grunkemeyer, battling through terrible weather conditions at times and mistakes to give his team a chance. His outing against Pitt is still encouraging for the rest of the season if you're a Hokies fan.
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