Game Reps Might Be the Most Valuable Thing For Ethan Grunkemeyer in Virginia Tech's QB Battle

Grunkemeyer is the only quarterback on the roster that has started a college game and that is why he might be the leader for the job

Oct 18, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech has a lot of new faces on the 2026 team, from the coaching staff to the roster and everything in between. There are a lot of new expectations for this team, but there are lots of questions as well, including at quarterback, where there is an ongoing battle right now between a number of players, including Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer.

Nothing like experience

Nov 15, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (17) runs for a first down in the fourth quarter against Michigan State at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Whenever he made the move to Virginia Tech, Grunkemeyer was seen as the heavy favorite to start for the Hokies. It was not only his prior connection to James Franklin and Penn State that made him seem like the obvious choice, but also because he played in actual games and got reps, unlike UNC transfer Bryce Baker and true freshman Troy Huhn.

When talking about the quarterback battle on Tuesday after practice, Franklin singled out Grunkemeyer's game reps as something that has been so key in his development:

"So, you know, obviously, his getting game reps and playing well is valuable. One of the things I think we're going to do is we're going to have a scrimmage and make the quarterbacks live that have not played in a college game for us to evaluate them, to really see how they're going to play. Some of these guys stand in the pocket. It's unrealistic. It's not a game rep. So being able to see how they're actually going to move in the pocket, make decisions, stay poised when they can actually get hit. And right now, he's the only quarterback that we have that we can really evaluate in a game. So, we need to get a chance to see those other guys live. We're not gonna do that a whole lot, but we need to do it a little bit so we get an idea of who they are, when the bullets are flying."

Now, this is of course not the only thing that matters in a quarterback race, but when none of the other quarterbacks have that, it does seemingly give him the leg up.

It wasn't like he only played in those games too, but he played fairly well against some top competition.

Grunkemeyer threw for over 1,300 yards in seven starts last season to go along with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Arguably his most impressive effort came against the national champion Indiana Hoosiers. In that game Grunkemeyer was 22-31 for 219 yards and one touchdown. While those are not mind blowing numbers, the Hoosiers had the best defense in the country and shut down almost every opponent they played.

This battle is going to keep going through the spring and maybe the fall, unless someone seperates themselves from the pack.