Penn State head coach James Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich have been trying to add a quarterback in the 2024 recruiting cycle, and they may be close to adding one.
Class of 2024 quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, a three-star recruit out of Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, has two 247Sports crystal ball projections for Penn State. One of those came from National Recruiting Analyst Brian Dohn, and the other one came from Steve Wiltfong, Director of Football Recruiting for the website.
Grunkemeyer holds 25 offers, including from Power Five schools Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Virginia.
Penn State extended an offer to Grunkemeyer April 23 and Grunkemeyer visited Penn State last weekend.
Grunkemeyer (6-foot-2, 190 pounds) is the No. 37 quarterback nationally, the No. 20 player in Ohio, and the No. 575 overall player according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Allen Trieu compared Grunkemeyer to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heineke.
“Very productive high school player,” Treiu wrote, “who has posted good numbers, completed a good percentage of his passes, and taken care of the ball. Throws with some snap and ball comes out of his hand with good spin and velocity. Solid athlete who can escape pressure and shows a sense for making plays with initial reads aren’t there. Can run with if it me needs to. Shows some anticipation and ability to throw (to) guys open.
Has to keep filling in his frame and getting physically stronger. Smart, polished passer who looks like a future Power Five starter.
Grunkemeyer would be the first player from the Buckeye State to commit to Penn State this recruiting cycle if the crystal ball projections turn out correct.
Twitter: @bwalkerdadon
