Penn State head coach James Franklin declared his backup quarterback on Wednesday night ahead of the Nittany Lions‘ season opener against Nevada.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, a former four-star recruit from Lewis Center, Ohio, will be Penn State’s No. 2 quarterback against the Wolf Pack. Franklin clarified that Grunkemeyer and redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik will continue to compete for that spot, and the pecking order could change down the road.
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“Just was a little bit more consistent from the beginning of the camp to the end … but really kinda excited about both of those guys, both of those guys have shown some flashes,” Franklin said.
Grunkemeyer saw his first action at Penn State during the playoff game against SMU, where he completed one pass for nine yards and threw an interception off of his receiver’s hands. Smolik missed all of last season with an injury, and played in one game during his redshirt season in 2023.
If things go according to plan for Penn State in the first three games, Grunkemeyer will likely get significant snaps with the second-team offense. The Nittany Lions opened the week as 44.5-point favorites against Nevada, according to FanDuel, and will likely have a similar line against FIU and Villanova in the next two weekends.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: James Franklin names Penn State’s backup quarterback going into Week 1
