James Franklin's Virginia Tech predicted to land former Penn State QB from transfer portal

Billy Heyen

James Franklin's Virginia Tech predicted to land former Penn State QB from transfer portal image

James Franklin has taken over the Virginia Tech Hokies after his midseason dismissal from Penn State.

Franklin's next step: Find a quarterback.

The success of a football team comes down to so much more than just QB, of course. But it's a key place to start.

Franklin may go after a Penn State transfer in the portal, and when all is said and done, there might be a couple.

It's already known that Beau Pribula is on his way out of Missouri.

But The Athletic's Manny Navarro has circled a different name, one who hasn't yet revealed his intentions for next season: Ethan Grunkemeyer.

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Grunkemeyer is with the Nittany Lions right now, set for the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday against Clemson.

"Beau Pribula is an option, but former Penn State coach James Franklin recently hired Ty Howle and Danny O’Brien to run the offense and coach quarterbacks, respectively," Navarro writes. "Those guys were just working with Grunkemeyer in State College. Grunkemeyer hasn’t announced his plans for 2026."

This could depend as much as anything on what Penn State expresses to Grunkemeyer. If he feels comfortable there, and if new coach Matt Campbell likes him, maybe he sticks around.

But if Grunkemeyer decides to hit the road, he's got a lot of friendly faces waiting for him in Blacksburg.

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Senior Editor