Ethan Grunkemeyer will live out a childhood dream on Saturday by playing in Ohio Stadium. But he’ll be wearing a different uniform than the one he thought he’d be wearing as a kid.
Grunkemeyer had every reason to be an Ohio State fan growing up. He lived just north of Columbus in Lewis Center, Ohio. His mother, Megan McCabe, is a former Ohio State women’s basketball player. He attended Ohio State football games at the Shoe, most memorably Ohio State’s 39-38 fourth-quarter comeback win over Penn State in 2017.
Eight years later, Grunkemeyer will play in the Ohio State vs. Penn State game himself. Instead of suiting up for the team he grew up rooting for, he’ll be playing against the Buckeyes as Penn State’s starting quarterback. But playing in the Shoe will still be a dream come true for the Olentangy High School product.
“Since I was a kid, I dreamed about playing in that stadium, so it's gonna be cool to go back home and be able to have the chance to do that,” Grunkemeyer said Tuesday. “Obviously everyone around where I'm from is a Buckeye fan. Coming here, I've obviously grown to be a huge Penn State fan, so going back will be super fun. I always watched the Penn State/Ohio State games, and I think that just is a dream come true, being able to play in it.”
Grunkemeyer finished the 2024 recruiting cycle as the seventh-ranked quarterback and No. 105 overall prospect in his class, but he was a late riser in the rankings. Current Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was the top-ranked quarterback in the class; No. 3 QB Dylan Raiola was Ohio State’s initial quarterback in the class before decommitting and ultimately signing with Nebraska, while No. 4 QB Air Noland signed with Ohio State out of high school before transferring to South Carolina after one year.
As a result, Grunkemeyer never landed a scholarship offer from Ohio State despite playing his high school football just a short drive up Routes 315 and 23 from Ohio Stadium. But he made multiple visits to Ohio State and got to know Ohio State’s coaching staff, and made a positive impression on Ryan Day in the process.
“I think he's a very talented young man,” Day said. “Anybody you speak to up in the Olentangy High School or in the area growing up, he's got a great family. He's a great leader. And a very intelligent, competitive player that has a bright future in the game.
“This is just his second start, but you can see the talent on the field. You can see that he's got leadership skills. And he obviously had a great career here while he was in high school. And I think very, very highly of him.”
Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 8,401 yards and 80 touchdowns at Olentangy High School, including a 3,517-yard, 39-touchdown senior season.
Grunkemeyer became Penn State’s starting quarterback after fellow Ohio native Drew Allar, who started for the Nittany Lions in their 2023 and 2024 losses to Ohio State, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Penn State’s Oct. 11 loss to Northwestern. Grunkemeyer struggled in his first start two weeks ago against Iowa, completing just 15 of 28 passing attempts for 93 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. But Grunkemeyer believes the experience of playing in a tough road environment at Kinnick Stadium, along with having an off week last week to improve, will have him more prepared for the challenge of facing Ohio State’s top-ranked defense in Columbus.
“I think something I'm most proud of (from the Iowa game) is just our pre-snap execution, getting to the line, getting a play off. It's a crazy environment, so I think that's a positive takeaway from the game,” Grunkemeyer said. “And then something to improve on is just the comfortability, the comfortability in the pocket, and the bye week helped with that, just getting some more reps with those guys.”
Grunkemeyer says Allar – who struggled in his two starts against Ohio State, completing 30 of 62 passing attempts for 337 yards with one touchdown and one interception – has also helped him prepare for the challenge of facing the Buckeyes’ top-ranked defense.
“Talking to Drew, he's been super helpful so far. Just kind of talking about what they do on defense, kind of what he sees,” Grunkemeyer said. “Preparation-wise, they do a lot of different good stuff on defense, so kind of just from that aspect, they're gonna do a lot of different things, and just how to be ready for it is kind of the main thing from this week.”
Knowing a tough test awaits Grunkemeyer in Ohio State’s defense, which has held opponents to just 919 total passing yards and three passing touchdowns in seven games this year, Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith says the Nittany Lions need to help their redshirt freshman quarterback by running the ball well and creating opportunities to make easy passes.
“We got to put him in position to succeed. We can't ask him to go out there and throw the ball 45 times and be effective and win that way. We've got to create the run game and have some pass plays off the run game. We've got to be able to give him some throws that are one- or two-read type throws, and not overcomplicate it for him,” Smith said. “The other guys have to step up. The offensive line is a veteran crew. We're led by those guys, so we have to run the football and continue to focus on (lead running back) Kaytron Allen.”
Grunkemeyer expects to have a large contingent of family and friends in attendance to watch him play in Columbus on Saturday, which he says he’s “super excited” for. He also knows many players on Ohio State’s roster from high school and the recruiting process, so he’s looking forward to seeing them, too.
“I know a lot of the guys there, and friends with a lot of them. I know Julian a little bit from the Elite 11, and he's a great guy. So just going back and seeing those guys will be and playing against them will be fun,” Grunkemeyer said.
As Penn State strives to finish its season strong despite a four-game losing streak, Grunkemeyer says he will have extra motivation playing in his hometown against the team he grew up rooting for. But he’s trying to keep his approach to the game the same as it would be for any other game.
“I think that just kind of going back into that environment that I grew up in is definitely motivating. But I'd say at the end of the day, football is football, and just gotta go put the ball down and play,” Grunkemeyer said.
