A Central Ohio native will finally get his moment in the Horseshoe — though he’ll be wearing navy and white, not scarlet and gray.
Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who grew up just 30 minutes from Ohio State in Lewis Center, said Tuesday he’s thrilled for the opportunity to play in Ohio Stadium, calling it “a dream come true.”
“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.”
Coming out of Olentangy High School, Grunkemeyer was the No. 7 ranked quarterback, the No. 5th ranked player in Ohio and No. 105 overall prospect in the Class of 2024. After a dominant career at Olentangy, where he tossed 8,401 yards and 80 touchdowns over his four years, Grunkemeyer chose the Nittany Lions. While Ohio State didn’t get the hometown talent, the Buckeyes ultimately secured the top player and quarterback in the class with Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin.
Despite the excitement of returning to his hometown, Grunkemeyer said he isn’t going to change how he prepares, while emphasizing the special opportunity for family and friends from Ohio to watch him play.
“The prep’s not going to be any different,” Grunkemeyer said. “But I think just the opportunity to play in front of my family and people that live out back home will be super exciting for me.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day gave high praise to Grunkemeyer and his family in his weekly press conference Tuesday, stating that the young quarterback’s character and work ethic have stood out since his time at Olentangy.
“I think he’s a very talented young man,” Day said. “Anybody you speak to 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.
Day added that while Grunkemeyer’s start against Ohio State will be just the second of his career following Drew Allar’s season-ending injury two weeks ago, he believes the redshirt freshman has plenty of potential.
“This is just his second start, but you can see the talent on the field,” Day said. 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.”
In Grunkemeyer’s lone start for Penn State, a 25-24 loss to Iowa in Kinnick Stadium, he completed 15 of 28 passes for 93 yards and two interceptions. He also rushed two times for 14 yards.
Image via Matthew O’Haren, Imagn Images
