Penn State Football offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has done it again.
Penn State quarterback commit Ethan Grunkemeyer received massive rankings bumps from both ESPN and 247 Sports this week. ESPN put Grunkemeyer all the way up to No. 80 in the country while 247 Sports has him at No. 200.
These bumps come on the heels of Grunkemeyer’s strong performance at the Elite 11 Final.
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Penn State Football QB Evaluation Shining Through
After missing out on top targets like Luke Kromenhoek and Michael Van Buren, many Penn State Football fans were worried about who the quarterback in the 2024 class would be, but Yurcich always had a plan.
Like with Drew Allar two years earlier, Yurcich went into the state of Ohio and found a star flying under the radar. With the in-state powerhouse of Ohio State targeting quarterbacks across the country, Penn State can swoop in as the second biggest power in that region and secure a commitment from the Ohio quarterbacks.
There will be plenty of comparisons made between Allar and Grunkemeyer, some will be fair and warranted, others not so much. Of course both are from Ohio and neither received an Ohio State offer, although Ohio State did make a run at Allar after Quinn Ewers reclassified.
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Both were also rather unknown prospects before Yurich and the Nittany Lions got involved in their recruitments.
Allar also saw significant rankings boost after his performance at the Elite 11 Final. Both went from 3-stars to high 4-stars on 247 Sports after committing to Penn State as well.
While they are different players, the comparisons between these two will always be there. Especially next season when Grunkemeyer will be a true freshman on Penn State’s roster and Allar will likely be receiving Heisman and first round draft hype.
The point here isn’t to compare these two, the point is to trust Mike Yurcich when it comes to quarterback evaluations. The guy clearly knows what he’s doing.