Perhaps the biggest domino of coach Matt Campbell’s first offseason at Penn State has seemingly fallen.
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer is set to enter the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Thursday. This presumably ends his time with Penn State once the transfer portal officially opens Friday.
However, a big piece on the defensive side of the ball is coming back, as linebacker Tony Rojas announced on social media Thursday that he will return to Penn State.
Grunkemeyer took over as the starting quarterback after Drew Allar’s season-ending injury, winning four straight games to end the season and showing his chops as a potential starter moving forward.
Of course, a return to Penn State via the portal is a possibility. But those situations are rare.
The likelihood becomes even more rare when you consider that former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, a three-year starter in Campbell’s system, has already announced intentions to transfer.
As for Grunkemeyer, he’ll be one of the most intriguing names in the portal. He’ll be a redshirt sophomore with a half year’s worth of starting experience.
Interim coach Terry Smith was certainly a fan of what his young QB showed this season, at a few turns calling him the “quarterback of the future” in Happy Valley.
“Every game, he got better. I mean, this was his best game again,” Smith said after the Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson. “He was lights out. He delivered time and time again, critical third-down throws. Down the stretch when we need drives and we need plays — and we knew this was the kind of game in the fourth quarter we were gonna need to score every possession — he delivered.”
In five games, Grunkemeyer completed 69.1% of his passes for 1,339, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Lewis Center, Ohio, native was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class.
He had said during the season he’d entertain the idea of returning to Penn State, and he wanted the chance to meet with Campbell and his staff to evaluate his options.
While he didn’t share specifics on his meeting with the new coach, Grunkemeyer shared a positive review. He also noted that the pair had a relationship while Grunkemeyer was a high school recruit.
“I’ve met with him a couple times now, and since recruiting, I’ve always had a really good impression of him,” Grunkemeyer said over Zoom. “I know the culture he’s built at Iowa State, and I really liked that from recruiting. I think it’ll carry over here really well. So, just a really good impression. I like how he handles the program, and I like what he’s about as a coach and as a person.”
Rojas, who suffered a season-ending injury in practice the week after Penn State lost in the double-overtime White Out to Oregon, was a junior in 2025. He may be able to receive a medical redshirt for an extra year moving forward.
Of course, the Nittany Lions went on to lose six straight, and the defense simply wasn’t the same without one of its most talented pieces. Penn State lacked viable depth at one of the most important positions on its defense.
Rojas, however, was a star in just four games. He amassed 25 tackles with a pair of sacks and a pass breakup. There was a clear fit in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme alongside fellow linebacker Amare Campbell.
“He holds himself to a very high standard,” Penn State linebackers coach Dan Connor said this summer. Connor is a legendary Lions letterman and the program’s all-time leading tackler.
“He’s really hard on himself. He expects himself to win every race, to be the strongest linebacker on the team, to run the fastest 40. Whatever it is, he’s going to compete to be the best,” Connor added. “And that’s the traits that we had. We were highly competitive with each other. We got along, but we wanted to be the best dude in the room. And he has that. He has that hunger, that relentless drive to be great.”
Rojas has appeared in 33 career games at Penn State with 20 starts. After a promising rookie showing in 2023, he became a full-time starter on Penn State’s national semifinal team in 2024.
He played that year through an injury that required offseason surgery, thus missing spring practices. He returned in full in 2025 before the midseason injury.
Rojas was a four-star prospect in 2023 who had big-time offers to play both running back and linebacker at the next level. He’s shown his athleticism at multiple turns, including on an impressive pick-6 in the home College Football Playoff win over SMU last season.
• Elite young cornerback Daryus Dixson also announced on social media he will return to the Nittany Lions.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Dixson, a true freshman in 2025, emerged as one of Penn State’s top defensive players during the second half of the season.
Dixson finished his first season with 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Dixson was a standout in Penn State’s Pinstripe Bowl win, producing three pass breakups.
One of the top signees in former Penn State coach James Franklin’s 2025 recruiting class, Dixson enrolled in January ahead of his first season with the Lions.
