Ethan Grunkemeyer could hardly have asked for a better introduction to Virginia Tech football.
In his first start wearing maroon and orange, the Penn State transfer completed 17 of his 20 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns as Virginia Tech dismantled VMI 73-3 inside Lane Stadium.
The Hokies scored touchdowns on each of their first four offensive possessions and put points on the board on each of their first six. By halftime, Virginia Tech held a decisive 45-0 advantage, and Grunkemeyer's day was essentially finished before VMI ever had an opportunity to make him uncomfortable, coming out of the game after one second half drive.
Grunkemeyer wasn't asked to carry the offense. He didn't need to.
But when James Franklin and offensive coordinator Ty Howle put the ball in his hands, Grunkemeyer was nearly flawless. He completed 85% of his passes, averaged 11.2 yards per attempt and finished with a 212.1 passer rating. His only flaw was a pair of overthrown would-be touchdowns to Que'Sean Brown in the first half.
Even with the mistakes, it was one of the most efficient first starts by a Virginia Tech quarterback in recent memory, but was it the best?
Dating back to the beginning of the Justin Fuente era in 2016, 11 different quarterbacks have now made started for Virginia Tech: Jerod Evans, Josh Jackson, Ryan Willis, Hendon Hooker, Quincy Patterson, Braxton Burmeister, Grant Wells, Kyron Drones, Collin Schlee, Pop Watson and now Grunkemeyer.
Some were eased into the job. Others were thrown into ranked road games. Some immediately looked like stars, while others struggled.
Here's how Grunkemeyer's first impression stacks up against the other ten starting debuts.
