The college football Transfer Portal window officially opens on Friday, January 2, but on New Year’s Day, it became crystal clear what Matt Campbell’s plans for the portal are. That’s because two key Nittany Lions both announced their intention to enter the portal, sophomore tight end Luke Reynolds and redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
Ethan Grunkemeyer and Luke Reynolds both set to hit the Transfer Portal market
Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds is currently expected to enter the transfer portal, sources tell @On3sports.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 1, 2026
Posted 26 catches for 257 yards in 2025. Former top-100 recruit. https://t.co/KjPUpLN0ct pic.twitter.com/hNtUx7zuuJ
Reynolds had big shoes to fill with Tyler Warren’s departure for the NFL and finished his sophomore year with 26 catches for 257 yards. Reynolds was the leader of a tight end tandem with Andrew Rappleyea, who is set to return to Happy Valley for his redshirt junior year after a 20-catch, 180-yard, three-touchdown season.
Reynolds will have two years of eligibility remaining while Grunkemeyer has three seasons after making the first seven starts of his career in 2025, taking over for Drew Allar after he suffered a season-ending injury in Penn State’s Week 7 loss to Northwestern. Grunkemeyer led the Nittany Lions to a 4-3 record and set a career-high in passing yards in the Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson.
NEWS: Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN. He’s a redshirt freshman with three seasons remaining. He started seven games for Penn State this season and led them to four-straight wins to close the season. pic.twitter.com/pddK9tgqX3
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 1, 2026
Expect Rocco Becht and Benjamin Brahmer to follow Matt Campbell to Penn State
Since Campbell arrived at Penn State, the debate immediately became about whether he should stick with Grunkemeyer, who impressed down the stretch of the season, or bring three-year starter Rocco Becht from Iowa State to exhaust his final season of eligibility. While it’s not a certainty, Grunkemeyer’s intention to transfer seems to answer that question and points to Becht as the Nittany Lions’ starting QB next season.
Becht is the No. 8 ranked QB in a loaded transfer portal class according to Saturday Blitz's positonal rankings. The 6-foot-1 son of former NFL tight end Anthony Becht has thrown for over 9,000 yards during his four seasons in Ames with 64 touchdowns to 27 interceptions.
There’s a similar situation at the tight end position with Benjamin Brahmer, Saturday Blitz’s top-ranked tight end in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound Nebraska native caught 28 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns in his junior year in Ames. He and Iowa State’s TE2 Gabe Burkle are both entering the transfer portal.
Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer are expected to bring much of their Cyclone roster to Happy Valley, and that seems even more likely with the departures of Reynolds and Grunkemeyer. Both will be major losses if Penn State is unable to land Becht and Brahmer or Burkle to replace them, but that would be a significant shock.