Iowa Hawkeyes QB Receives Major Disrespect Before 2025 Season

The Iowa Hawkeyes don’t carry the most respected offense in the country, let alone its own conference. That’s not a flashy statement.

Leaving Mark Gronowksi out of the conversation among the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten? Well, that might be a different story.

College football analyst Josh Pate recently published his top 10 quarterbacks in the conference ahead of the 2025 season on X, and Gronowski was nowhere to be found.

REPORT: I am socializing my Big Ten QB rankings with select people today. Will report feedback. pic.twitter.com/2nmdMIId5T
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) June 13, 2025

In all fairness to Pate, Gronowski hasn’t taken a snap in the Big Ten. Playing at an elite level in the FCS does not guarantee success at the highest level of the sport. Unfortunately for his rankings, the same applies to Michigan true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and, to a lesser degree, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Washington’s Desmond Williams, who did take a few snaps last year.

In Pate’s accompanying video, though, he argued that his rankings were based purely on his own personal expectations, so proven success in the Big Ten wasn’t necessary to rank highly. The Iowa Hawkeyes and their new quarterback must not carry heavy expectations for Pate, which is somewhat understandable considering the program’s recent offensive output, or total lack thereof, especially at the most important position in sports.

Of course, any rational mind analyzing college football would expect more from an inexperienced quarterback playing with a dominant program, such as Sayin with the Buckeyes, to hit the ground running, especially when that player was a top-ranked recruit who carries heavy expectations. and a wealth of potential.

Still, Gronowski has generated some buzz of his own, and the Hawkeyes’ offense is trending up coming out of 2024. Offensive coordinator Tim Lester hasn’t solved all of Iowa’s offensive problems just yet, but he did make significant progress. Iowa’s offense averaged 27.7 points per game, ranking 72nd nationally, up from 15.1 in 2023, ranked 132nd, despite substandard quarterback play.

Now they have Gronowski, who was dominant at South Dakota State and will play behind a talented offensive line and alongside what should be a solid rushing attack in Iowa City. The biggest question mark will be the pass catchers, though senior receiver Jacob Gill should be one guy the offense can count on.

Iowa may not have great expectations heading into the 2025 campaign, but with the Hawkeyes, there’s always a chance they can surprise the college football world, especially when they have the right guy under center like they do now.