Mark Gronowski Chimes In On Iowa's Spring QB Battle

March 25 marks the opening of spring practice for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the big storyline over the next month will be the starting quarterback battle between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski.

Brown, a junior, and Hecklinski, a sophomore, have different skill sets, physical attributes and levels of experience.

Brown is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and passed for 535 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions in four games across two seasons at Auburn before passing for 107 yards, one touchdown and one pick in three games last season with the Hawkeyes.

Hecklinski is 5-foot-11, 188 pounds and played three snaps as a freshman at Wake Forrest before transferring to Iowa and completing two passes for eight yards in two games in 2025.

The one thing both players have in common is that they were the backups to former starter Mark Gronowski. Gronowski will not participate in this year's spring practices as he prepares for the NFL Draft, but he did provide his thoughts on the position battle following Iowa's Pro Day on March 23.

"I'm super excited to see how this spring ball goes," Gronowski said on March 24. "...I think it's going to be a great competition. I think it's going to make both of them better throughout."

Gronowski's Thoughts on Iowa's QB Battle

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterbacks Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown — Quarterbacks Jeremy Hecklinski, Hank Brown and Jackson Stratton stand for a photo as Iowa Football hosts media day on Aug. 8, 2025, in Iowa City. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hecklinski and Brown may not have lots of playing experience at the college level, but neither did Gronowski when he enrolled at South Dakota State.

Gronowski assumed the starting job for the Jackrabbits as a true freshman and learned some valuable lessons along the way, which he has now passed on to Hecklinski and Brown.

"I kind of just even talked to both of them, just take advantage of every opportunity that you get, but not to stress over one mistake," Gronowski said. "You've got to be able to move on to the next and always think in that present mindset of 'This play is going to be the best play for me right now, no matter what the last play was.' Just continue to move forward and take advantage of the opportunities that you're given."

But who will be the starter for the Hawkeyes in 2026? Well, it depends on what type of player Kirk Ferentz and Tim Lester want as the leader of the offense.

"I really love Jeremy's skillset that he has," Gronowski said. "He's a fearless thrower. He really wants to get the ball downfield. More aggressive throws. Take a lot more risks."

Having a quarterback who knows how to push the ball downfield would dramatically change the look of this Hawkeyes offense next season. The last time Iowa had a quarterback pass for 2,000 yards was Nate Stanley in 2019.

But having an aggressive quarterback inherently comes with a higher risk of more turnovers. Not only does Brown have more in-game experience, but he seems to be a well-rounded quarterback option as well.

"I think Hank is just super consistent with everything he does," Gronowski said. "That's not just on the field, but it's off the field. All his habits, he wants to be great and does all the little things right as well."

The quarterback battle likely won't be determined in the spring, but this time could provide a preview of what's to come with both players in the fall.

"I'm really excited to see how those guys take this challenge of an open competition and see who excels and takes over the job, and takes advantage of those opportunities that they're given," Gronowski said.

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