Overlooked Nationally, Mark Gronowski Has a Shot to Change the Conversation at Iowa

Iowa’s 2025 season comes down to quarterback play. After a significant jump in production last year with Tim Lester at offensive coordinator, now the Hawkeyes have a quarterback in Mark Gronowski they can trust to open up the offense even more.

Still, Gronowski has a lot to prove about making the jump from the FCS level to the Big Ten. Though he often isn’t brought up in national conversations among quarterbacks who have to prove themselves this season, his play this season not only determines his outlook to the NFL, but the continuation of the rebuilding efforts on the offensive side of the ball in Iowa City.

Gronowski was fantastic for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. He threw for 10,330 yards and 93 touchdowns while completing 63.5% of his passes. He also ran for 1,767 yards and 37 touchdowns on the ground. He was the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He was a two-time FCS national champion and MVP.

Iowa’s Quarterback Is Ready for a Bigger Stage

But at Iowa, he has a clean slate. The one-read, explosive touchdowns won’t be there multiple times per game in the Big Ten. He won’t break off nearly as many explosive-run touchdowns either.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s at a disadvantage. Gronowski will be protected by one of the best offensive lines in college football, and he’ll have a solid rushing attack behind him, too. Building chemistry with an unproven cast of receivers amps up the difficulty settings, but if Gronowski and Lester are sound in the gameplan week to week, the offense should see more improvements with consistent quarterback play.

Ultimately, however, Gronowski has to elevate Iowa’s offense to a step above average. It was considered a success last year for Iowa to score 27.7 points per game, which ranked 72nd in the nation. Facing Big Ten defenses is never easy, but Gronowski has to be that key piece that takes the offense to another level.

The bar is low, though. Last year, Iowa only threw for 1,711 yards collectively with 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions across three different quarterbacks. For context, Navy threw five more touchdowns and half as many interceptions with 100 fewer yards to finish as the third-worst ranked passing offense by yardage in the country. Barring total catastrophe or a regression in the entire offensive scheme, Gronowski should shatter those numbers by simply hitting his average production.

Gronowski’s Impact Will Be Measured in Wins, Not Just Stats

Still, Iowa fans want to see the Hawkeyes be competitive, too. If the offense could make strides without great quarterback play, what stops them from being in the conversation at the top of the Big Ten with a potentially great quarterback? The answer is: not much. After all, Iowa won 10 games with even worse quarterback play in 2023.

Iowa doesn’t have a particularly easy schedule; its difficulty is ranked No. 32 in the country and features road trips to Iowa State, USC, and Nebraska and home matchups with Penn State and Oregon. Still, if Gronowski is to prove himself as the guy who revived Iowa’s offense and make a name for himself among NFL scouts, Iowa has to win those tough road games and show competitiveness against the Nittany Lions and Ducks at home.

No one is expecting Iowa to go undefeated. Most experts and data points suggest the team will have a hard time winning seven games. But, if Gronowski can find the happy medium and have Iowa in the discussion to make the College Football Playoff as an At-Large bid, at minimum, then he’s proven himself.

There are levels below that at which his and the Hawkeyes’ season is considered a success. But when you’re talking about a player with NFL aspirations jumping levels as Gronowski has, and a fanbase hungry to see success with an accessible playoff format, aspirations have to be greater than Music City and Citrus Bowls.

Because of where Iowa’s offense has been in recent seasons, that all sounds like exceptionally high standards for Gronowski. But elevating Iowa to those new heights and showcasing his talent through production and competitive play against the top teams in the Big Ten is exactly how Gronowski proves himself to the scouts at the next level and the Iowa fanbase that he wasn’t just a big fish in the FCS pond, but that he is instead an elite quarterback talent who made his own way.