Iowa football passing attack receives promising preseason prediction

USA Today

2 days ago

The Iowa passing offense has been underwhelming for years now.
The Hawkeyes haven't had a quarterback pass for more than 2,000 yards in a season since Nate Stanley in 2019. That threshold should be the floor for any non-military academy college football team these days, but Iowa has struggled to even reach that bar.
However, the arrival of a new quarterback this offseason has fans and media members optimistic that Iowa's passing attack will be at least average in 2025. And one media outlet is predicting it to be even better.
Pro Football Network shared one bold prediction for each Big Ten team heading into the 2025 season. Some of their predictions call for disastrous seasons (i.e., Maryland going winless in conference play) and others give a more rosy outlook (i.e., Indiana returning to the College Football Playoff).
Hawkeye fans will be pretty excited to see what Pro Football Network had to say about Iowa.
What is Iowa's bold prediction for 2025?
Pro Football Network predicted Iowa to have an above-average passing game in 2025, which is music to Hawkeye fans' ears.
It's been decades since the Iowa Hawkeyes fielded an excellent passing attack. Despite that, they've put together four double-digit season win totals in the last 10 years, primarily based on the strength of their defense. Quarterback play has been erratic and underwhelming, to say the least.
But come 2025, enter new QB Mark Gronowski, tasked with uplifting a dormant passing offense. The most prolific passer in South Dakota State Jackrabbits program history across four seasons, the 6'3″, 230-pounder already has an accomplished college football career.
With that experience and track record, as he's thrown 93 touchdowns versus just 20 interceptions (plus 37 scores on the ground) in his career, the Hawkeyes are set to trot out one of the top signal-callers in the Big Ten. With one of the top half passing offenses in the conference, watch out for the Hawkeyes to make some noise come November and potentially into December. -Pro Football Network.
A lot of the optimism for the Hawkeyes' passing offense comes from Mark Gronowski and his ability to elevate a passing attack that's been dormant this entire decade. While it's still unknown how he'll make the switch from the FCS to the FBS level, there's real excitement about bringing in a guy with a proven track record of great quarterback play at a premier FCS program.
Hawkeye fans don't have to wait long to see if Pro Football Network's prediction comes to fruition, with kickoff of the season opener just over a month away. Gronowski, Tim Lester, and the rest of the offense will have a chance to get things going and into a rhythm against Albany on Aug. 30 before a tough road test at Iowa State on Sept. 6.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney