ESPN ranks Iowa football QB among top 100 transfer portal additions
Iowa hopes that South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski can help revitalize the Hawkeyes' offense and, in particular, its passing attack.
With his combination of leadership and dual-threat ability, Gronowski is expected to provide the proper trigger man that can truly unlock Tim Lester's offense at Iowa in Lester's second season with the program.
In ESPN's final transfer portal rankings, Gronowski checks in at No. 44 nationally.
This guy is the very definition of substance over style. All he does is make good decisions and win. It's not always pretty and his methods can be unorthodox, but the end result is among the elite in college football. An adequate athlete, Gronowski shines with his accuracy. He'll bring experience and smart play along with a sky-high expectation to perform, which he has done his entire career. - Tom Luginbill, ESPN.
Gronowski led South Dakota State to a pair of FCS national championships and his 49-6 career mark ties him for the most wins by a quarterback at the FCS level.
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During his time with the Jackrabbits, Gronowski passed for 10,309 yards and 93 touchdowns and he ran for an additional 1,767 yards and 37 scores. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback passed and rushed for a touchdown in the same game 26 times across his 55 career starts.
What a win for the Hawkeyes. They were looking to improve their QB situation for 2025 via the portal, and their patience paid off when Gronowski hit the market. There's not a more experienced or accomplished QB in this cycle when you consider he's played more than 3,000 career snaps. Gronowski was productive in his lone start against Power 4 competition in 2024, throwing for 264 yards and two TDs with one interception in a 44-20 loss at Oklahoma State. He'll be eager to prove he can compete at the highest level in the Big Ten. - Max Olson, ESPN.
Gronowski had offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to resume full-time activities during Iowa's summer program.
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