Iowa football has QB that understands what 'it takes to win'
At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, the Naperville, Ill. native, led South Dakota State for the last four seasons to a pair of FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023, while passing for a total of 10,308 yards and 93 touchdowns and rushing for 1,767 career rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. He would end up closing his tenure with the Jackrabbits tied for the title of the winningest quarterback in FCS history with a 49-6 record.
With Gronowski now donning a Hawkeyes uniform, Lester hailed the quarterback's ability to find ways to uplift the team to victory, whether it's through his own plays or creating opportunities for teammates.
"The biggest thing is that he just understands the things that it takes to win. The saying he always uses is, 'Have a positive football play.' He realizes that negative football plays change games, and he does an unbelievable job of taking the bad plays and turning them into less bad plays," Lester said.
Lester also highlighted Gronowski's upbeat attitude as an indicator of his championship-level pedigree.
"The other thing is, he is a super positive person. He is always upbeat. He's had mostly good practices, but he's had a couple missed throws or the first time running something where he missed something, but he just never gets down. He's very steady Eddy. It's very evident why he's won as much as he's won as you watch him go through the good and the bad, and how it never affects his mindset," Lester said.
Given that the Big Ten possesses some of the most passionate fan bases in the nation, maintaining composure throughout the game is pivotal to the goal of earning a victory, especially on the road.
While objectively, Gronowski's "on paper" quarterback skills and achievements are heralded as one of the best in the Kirk Ferentz era, there is still some skepticism amongst fans who have been led astray in years past by players who did not meet their expectations.
While it is fair to hold those concerns, the true test for Gronowski will be how he performs against live competition outside the program, which Lester believes will finally kickstart the Hawkeyes' dominance fans have craved for years.
Iowa opens its 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Albany from Kinnick Stadium with kickoff set for 5 p.m. CT and the game broadcast on FS1.
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 Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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