Iowa offense preseason reset: How Mark Gronowski and other key Hawkeyes are fitting in

New York Times

2 days ago

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Every eye at Kinnick Stadium veered toward new Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski during the Hawkeyes' lone open practice this month, and the senior transfer from South Dakota State mostly hit his marks Saturday.
Gronowski had moments when he sizzled, and there were a few passes he'd like to have back. Overall, Iowa's offense was solid against a traditionally sound defense, but neither unit is far from a finished product. The offense made significant strides last year statistically, but to compete in a deep Big Ten, it needs growth and development in several key areas.
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Beyond quarterback, there were plenty of offensive positions worth analyzing for the Hawkeyes after Saturday's scrimmage. Let's look at five key positions, starting with Gronowski's day.
In the full-field scrimmage portion of practice, Gronowski unofficially completed 10 of 20 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He made multiple high-caliber throws — both with protection and in the face of a blitz — that were beyond what Iowa has produced from that position in several years. But on a screen pass, he also threw an interception to defensive back Koen Entringer that was returned for a touchdown.
Gronowski displayed quick decision-making even as he continues to learn the offense. In the face of an unblocked blitz, Gronowski delivered a post-corner route to Seth Anderson for 16 yards. Early in the scrimmage, the two connected on a 50-yard deep pass, and Gronowski also found receiver Reece Vander Zee on a deep sideline route for 33 yards. Gronowski's adjustments were noticeable, as was his ability to reach receivers beyond his first or second read.
'His judgment is really impressive,' Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'He did some things there, you can tell he's on top of things. There's a couple throws that were really good, and then a couple that are just like that (fingers close), and five days ago was like that (hands wider). So, he's closing that gap.'
When asked what has impressed him the most about his quarterback this August, offensive coordinator Tim Lester cited Gronowski's ability to change protection.
'That's a big part of this,' Lester said. 'We didn't do that last year. We gave the quarterback the opportunity to do that, but (Gronowski) changed protection (Friday) once. He missed a touchdown throw by an inch, but he saw it, a high-pressure situation, adjusted the protection. Bought himself two seconds instead of one, was able to let our tight end get behind coverage and then just there. It would have been the best end of practice ever if we would have hit that one.'
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Gronowski (6 feet 2, 235 pounds) led South Dakota State to consecutive FCS national titles in 2022 and 2023 and earned the Walter Payton Award in 2023. In four seasons, Gronowski passed for 10,309 yards, 93 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and rushed for 1,767 yards and 37 touchdowns. Late last season, he played with a slightly torn labrum and opted to transfer to Iowa for surgery rather than enter the NFL Draft. Gronowski was unable to compete in spring practice but mimicked his position and read the coverage on every practice from behind the line of scrimmage.
'We always talked about envisioning and thinking about the plays that you're going to be running the night before games and seeing it before it actually happens,' Gronowski said. 'It almost tricks your brain to thinking that you actually have already gotten that rep. So, this entire spring, it was basically like I was getting the reps. I was reading the coverages, I was going through the entire play, whether that was the handoff or passing the ball without just the actual throw. So, I really retained all of that, and it helped a ton with me just learning the offense.'
Iowa's upgrades at quarterback are obvious with Gronowski plus Auburn transfer Hank Brown and Wake Forest transfer Jeremy Hecklinski. All three flashed in different sequences and showcased why the Hawkeyes are more confident at that position this year.
Brown, a sophomore, largely worked with the second team Saturday. Though unofficially he completed 3 of 6 passes for 25 yards, two passes were dropped, and officials did not whistle an obvious pass interference on a likely deep completion.
Hecklinski, a redshirt freshman, rotated with Brown on the second unit. Hecklinski completed his last six passes and was 7-of-13 passing for 42 yards. He, too, was victimized by the lack of pass interference calls.
'I'm on the train,' Ferentz said. 'I'm sold on (Gronowski), and I'm sold on the other guys. I like what we're seeing here. It really is a much healthier situation we've been in.'
Iowa's offensive line is in solid shape with preseason All-America candidates like center Logan Jones and right tackle Gennings Dunker. Left guard Beau Stephens, who was out with a concussion but is cleared to return, enters his third year as a starter. After two starters were lost to the NFL, the other spots are open but taking shape.
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Sophomore Kade Pieper has become the likely starter at right guard after an impressive spring and setting offensive line records in the vertical jump (37.4 inches) and 10-yard dash (1.52 seconds). Left tackle remains an open competition, however, and it could stay that way well into the season.
During the scrimmage, sophomore Trevor Lauck opened at left tackle, but junior Jack Dotzler also worked there the first time. Bryce George, a first-team Division II All-American from Ferris State, shifted between left tackle and guard on the second time. George, a senior, didn't arrive until the summer, and he's trying to catch up.
From lack of production to attrition, Iowa's receiving corps has held back its offense in concert with its quarterback play. In 2019, the Hawkeyes tied a program record with 169 catches by wide receivers. In 2022 and 2023, Iowa receivers caught 76 passes. Last year, that number trickled to 77.
Based on what has transpired last spring and in camp, those numbers should grow significantly. Last year, Vander Zee was the first true freshman to start the season opener under Ferentz, and he caught two touchdown passes in his debut. Anderson, the son of former NFL wide receiver Willie 'Flipper' Anderson, is finally healthy and showcased his route running and speed.
Leading receiver Jacob Gill and first-team All-American return specialist Kaden Wetjen return, and transfer Sam Phillips caught 50 passes for 823 yards last year at Chattanooga. Younger receivers KJ Parker, Jarriett Buie and especially Dayton Howard on Saturday also have impressed throughout camp.
Losing All-America running back Kaleb Johnson is a challenge, but the team is bullish on returnees Kamari Moulton, TJ Washington and Jaziun Patterson. Moulton and Washington were withheld from practice Saturday, so true freshman Nathan McNeil took the bulk of carries alongside Patterson.
McNeil's combination of size and elusiveness led to several strong runs and praise from Ferentz.
'How much do you think he weighs, if you were the guy at the circus?' Ferentz asked. 'I would have said 180 just looking at him, but he weighs 200 pounds. He's done a really good job.'
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