Iowa football’s quarterback room became a lot more competitive on Tuesday. South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski will transfer to the Hawkeyes. Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports was first to report the news and Gronowski confirmed via a social media post.
A three-star transfer from 247 Sports, Gronowski becomes the second quarterback transfer for Iowa, joining Auburn’s Hank Brown, but has the edge in starting experience. He boasts a 49-5 career record and back-to-back national titles. A dual-threat under center, Gronowski boasts 10,330 passing yards, 93 touchdowns and 20 interceptions to go along with 1,767 rushing yards and another 37 scores. He has one year of eligibly.remaining.
Starting 10 games as a true freshman in 2020, Gronowski threw for 1,584 yards and 15 touchdowns before suffering an injury in the FCS championship game that season. After missing the following year to recover and burning a redshirt in the process, Gronowski improved his completion percentage by nearly nine points and tacked on 11 more passing touchdowns. He led the Jackrabbits to a 14-1 record culminating in a victory over rival North Dakota State in the FCS title game, where he took home MVP honors.
The following season, Gronowksi had himself a 3,000-yard passing season, leading the FCS in passing efficiency with a 179.7 rating. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder earned the Walter Payton Award as the FCS’ best offensive player and a first-team FCS All-American nod from the Associated Press. The Jackrabbits went undefeated and won their second straight title.
In his most recent season, Gronowski posted 2,721 passing yards and a 60.9 completion percentage, tossing 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 380 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Hailing from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski has two starts against Power Four foes in Oklahoma State and Iowa, posting 30 completions, 351 passing yards, and two touchdowns. Against the Hawkeyes in the 2022 season opener in a hostile Kinnick Stadium, Gronowski had one of the worst performances of his career, tossing for only 87 passing yards without a score.
Despite the poor showing in his future home stadium, Gronowski possesses a passing prowess that Iowa has been lacking in recent memory despite new offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s improvements in 2024. Gronowski threw for more than 250 yards seven times over the last two years. By comparison, the Hawkeyes had only had one such performance from a quarterback over that same time span.
Gronowski joins Brown as well as junior Brendan Sullivan, who started two games for the Hawkeyes last season but was limited due to an ankle injury that kept him out of two contests. The trio will be joined by incoming recruits Jimmy Sullivan and Ryan Fitzgerald. Including walk-on transfer Jackson Stratton, who started the two games in Sullivan’s stead, the Hawkeyes have six quarterbacks on the roster.