Kirk Ferentz just completed his 26th season as Iowa’s head football coach. Ferentz is currently the longest-tenured coach in the sport, but the landscape of college football has changed drastically since he became coach back in 1999.
The transfer portal was nearly an afterthought when he first began leading the Hawkeyes. It’s since grown into a pivotal part of the collegiate sport, and with that comes the understanding that he and his staff must indulge themselves in that realm, whether they like it or not.
“We’re not trying to build through the portal,” Ferentz said in December. “If we can supplement our team, we’ll do that.”
And supplement the team he did.
Amid a crucial offseason for Iowa football, the team has faced significant roster turnover through the transfer portal — most of which brings optimism for next season. The five players who are set to begin their Hawkeye careers in 2025 bring unique skill sets that can contribute to winning, whether right away or in the future.
Key additions
Arguably the most notable addition was South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski. Gronowski became one of the most decorated players in school history, tossing 10,330 passing yards and 93 passing touchdowns to go along with 1,767 rushing yards and 37 additional rushing scores.
Before the acquisition of Gronowski, Iowa also reeled in quarterback Hank Brown from Auburn. Brown spent most of his two-year tenure with the Tigers on the sidelines but brings great promise, as he completed 34 of 52 passes for 535 passing yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. Brown comes to Iowa City with three seasons of eligibility left and poses as a viable long-term option for the Hawkeyes.
Along with Gronowski is fellow South Dakota State teammate Bryce Hawthorne. The defensive tackle logged 25 total tackles and 3.5 sacks through his first two years and now looks to make a bigger impact with the Hawkeyes.
The Hawkeyes added another offensive weapon in wide receiver Sam Phillips. One of the most enticing wideouts in the transfer portal, Phillips logged 2,088 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 153 receptions for an average of 13.6 yards per catch across three seasons at Chattanooga.
Iowa also added some defensive depth, snagging Central Michigan defensive lineman Jonah Pace. Pace recorded 54 total tackles, five sacks, two deflected passes, and one forced fumble through his three-year tenure with the Chippewas.
Key departures
The Hawkeyes saw 22 players enter the portal since August – 13 walk-ons and nine scholarship players.
Among those nine scholarship players are quarterbacks Cade McNamara and Marco Lainez, running back Leshon Williams, and wide receiver Kaleb Brown.
McNamara spent the last two seasons as Iowa’s starting quarterback after spending three years at Michigan. He appeared in five games during the 2023 season before suffering a torn ACL in a game versus Michigan State.
He returned for the 2024 season and recorded 1,017 passing yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 60.5 percent completion percentage across eight games before losing his starting role due to inconsistent play in the middle of the season. McNamara entered the transfer portal in December and committed to East Tennessee State on Jan. 25.
Williams had a strong 2023 season as the Hawkeyes’ top running back, logging 821 yards and one touchdown on 170 carries, but the emergence of other backs Kaleb Johnson, Jaziun Patterson, and Kamari Moulton resulted in Williams falling to the fourth spot on the depth chart.
Williams initially committed to Memphis on Nov. 26 but quickly changed his decision and announced his commitment to Kansas on Dec. 5. He will have one season of eligibility remaining with the Jayhawks.
Brown transferred to Iowa ahead of the 2023 season after spending one season at Ohio State. He emerged as one of the Hawkeyes’ best wideouts that season, logging 215 yards and one touchdown on 22 receptions.
But the 2024 season proved to be a difficult one for Brown. His lone appearance this season came against Troy, where he recorded his lone catch for 18 yards. After missing his third game of the year, he decided to take a redshirt year and enter the transfer portal, where he announced his commitment to Alabama-Birmingham on Dec.18.
Lainez’s lone appearance in a Hawkeye uniform came in the 2023 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, where he posted four passing yards on 2 of 7 passing attempts in a 35-0 blowout loss to Tennessee. Following the 2024 season, he entered the portal and committed to Elon.
Takeaways
First things first, the new-look quarterback room will be something to pay close attention to throughout the offseason.
Even with the loss of McNamara and Lainez, Hawkeye fans can feel confident knowing the team retained Brendan Sullivan for next season. Sullivan’s dual-threat ability allowed Iowa to march downfield at a more consistent rate in the set amount of games he played in 2024.
The addition of Gronowski gives the Hawkeyes two dual-threat quarterbacks on top of a younger play caller in Brown who can certainly develop his run game behind the two veterans.
Iowa’s receiving core got stronger with the addition of Phillips. He, along with established receivers Jacob Gill, Reece Vander Zee, and Addison Ostrenga, will pose as a lethal combination of pass catchers bound to cause problems for opposing defenses.
As for the defensive side, the losses of Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, and Jermari Harris to the NFL Draft unquestionably hurts the Hawkeyes. But the hope is that bringing in Pace and Hawthorne will make a strong impact on the line while Ferentz and Co. figure out the back half of the defense.
So now the question gets asked: did Iowa get better through the transfer portal? While we won’t find out the true answer until the 2025 season begins, it sure looks like it right now.