As Week 1 of the 2025 college football season nears, Iowa's offseason quarterback battle appears to have reached its conclusion. While an official announcement has yet to be made, the general consensus is that South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski will call the shots to begin the year.
Despite having shoulder surgery in the spring, Gronowski has been strong all summer and through the fall. He has since worked closely with offensive coordinator Tim Lester, leading to the “continued expectation” that he will soon be named the Week 1 starter, On3 Sports' Pete Nakos reported.
Gronowski has been competing in Iowa's offseason quarterback battle with Auburn transfer Hank Brown and junior Jackson Stratton, the team's only returning player at the position. He joined the Hawkeyes after capping off a five-year career at South Dakota State with a 49-6 record as a starter and back-to-back FCS national titles.
While Iowa continues to thrive in the Big 10, it has not had strong quarterback play in years. That was especially true in 2024, when Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan combined for just 1,492 passing yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year. McNamara and Sullivan both transferred at the end of the year, with the former committing to East Tennessee State and the latter joining Tulane.
Mark Gronowski to lead Iowa in 2025 college football season
With Gronowski under center, the Hawkeyes should have significantly improved quarterback play in 2025, making them legitimate threats for the Big 10 title. Iowa is coming off 12 consecutive winning seasons under Kirk Ferentz, but it has not won the conference since 2004.
Although they have had three Big 10 Championship Game appearances since 2015, the expanded conference makes it substantially harder to claim the throne. Iowa will not begin the season in the top 25 college football rankings since 2022, when it ironically opened the year against Gronowski and South Dakota State.
While a Big 10 schedule is never forgiving, Iowa avoids regular season matchups with Michigan, Ohio State and Illinois in 2025. They will have to adjust to life without star running back Kaleb Johnson, but if Gronowski can even elevate their offense in the slightest, the Hawkeyes have a solid chance of improving on their 8-5 record.
