Iowa fans were extremely high on Mark Gronowski after a recent video from college football training camp earlier this week. The hype has already come crashing down.
Their new starting quarterback did not have his best day at the first open scrimmage of the year.
Before we go any further here, I want to be very clear that I do not think one bad outing will define a college football player for the entire season. In fact, that is kind of the whole point of this conversation.
Who is Mark Gronowski?
The former South Dakota State signal-caller hails from Naperville, Illinois. He was considered an unranked prospect in the recruiting Class of 2020 so he received only the one scholarship offer.
Gronowski very quickly proved his worth during his freshman season with the Jackrabbits and only got better as he got older.
- 2020, freshman —
- Record: 8-2
- 1,565 passing yards
- 15 passing touchdowns
- 577 rushing yards
- 7 rushing touchdowns
- 2021, sophomore —
- Did not play due to injury
- 2022, redshirt sophomore —
- Record: 14-1
- 2,967 passing yards
- 26 passing touchdowns
- 408 rushing yards
- 12 rushing touchdowns
- 2023, redshirt junior —
- Record: 15-0
- 3,058 passing yards
- 29 passing touchdowns
- 402 rushing yards
- 8 rushing touchdowns
- 2024, redshirt senior —
- Record: 12-3
- 2,721 passing yards
- 23 passing touchdowns
- 380 rushing yards
- 10 rushing touchdowns
South Dakota State won a national title in 2022 and 2023. Gronowski played in the national championship game in three out of four years as the starter.
He ultimately transferred to Iowa during the offseason with one year of eligibility remaining. The Hawkeyes are going to pay him more than $1,000,000 for his services.
Iowa football is on a rollercoaster.
One day is up for the Hawkeyes. One day is down.
That includes their quarterback.
A video from practice on Aug. 6 went extremely viral on social media. Mark Gronowski escaped the pocket to his right and delivered a nice throw on the run.
That nine-second clip was viewed more than five million times across all accounts on all platforms. It was the talk of college football for about 48 hours.
Iowa fans had tears of joy in their eyes because their quarterback threw a five-yard out route. He actually looked capable, which presents a stark contrast to guys like Cade McNamara, Ricky Stanzi, Nate Stanley, Drew Tate and Deacon Hill.
Does Kirk Ferentz finally have himself a quarterback? I think so. I am a Gronowski believer.
However, there are some things on which he will have to improve.
Mark Gronowski is often impatient as a passer and abandons his progressions. He can also be inaccurate under pressure and relies too much on the run.
All three of those concerns showed up at Iowa’s most recent scrimmage. It was a rough day overall.
It was not all smooth sailing for Mark Gronowski at his first full-speed open scrimmage in an Iowa uniform. The senior fumbled a couple snaps and threw an unofficial pick-six to Koen Entringer. pic.twitter.com/225pB2upNY
— Jack Lido (@JackLido) August 9, 2025
And just like that, Iowa fans came back down to earth. Their hopes and dreams are shattered. The season is over. Gronowski is a waste of money.
This is what fall camp is all about! Nobody really knows anything so every little snippet from practice turns into an extreme overreaction. The Hawkeyes went from winning the national championship right back to the Quick Lane Bowl in a matter of three days. College football is so back.