Iowa’s new quarterback has NFL prospects
When it comes to what the national media says about the quarterback play at Iowa football over the past few years, NFL Draft aspirations are not words that typically go hand-in-hand.
But with the transfer of Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State to Iowa City for this coming fall, that could be changing.
ESPN recently released an article listing the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft class. And while Gronowski did not make the top portion of the rankings, he was placed among the best of the rest with the likes of Iowa State’s Rocco Becht, Josh Hoover from TCU and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava.
At South Dakota State, one of the top teams at the FCS level, Gronowski shined. He led the Jackrabbits to a pair of national championships, winning 49 games during his career.Â
Standing 6-foot-3, Gronowski played four seasons, throwing for a career-high 3,058 yards in 2023 with 29 touchdowns. He also threw for 26 TDs in 2022 and 23 last year with 2,721 yards. All three seasons, he posted a rating of 146.9 or higher, including a career-best 179.7 as a junior.
And he is athletic, rushing for 577 yards as a freshman while scoring 37 total touchdowns. He went over 400 yards twice, rushing for 380 last season.
Gronowski was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine and contemplated entering the NFL Draft last year before opting to transfer to Iowa.Â
