Hawkeye fans hope the riddle at quarterback has finally been solved with Mark Gronowski. After all, he’s a two-time FCS national champion with the size and makeup to operate a pro-style offense, and he was highly sought after in the Transfer Portal.
But why would such a quarterback want to come to Iowa? It’s cold, most online discussions about the offense have to be translated from memes, and the program hasn’t sent a capable quarterback to the NFL in quite some time.
Well, Gronowski answered that question on a podcast hosted by former Hawkeye defensive lineman Louie Stec. For the former Jackrabbit, it was about culture and scheme fit.
“I was kind of just more watching just to get a more flavor of Iowa football,” Gronowski said. And I know we played against him a couple of years ago… So, it was good to just get a flavor of like who's on the team, the guys on the team, and how the offense really flowed and the plays that were called and during different situations. And it was interesting to see a lot of similar concepts that we were running at South Dakota State offensively. And after talking with [Tim] Lester and going on that actual official visit and learning about the offense, yeah, I really kind of fell in love with it.”
Gronowski also revealed that he only visited Iowa during his Transfer Portal recruitment. Other programs, notably Miami and Washington State, were interested but ultimately couldn’t draw his attention from Kirk Ferentz’s program in Iowa City.
“I was supposed to go on another visit to Miami, and I ended up just deciding, like I think Iowa was the best spot for me, just culturally wise,” Gronowski said. “The people that were there, the winning culture, the opportunity with Lester being a former NFL coach and assistant in the Packers offense, and bringing that NFL offense to get me to that next level is huge.
“After talking with everyone else, I just felt like Iowa was the best spot.”
Even with the prevalence of NIL money, Gronowski didn’t want to be swayed by cash; instead, he chose the best fit for himself, personally and as a football player.
“Yeah, I mean I didn't want to talk about money or anything like that when I was getting recruited throughout that entire process,” Gronowski said. “I want to talk football because, I mean, that's what we're playing at the end of the day. We're out there to play football, to build that culture with the guys that are around you.”
While Iowa fans will have to wait a few months to see if he can turn the offense around, they can at least appreciate his mentality and approach in coming to Iowa. At the very least, Gronowski’s words position him to be a cultural cornerstone in the locker room, which, if coupled with solid play, could go a long way in reviving Iowa’s image in the college football landscape.
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