Sep 6, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate after quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) scored a touchdown against the Iowa State Cyclones during the second quarter at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Iowa Announces Week 3 Captains

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Nishant Gupta | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 4:12 PM ET

The Iowa Hawkeyes kicked off the 2025 season in style with a convincing 34-7 win over Albany Great Danes in the season opener. New quarterback Mark Gronowski put on a show on his debut, recording one passing and one rushing touchdown. Xavier Williams was the pick among the rushers, charting 11 carries for 122 yards and one TD.

The Iowa State Cyclones handed Kirk Ferentz's team their first loss of the season on Saturday. Kyle Konrardy scored a field goal from 54 yards to give Iowa State the deciding lead with two minutes to spare.

However, the recent week's performance doesn't seem to waiver the head coach's faith in his most trusted men and it was evident when the Hawkeyes announced their captains for the Week 3 game against the UMass Minutemen.

DB Koen Entringer, QB Mark Gronowski, DL Ethan Hurkett and OL Logan Jones will be the team captains for the third straight week, the Hawkeyes revealed via Instagram on Wednesday.

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Veteran Hurkett and Jones were two of the most expected names to earn the captain honor week in week out. The team has also shown trust in Gronowski, who joined from South Dakota State via the transfer portal last month. Entringer has also retained his captaincy, showing the team's trust in him.

The Hawkeyes displayed a great defensive performance in the loss against Iowa State. But it came at the expense of multiple injuries. TE Addison Ostrenga was carted off after a collision in the first half and was later spotted on crunches and a walking boot. Gennings Dunker and Beau Stephens also suffered injuries on Saturday.

Frentez later revealed that Ostrenga has a lower leg injury, and more details were awaited. About the other two linemen, the Hawkeyes head coach is hoping for theirs to be minor injuries only and nothing serious. The team would hope to have them back for the game against UMass.

QB Gronowski talked to the media on Tuesday and admitted that they could executed things better. He thought it was a tough and gritty game and they left a lot of opportunities out there.

The quarterback added that he spends a little extra time with his teammates after the game to build some chemistry. They sit down, eat lunch or breakfast and even hang out together after practice and he believes that can help them improve in the coming weeks.

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This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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