Iowa Hawkeyes New QB Earns Mammoth Take

The Iowa Hawkeyes have landed a couple of quarterbacks in the transfer portal, first bagging former Auburn signal-caller Hank Brown and then acquiring ex-South Dakota State star Mark Gronowski.

Gronowski was definitely the bigger of the two additions, as he won the Walter Payton Award for the best player in the FCS in 2023.

Chances are, Gronowski will be Iowa's starting quarterback next season, and ESPN's Tom Luginbill loves the move for the Hawkeyes.

Luginbill ranked all of the transfer signal-callers based on fit, and he had Gronowski placed eighth. He also dropped a big take on the quarterback that will surely fire up Iowa fans.

"This guy is the definition of substance over style," Luginbill wrote. "All he does is make good decisions and win. He had a bit of a down year in 2024, but he's bringing over 10,300 career yards and 93 touchdowns to an Iowa team that started to open its offense a bit under new playcaller Tim Lester. It's not always pretty and his methods can be unorthodox, but Gronowski's results are among the elite in college football -- at any level."

Gronowski is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he threw for 2,721 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The year prior, he racked up 3,058 yards, 29 touchdowns and just five picks.

The 23-year-old is entering his final year of eligibility, so he only has one shot to succeed for Iowa. But he may very well be the most talented quarterback the Hawkeyes have had in quite some time.

Perhaps Iowa has finally found its answer under center.