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The Iowa Hawkeyes don’t carry the most respected offense in the country, let alone its own conference. That’s not a flashy statement.
Leaving Mark Gronowksi out of the conversation among the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten? Well, that might be a different story.
College football analyst Josh Pate recently published his top 10 quarterbacks in the conference ahead of the 2025 season on X, and Gronowski was nowhere to be found.
REPORT: I am socializing my Big Ten QB rankings with select people today. Will report feedback. pic.twitter.com/2nmdMIId5T
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) June 13, 2025
In all fairness to Pate, Gronowski hasn’t taken a snap in the Big Ten. Playing at an elite level in the FCS does not guarantee success at the highest level of the sport. Unfortunately for his rankings, the same applies to Michigan true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood and, to a lesser degree, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Washington’s Desmond Williams, who did take a few snaps last year.
In Pate’s accompanying video, though, he argued that his rankings were based purely on his own personal expectations, so proven success in the Big Ten wasn’t necessary to rank highly. The Iowa Hawkeyes and their new quarterback must not carry heavy expectations for Pate, which is somewhat understandable considering the program’s recent offensive output, or total lack thereof, especially at the most important position in sports.
Of course, any rational mind analyzing college football would expect more from an inexperienced quarterback playing with a dominant program, such as Sayin with the Buckeyes, to hit the ground running, especially when that player was a top-ranked recruit who carries heavy expectations. and a wealth of potential.
Still, Gronowski has generated some buzz of his own, and the Hawkeyes’ offense is trending up coming out of 2024. Offensive coordinator Tim Lester hasn’t solved all of Iowa’s offensive problems just yet, but he did make significant progress. Iowa’s offense averaged 27.7 points per game, ranking 72nd nationally, up from 15.1 in 2023, ranked 132nd, despite substandard quarterback play.
Now they have Gronowski, who was dominant at South Dakota State and will play behind a talented offensive line and alongside what should be a solid rushing attack in Iowa City. The biggest question mark will be the pass catchers, though senior receiver Jacob Gill should be one guy the offense can count on.
Iowa may not have great expectations heading into the 2025 campaign, but with the Hawkeyes, there’s always a chance they can surprise the college football world, especially when they have the right guy under center like they do now.
More must-reads:
- Week 1 mid-major games to watch: Boise State, Tulane look to build CFP foundation
- NFL Draft intel: Top QBs set to clash in ranked showdown in Death Valley
- The 'Season TD pass leaders by NFL team' quiz
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New DJ Lagway update may have big impact on Florida's 2025 season
Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway has all "the goods" to be a superstar. That's not a question. What has been a question this offseason has been Lagway's health. Lagway has been limited with a shoulder injury (this past spring) and a calf injury (suffered in fall camp) and has been a question mark heading into Florida's Week 1 game against Long Island. If Lagway wasn't 100 percent, or close to it, this may have been a good game to sit him out to give him more time to heal, but the latest update coming out of Gainesville suggests the Gators have a ton of reason to be optimistic. On Monday, head coach Billy Napier revealed that Lagway will start on Saturday. The sophomore quarterback has been a full participant in recent practices, and that's huge for Florida. Per Napier, the Willis, Texas, product has also learned a lot from the challenges of being injured. "A lot of times things happen to you that you can't control, so there's opportunities to get better as a result of what he's going through," Napier said on Monday, according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN. "He's learned a lot about himself. This won't be the first time he's gone through something like this. You play the game, you're going to get injured, so how you manage that not only physically but mentally ... for him that's been a bit of a challenge, but I think it's been healthy for him." Again, this game may have been a good opportunity for Florida to keep Lagway back if he wasn't fully ready to play, so the fact that he's getting the start in this one is a huge indication that his injury issues in 2025 may be behind him now. Now, instead of another week to rest, this game against Long Island becomes an opportunity for Lagway to tune up. This should be an easy win for Florida, but challenges are on the horizon. After a game against South Florida in Week 2, the Gators have a brutal stretch that sees them play No. 9 LSU, No. 10 Miami, No. 1 Texas and No. 19 Texas A M, all before mid-October. The Gators need a healthy Lagway to win those games, and for the sake of Napier's job, the Gators need to win those games.
Steelers should pursue one of Aaron Rodgers' former targets to boost offense
The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently constructing the team's final roster for the 2025 season, which is one of the toughest decisions for every NFL organization. Players on the edge of rosters are traded from team to team, while other players are waived, allowing clubs to pick them up on the waiver wire. The Steelers will have a chance to do this, but it will be interesting to see what positions the franchise prioritizes before the start of the regular season. Wide receiver is a spot fans want to see upgraded, but the organization could also use some added depth on both sides of the ball. The Steelers could consider picking up many players who were released on Monday and Tuesday. However, there is an intriguing name available at wide receiver, Malachi Corley, a 2024 third-round pick, who was waived by the New York Jets on Tuesday. The Steelers had previously shown interest in him during the pre-draft process last year, but didn't have the chance to select him. Corley had immense potential coming out of college. He played at Western Kentucky, and over four seasons, caught 259 passes for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. His production was consistent, but he had some trouble transitioning to the NFL. It doesn't help that he went to a dysfunctional organization like the Jets, and a part of his release is the fact that a new regime took over in New York An obvious connection between Corley and the Steelers is with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It was reported that Rodgers wanted the Jets to draft Corley back in 2024, which likely influenced the organization's decision. He has some familiarity with the young receiver, and that could lead Rodgers to persuade Pittsburgh to bring him in. Corley had a rough rookie season as he struggled even to make it onto the football field, but a change of scenery and a new organization could play a role in helping him improve. Until the first three weeks of the regular season are over, the waiver wire goes in the order of the 2025 NFL Draft. After the first three weeks of the regular season, the standings are updated to reflect the current standings in the NFL. Pittsburgh has the 21st priority on the waiver wire. That means that 20 teams in front of them can submit a claim for Corley, or any other player Pittsburgh may be interested in. That cycle will then repeat itself, and that is how waived players end up on new rosters. Corley still has potential, and one of the 20 teams in front of Pittsburgh could try to grab him.
Recent roster moves cement 2022 QB class as one of worst ever
Finding a starting quarterback in the NFL is hard work, and most players who get picked at the position will not pan out as hoped. Teams that took quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft have found that out first hand, and some recent roster moves around the league have helped to cement that class as one of the worst ever for quarterbacks. Of the nine quarterbacks taken in that class, only one of them — Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers — is a starter in the NFL, and he is the only one out of that group who is still with the team that selected them. Here is a quick run down of where the first eight quarterbacks in that class are right now, including some recent roster moves featuring the top-two quarterbacks — Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder — taken in that class. Kenny Pickett (No. 20 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers) Pickett was just traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Las Vegas Raiders and is now already on his fourth team in the NFL, having been traded three times. He has a Super Bowl ring and should have a nice career as a backup, but as the first quarterback taken in a class, this is a disappointing career path so far. Desmond Ridder (No. 74 overall, Atlanta Falcons) Like Pickett, Ridder has also already played for four teams in the NFL and will have to join a fifth to continue his career after being released by the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday. He was originally picked by the Atlanta Falcons and has played for the Arizona Cardinals, Raiders and Bengals. Malik Willis (No. 86 overall, Tennessee Titans) After failing to secure the starting job with the Titans, Willis is now a backup with the Green Bay Packers. Matt Corral (No. 94 overall, Carolina Panthers) Corral never threw a pass in the NFL and is no longer in the league, having most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. Bailey Zappe (No. 137 overall, New England Patriots) Zappe had a brief run as a starter with the Patriots, but he never solidified the job and has spent time as a backup with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. Sam Howell (No. 144 overall, Washington Commanders) Howell showed some potential as a starter for Washington during the 2023 season, throwing for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns. The downside: He also threw a league-leading 21 interceptions. After being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this preseason, he is now on his third team. Chris Oladokun (No. 241 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers) Oladokun was the second of the Steelers' two quarterback picks in this class and never even made the roster. He was cut after the initial training camp and ended up as a depth piece in Kansas City. Skylar Thompson (No. 247 overall, Miami Dolphins) Thompson was forced into a starting role for a playoff game for the Dolphins but never really established himself as a long-term option. He was in training camp with the Steelers this season and played well, but is likely to lose out on a numbers game and be seeking a third team. Of these eight quarterbacks, four have already played for at least three teams before the end of their rookie contracts. Purdy, who was oddly enough the last quarterback taken in this class, is the only one who has found success. But even he is not good enough to salvage what has been a complete dud of a quarterback class.
Packers confirm suspicion about veteran receiver on cutdown day, a move that reveals their true plans for the position
Saints cuts an indictment of team's NFL Draft process
Plenty of explanations exist for why the New Orleans Saints have fallen to become one of the NFL's worst teams, but chief among them is a troubling trend of NFL Draft ineptitude. As the Saints trim their roster to 53 players before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, the front office released 2023 second-round defensive end Isaiah Foskey (No. 40 overall), 2023 fourth-round quarterback Jake Haener (No. 127 overall) and 2022 fifth-round linebacker D'Marco Jackson (No. 161 overall) before lunch time. None of the moves were particularly shocking. But that doesn't make them any less disappointing. Since 2000, Foskey is one of two primary defensive ends selected in the first or second round of the NFL Draft to appear in at least 20 games and not record a sack, joining former New York Jets defensive end Vernon Gholston. Haener was benched at halftime of his lone 2024 start and ended the season 18-of-39 (46.2%) for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jackson was a core special teams player but played sparingly on defense his first two seasons. NewOrleans.Football's Mike Triplett noted he could be a practice squad candidate if he goes unclaimed on waivers, but his slow development on defense is another strike against the team's scouting. Senior vice president and assistant general manager — college personnel Jeff Ireland has had plenty of hits over the years for New Orleans (even players who succeeded elsewhere, like Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zach Baun), but the Saints have been one of the worst drafting teams this decade. Defensive end Payton Turner, a 2021 first-round pick, had five sacks in four seasons before departing during in 2025 free agency. Offensive tackle Trevor Penning, one of two 2022 first-rounders, was benched in his first season as a starter and moved to guard this offseason, a final gasp at finding a fit for the fourth-year pro. It's no coincidence that New Orleans' late-2010s renaissance came on the heels of the team's phenomenal 2017 draft class, which featured Associated Press Rookies of the Year Alvin Kamara (Offensive) and Marshon Lattimore (Defensive), tackle Ryan Ramczyk, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, linebacker Alex Anzalone and safety Marcus Williams. Particularly for teams like New Orleans, which spend years up against the salary-cap wall, hitting on cost-controlled draft picks is essential to remaining a title contender. It will take another strong class for the Saints to once again be relevant to the playoff picture, and it's unclear if 2025's rookies will be the ones to alter the team's trajectory. Second-rounder Tyler Shough didn't emerge as a clear winner in the starting quarterback battle with Spencer Rattler. While he could still earn the role, after Rattler started twice in the preseason, he might be the likelier choice. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, selected No. 9 overall, will be a key player to watch this season, as will middle-round defenders Vernon Broughton (No. 71 overall), Jonas Sanker (No. 93), Danny Stutsman (No. 112) and Quincy Riley (No. 131). With the playoffs an unrealistic goal in 2025, a successful season in New Orleans would be for a handful of its rookies and other young players to emerge as starting-caliber. If so, that would be an exception to the recent rule.
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