By Mark Pszonak
The winter transfer portal window is important for several reasons, one of the most being that most new signees will be enrolled during the spring semester and participating in practice. This is especially important for quarterbacks, who need the time to become comfortable with a new offense and receivers. For one Big Ten program, they’ll have to wait until the summer to see their new quarterback in action, as a recent surgery will hold him out for months.
Mark Gronowski was one of the more successful FCS quarterbacks in recent years. His signing with Iowa was an important get for the Hawkeyes and offensive coordinator Tim Lester. However, three days after his signing, word was released by the University that he would be out until June:
Per Iowa, Mark Gronowski will have surgery in the coming weeks and will not begin on-field team workouts until June.
“Mark played last season with a common football-related injury,” Kirk Ferentz said. “While he could have continued to play through the injury, Mark is choosing to…
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) January 10, 2025
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz obviously knew about the injury and upcoming surgery, but is it worth the risk? The Hawkeyes desperately needed a veteran quarterback during the winter window, which they successfully accomplished, but having him miss spring practice is a huge negative. And while the specifics of the surgery are unknown, if it requires a 5-6 month recovery time, it isn’t just a simple clean out procedure.
Gronowski achieved a great deal at South Dakota State. He won two National Championships, in which he was named the MVP both times and he won the 2023 FCS Heisman (Walter Payton Award), while passing for 10,330 yards, rushing for 1,767 yards and totaling 130 touchdowns during his Jackrabbits career. But his injury situation turned off at least one program.
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Yesterday, The Athletic released a story regarding Miami’s recruitment of Gronowski, which ended abruptly when the Canes found out about his injury and surgery:
Interesting stuff here regarding Iowa’s new QB Mark Gronowski. The Athletic is reporting that Miami OC Shannon Dawson was going to fly to South Dakota to meet with Gronowski but Miami canceled the trip after learning that he might need surgery.https://t.co/XgLhn00QwW
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) January 12, 2025
If Gronowski comes back 100% from his injury, quickly adjusts to his new environment and performs up to his abilities during the 2025 season, this will turn out to be a huge victory for Iowa, but the Hawkeyes are also taking a risk. Plenty of other quarterbacks were available that will be participating during the spring.
For a passing offense that has seemingly struggled for an eternity, is it a risk worth taking?
