This offseason, Iowa became one of the Big Ten’s most intriguing teams. The Hawkeyes made a notable splash in the transfer portal by landing quarterback Mark Gronowski, who had a decorated career at the FCS level at South Dakota State.

Gronowski’s ability to run Tim Lester’s offense is a storyline to watch in Iowa City this year. In fact, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said he’s a reason the Hawkeyes won his 2025 Preseason Herbie Award as the sleeper in the Big Ten.

Between a new quarterback and a schedule that doesn’t include Ohio State or Michigan, Herbstreit said Iowa is in the conversation along with Illinois to be a sleeper team in the league. He added the Hawkeyes are typically in that mix, but they could really make some noise this year.

“We talked a little bit about Illinois, but I also think another team that could be a sleeper is Iowa,” Herbstreit said during the show. “Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State, he’s a quarterback. Started four years at South Dakota State, won two national championships at the FCS level. Remember, they’ve get Oregon and Penn State at home. They do not to play Ohio State or Michigan.

“So Kirk Ferentz, I think, has a team that could make a run and a team that could definitely be a sleeper. They’re a sleeper every year.”

A product of Naperville (Ill.) Neuqua Valley, Gronowski was one of the top quarterbacks in FCS during his time at South Dakota State. He threw for more than 10,000 yards over his four years with the Jackrabbits, including 2,721 yards this past season to go with 23 touchdowns. His best year came in 2023 when he threw for 3,058 yards and 29 touchdowns as SDSU defeated Montana for its second straight FCS national title.

Ferentz has had high praise for Gronowski this year, including at Big Ten Media Days. As he looked back on the last few years, Ferentz pointed out factors such as injuries and luck in Iowa’s quarterback performances. But he also cited whether the quarterback position was ready for the level of Big Ten football and suggested Gronowski breaks that trend.

“I know we’ll be much improved at quarterback,” Ferentz told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “That’s not a knock on anybody, but if you just go back and chart the games the last two seasons, three seasons for that matter, we’ve had bad health there, we’ve had bad fortune, bad luck and, quite frankly, playing with some guys that weren’t ready to play at this level.”