Mark Gronowski, the accomplished quarterback who guided South Dakota State to two FCS national championships and made it to the semifinals this year, took to social media on Tuesday to announce he will be finishing his college career at Iowa.
Gronowski had been contemplating a jump to the NFL Draft prior to his visit to Iowa City last weekend, but now he is poised to become the anticipated starter for the Hawkeyes in 2025. He joins the team even though Brendan Sullivan, who recently expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming competition, is returning.
This past season, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback from Naperville, Illinois, threw for 2,719 yards alongside 23 touchdowns, leading the Jackrabbits to a 12-3 record. Their season ended with a loss in the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals against the eventual national champions, North Dakota State.
Gronowski, who was named the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner recognizing him as the top offensive player in the FCS, accumulated 10,309 passing yards and 93 touchdowns throughout his career, placing him second among active FCS players. He boasts an impressive record of 49-6 as a starter at South Dakota State, securing national titles in both 2022 and 2023, and he was also the starting quarterback for the team that competed in the national championship game as a freshman.
In other transfer news, wide receiver Malik Benson announced his decision to transfer from Florida State to Oregon on Tuesday.
Benson will be attending his third school in three years, following two seasons at a Kansas junior college before stints at Alabama and Florida State. He could be eligible to compete for an additional season after a recent preliminary injunction from a federal judge allowed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to play one more year, challenging existing NCAA eligibility rules for junior college athletes.
At Hutchinson Community College, Benson was a record-setting receiver and was recognized as the top junior college prospect in 2023. During his time at Alabama, he started six of 14 games, registering 13 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. After transferring to Florida State, he became the team’s third-leading receiver with 25 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown.
Oregon will be missing their leading receiver, Tez Johnson, who announced on Monday his intention to declare for the NFL Draft. However, Evan Stewart, who ranked as the Ducks’ third-leading receiver, confirmed on Tuesday that he would return for the upcoming season instead of entering the draft.