Iowa Hawkeyes Unveil Massive NIL Details for New QB

The Iowa Hawkeyes have released some pretty major details of the NIL deal they offered their new quarterback.
Sep 3, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; South Dakota State Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Sep 3, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; South Dakota State Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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The Iowa Hawkeyes finally scored a massive win in the transfer portal, landing quarterback Mark Gronowski from South Dakota State.

Gronowski is entering his final year of eligibility, so there is no doubt that he chose his next destination very carefully.

So, what made the FCS 2023 Walter Payton award winner decide to choose Iowa?

Well, it may have bene the massive NIL deal the Hawkeyes offered him.

Apparently, Iowa handed Gronowski over seven figures in NIL money, an absiolutely major step for a Hawkeyes program that is not exactly known to be all that spendthrift.

Gronowski will likely be Iowa's starting quarterback in 2025 and could very well be the most talented signal-caller the team has had in quite some time.

The 23-year-old is not exactly facing stiff competition at Iowa City, as Brendan Sullivan had previously been considered the favorite to land the starting job next season before the Hawkeyes acquired Gronowski.

Fellow transfer Hank Brown and incoming recruit Jimmy Sullivan are other candidates, but it seems like Gronowski is the odds-on favorite to be under center in Week 1 next season.

Gronowski is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he threw for 2,721 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 60.9 percent of his passes.

The year prior, he totaled 3,058 yards, 29 touchdowns and just five picks, completing a hefty 68.1 percent of his throws.

Iowa went 8-5 this season, falling to the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

We'll see if Gronowski can take the Hawkeyes to the next level next fall.


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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.