The Iowa Hawkeyes just completed their spring phase with a final open practice.
As Iowa football used the spring practices to continue to develop and build for the 2025 season, the coaching staff has also been at work evaluating the talent available to upgrade the roster via the transfer portal.
Iowa landed another transfer portal commitment on Tuesday night, bringing its transfer additions total up to nine. With the program headed toward summer workouts and then fall camp, here’s a look back at every transfer portal addition that Iowa has brought in heading into the 2025 season.
QB Hank Brown
A transfer from Auburn, Hank Brown arrives in Iowa City where he will compete for the backup quarterback job against Jackson Stratton. After Brendan Sullivan’s departure, Brown is next up according to the 2025 spring depth chart.
The 6-foot-4, 208 pound sophomore quarterback made starts for Auburn against New Mexico and Arkansas. Brown completed 27-of-43 passes for 403 yards with six touchdowns against three interceptions in 2024.
DL Jonah Pace
Jonah Pace announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes in late December. The 6-foot-5, 285 pound defensive lineman will factor into Iowa’s defensive interior.
A transfer from Central Michigan, Pace amassed 55 career tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and five sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one blocked kick in four years and 37 games played.
DL Bryce Hawthorne
Iowa found another reinforcement for its defensive interior with South Dakota State transfer defensive lineman Bryce Hawthorne. The 6-foot-3, 285 pound defensive lineman from Osseo, Minnesota, registered 22 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries last season with the Jackrabbits.
Hawthorne was an MVFC All-Newcomer Team honoree in 2024 and has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
QB Mark Gronowski
Iowa’s most prized portal addition, South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski arrives in Iowa City as the winningest signal-caller in FCS history.
Gronowski takes over as the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback after passing for more than 10,000 yards and rushing for an additional 1,767 yards. The 6-foot-3 quarterback threw 93 touchdown passes and registered 37 rushing scores during his time at SDSU.
Gronowski led the Jackrabbits to a pair of FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023.
WR Sam Phillips
The Hawkeyes bolstered their skill talent by adding Chattanooga transfer wide receiver Sam Phillips. The 5-foot-9, 185 pound receiver started 34 games over the past three seasons with the Mocs.
Phillips caught 154 passes for 2,108 receiving yards with nine touchdowns. The Cartersville, Georgia, product joins a group of wide receivers that also features Reece Vander Zee, Jacob Gill, Seth Anderson, Kaden Wetjen, KJ Parker and Dayton Howard.
OL Bryce George
Iowa addressed the trenches offensively by bringing in Ferris State offensive tackle Bryce George. A 6-foot-5, 314 pound offensive tackle, George made 38 starts at Ferris State where he was a two-time All-GLIAC selection and a first-team All-American from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association in 2024.
The Edison product should enter the mix alongside sophomore Trevor Lauck and junior Jack Dotzler as a potential starter for Iowa at left tackle. George chose Iowa over fellow finalists USC and Cal.
QB Jeremy Hecklinski
Following the spring portal departure of Brendan Sullivan, Iowa went and added some more depth to its quarterbacks room with Wake Forest transfer Jeremy Hecklinski.
The 6-foot quarterback saw action in just one game last season with Wake Forest when he took three snaps against North Carolina, but Hecklinski was the 2023 MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year and the 2023 GPB Georgia Offensive Player of the Year.
During his senior year, Hecklinski led Walton to the Class 7A GHSA state championship game after throwing for 3,835 passing yards and 50 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Hecklinski completed 201-of-309 attempts (65.0 pct.) in 14 games played while holding a 141.9 passer rating.
Hecklinski can sit and learn behind Gronowski as he rejoins his former offensive coordinator at Wake Forest in new Iowa senior analyst Warren Ruggiero.
CB Shahid Barros
The Hawkeyes added some much-needed experience to its cornerbacks groups with the addition of former South Dakota corner Shahid Barros.
A 6-foot-1, 195 pound cornerback, Barros appeared in 12 games and made 11 starts last season for the Coyotes. Barros tallied 41 tackles, four pass breakups, one interception and one sack.
The New Bedford, Massachusetts, product also started 12 games during the 2023 season with South Dakota where he registered 49 tackles, four pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Barros joins a group of cornerbacks that features TJ Hall, Deshaun Lee, Jaylen Watson and Rashad Godfrey Jr. Hall and Lee have combined for 22 career starts, including 16 last season.
S Ty Hudkins
The Hawkeyes also bolstered their safety depth with the addition of Purdue transfer defensive back Ty Hudkins.
Hudkins appeared in all 12 games as a freshman with the Boilermakers, primarily on special teams. Per Pro Football Focus, Hudkins garnered 145 total special teams snaps in 2024 with Purdue. The 5-foot-11, 197 pound safety also saw nine defensive snaps. Hudkins finished with one tackle in his freshman campaign.
Hudkins was a three-star signee with Purdue in the 2024 class according to 247Sports. A product of Forest Hills Central, Hudkins totaled 98 tackles along with eight pass breakups and five interceptions as a senior. Hudkins also registered 10 pass breakups, 85 tackles and two interceptions in his junior season.
The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native was named the Michigan Player of the Year for divisions three and four by the AP and was awarded first team all-state honors in both of his final two seasons.
Hudkins joins a group of Iowa safeties that features Koen Entringer, Zach Lutmer, Xavier Nwankpa and Kael Kolarik.
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