Iowa Hawkeyes fans have every reason to be frustrated with the way things have gone recently. It hasn’t felt like the team has been moving forward. It feels like the wheels have been spinning in the mud.
It certainly felt that way when Iowa lost to the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl, blowing a second-half lead during a game in which head coach Kirk Ferentz was heavily criticized for making what many considered to be strange blunders.
But fret not, Hawkeyes faithful: there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
For the first time in years, Iowa actually looks like it has a decent offense, thanks much in part to the transfer addition of quarterback Mark Gronowski. Landing wide receiver Sam Phillips via the portal also helped, and the recent commitment of Dylan Stecker is also intriguing.
Yes, I understand we heard this when the Hawkeyes bagged Cade McNamara over two years ago, as he was supposed to be the quarterback who changed things in Iowa City.
But just because the McNamara era flopped does not mean the same thing will happen with Gronowski, who, by the way, was much more productive at South Dakota State than McNamara ever was with the Michigan Wolverines.
Iowa legitimately has a talented signal-caller, one who could potentially take its offense to the next level in 2025. Gronowski only has one year of eligibility remaining, so it’s an all-or-nothing situation for the Hawkeyes, but it’s certainly exciting.
Plus, the running back duo of Kamari Moulton and Jaziun Patterson seems more than ready to replace departing superstar Kaleb Johnson, so the void left by Johnson won’t be as massive as it initially appeared.
Now, it should be noted that Iowa’s defense is a bit of a concern going into next season, as big-time players like Jay Higgins, Jermari Harris, Yahya Black and Sebastian Castro are all making the jump to the NFL. But the Hawkeyes are bringing in freshman star Iose Epenesa, and given the strong culture Ferentz has developed, Iowa will likely always have a strong defensive unit.
Of course, the problem is that the Hawkeyes play in a Big Ten conference that includes national powerhouses like Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State, but that shouldn’t stop Iowa from at least being a top-25 team.
The past couple of years have been maddening for Hawkeyes fans. There is no doubt about that. But when the dust of what was a very disappointing 2024 finally settles, you’ll see that there is ample reason to be pumped about the near future.
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