Iowa football QB receives underwhelming spot in CBS' Big Ten rankings

It's been a long decade for Iowa fans hoping to watch decent quarterback play.

From Spencer Petras to Alex Padilla to Cade McNamara, it's been a plethora of swings and misses for the Hawkeyes at the position over the past five years. And now Mark Gronowski enters the fold, a transfer from South Dakota State that has everyone excited.

While it's certainly fair to question how his play will translate from the FCS to the FBS level, most Iowa fans believe that Gronowski might be the answer at the quarterback position that they've been looking for.

CBS Sports, on the other hand, isn't so high on Gronowski entering 2025.

David Cobb of CBS Sports put together his ranking of every Big Ten quarterback heading into the 2025 college football season. Cobb's placement of Gronowski on the list is a lot lower than many Hawkeye fans would want or expect.

Where is Mark Gronowski on CBS' Big Ten quarterbacks ranking?

Cobb ultimately placed Gronowski at 12th in his ranking, meaning he thinks Gronowski will be in the bottom third of all quarterbacks in the conference this season.

Gronowski led South Dakota State to consecutive FCS national titles while proving himself to be a dual-threat talent during a four-year stint as the starter. He's a highly decorated and grizzled veteran with a 49-6 career record, and he will be an automatic upgrade over what the Hawkeyes have trotted out at quarterback over the past several years. Limitations with the supporting cast and system will cap his production, but Gronowski will be a breath of fresh air for the program. -Cobb, CBS Sports

Gronowski is ranked just ahead of Billy Edwards Jr. of Wisconsin and just behind Aidan Chiles of Michigan State. Drew Allar of Penn State is at the top of the list, while Drake Lindsey of Minnesota brings up the rear.

While Iowa fans may not agree with this ranking from Cobb, he does make a solid point about the supporting cast around Gronowski. If the Hawkeyes want to achieve their goals this season, they'll need some skill position players to step up and elevate their production. Whether that's Reece Vander Zee, Addison Ostrenga, Kamari Moulton, or someone under the radar, it'll be critical for Iowa to have its supporting cast do everything they can to help Gronowski.

Gronowski will get a chance to outperform his ranking when the 2025 season kicks off on Aug. 30 against Albany. Until then, questions will remain about his ability to excel at the FBS level.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football QB receives underwhelming spot in CBS' Big Ten rankings