By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Mark Gronowski certainly helped his cause with his performance in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Tuesday in Frisco, Texas.

The former Iowa quarterback, which is sort of weird saying after he spent just one season with the Hawkeyes, performed at a high level and with NFL decision makers watching closely, completing 7-of-10 passes for 86 yards, while also rushing for 28 yards.

But what he probably will be remembered for mostly was his block against two defenders that helped to clear a path for a short touchdown run in the first quarter.

It’s easy to forget that the 6-foot-2 Gronowski weighs about 235 pounds and isn’t afraid of contact.

He showed toughness and durability throughout the 2025 season while setting a program single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 545 yards. He also set a single-season record for Iowa quarterbacks with 16 rushing touchdowns.

Gronowski was named the offensive MVP for his performance in the East-West Shrine Bowl, and deservedly so.

The same running skills that was such a major part of Iowa’s offense was also on display in Tuesday’s game, especially on the play in which Gronowski avoided being sacked in the pocket and then scrambled for a significant game. It was the kind of play that Iowa fans watched Gronowski pull off time and time again in his brief time as a Hawkeye.

But what stood out the most about Gronowski’s performance, besides his block, of course, was his accuracy as a passer. He was mostly on target whether throwing from the pocket or on the run.

That was not always the case this past season with Iowa, especially in the early stages of the season when Gronowski struggled with his accuracy, and with his decision making on some throws.

He also suffered a knee sprain early in the fourth quarter against Indiana and then watched from the sideline as Iowa fell to the eventual national champion, 20-15, on Sept. 27 at Kinnick Stadium.

Even with the knee sprain, Gronowski would go on to start all 13 games for Iowa, proving his toughness and durability, because in the first few games after the injury occurred, he was far from 100 percent.

He was lucky to have avoided throwing an interception in the end zone in the East-West Shrine Bowl, but sometimes luck works to your advantage. One thing is certain in that Gronowski was being aggressive on that play, maybe too aggressive, which isn’t often said about a past or present Iowa quarterback.

Gronowski played his best for Iowa down the stretch and that level of play seems to have carried to the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Gronowski leaves college with 58 career wins; 49 for South Dakota State and nine for Iowa. His record is 58-10 overall in college.

That is the most wins for any college quarterback at any level.

Iowa’s season could’ve easily unraveled after the emotional loss to Indiana, but instead, Gronowski and his cohorts responded by defeating Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota in the next three games.

Iowa also suffered close defeats at Iowa State (16-13) in week two; at home to Oregon (18-16) in week nine, and at USC (26-21) a week later.

The back-to-back losses to Oregon and USC were costly because they eliminated Iowa from the 12-team playoff hunt.

It would have been easy for the players to shut down and for the roster to splinter.

But they stayed unified and would close the season with three straight wins over Michigan State (20-17) at home, at Nebraska (40-16), and against Vanderbilt (34-27) in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Gronowski deserves credit for helping the team to stay unified.

He was only in the Iowa program for one year, but that didn’t stop Gronowski from excelling as a leader.

There is so much for NFL scouts to like about Gronowski as a quarterback before they even start evaluating him as a passer.

But if his performance in the East-West Shrine game is any indication, Gronowksi is certainly making progress as a passer.

Combine that development with his running ability, his toughness, his leadership skills and his history as a winner and Gronowski becomes an intriguing prospect.

Gronowski was among three former Iowa players who participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl, along star return specialist Kaden Wetjen and linebacker Karson Sharar.

Wetjen a former walk-on from Williamsburg, had a nifty punt return in the first quarter in which he eluded several defenders while cutting across the field before racing up the sideline for a significant gain.

Wetjen and Gronowski both received praise for their performances in the workouts leading up the East-West Shrine Bowl; Wetjen for his ability to create separation and Gronowski for his accuracy, field command and awareness.

Sharar also helped his cause just by earning an invitation to the event where they all three competed with and against some of the top college players from the 2025 season.

This was a chance to showcase their skills, and for Gronowski it was mission accomplished. He now just has to keep building on this success in his quest to be one of the few Iowa quarterbacks to make it in the NFL.

Former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard has stuck in the NFL for a decade as a backup, but he is certainly the exception to the rule.

And now Gronowski is showing signs that he might also be an exception.

Wetjen appears more than ready for the NFL as a return specialist, and if he can also make it as a receiver, he could stick in the league for a while, which would be an incredible story.

And don’t ever count out Karson Sharar as he showed this past season by becoming Iowa’s most productive and reliable linebacker.