A two-time FCS national champion and Walter Payton Award winner at South Dakota State, Mark Gronowski capped his career with a season as Iowa's starter before signing with Miami.
Mark Gronowski is one of the most decorated quarterbacks to come out of the FCS ranks in recent memory, winning back-to-back national titles and the Walter Payton Award at South Dakota State before transferring to Iowa for a final college season. He signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Path to the league
Gronowski, a Naperville, Illinois native out of Neuqua Valley High School, spent four seasons as South Dakota State's starting quarterback, finishing 49-6 as a starter, a mark tied for the most wins by an FCS quarterback. He transferred to Iowa for the 2025 season and started all 13 games for the Hawkeyes. After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, he signed with the Miami Dolphins.
Career highlights
At South Dakota State, Gronowski won back-to-back FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023, earning championship game MVP honors both times, and won the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in FCS in 2023. Over his FCS career he threw for more than 10,300 yards and 93 touchdowns. He capped his college career with a strong showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he was named offensive MVP.
2025 season recap
In his lone season at Iowa in 2025, Gronowski started all 13 games and threw for 1,741 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Hawkeyes' primary quarterback. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with Miami as a free agent in May 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Mark Gronowski
- Hawk Central: Dolphins expected to sign Iowa QB Mark Gronowski
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Iowa
- Hometown
- Naperville, IL, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
Team
