After an emotional finish to the 2025 season, senior signal caller Mark Gronowski will have a few opportunities to showcase his abilities one final time.
Gronowski joined the Iowa program with extremely high expectations after the Hawkeyes had been plagued with inconsistent quarterback play for many years.
He was promoted as the savior of Iowa's offense and was in the spotlight from the moment he stepped on campus.
While the passing game left a lot to be desired, Gronowski had a lasting impact on the program with his leadership and by adding a new element to the offense.
Gronowski was an extremely effective runner, setting two Iowa program records for the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
He runs like a fullback in between the tackles, and he gave Iowa an element on offense that we have never seen.
After the season ended, Gronowski accepted an invitation to play in the newly created American Bowl and is now taking his talents to Texas for another senior showcase.
Invitation Accepted@HawkeyeFootball QB Mark Gronowski (@mgronowski11) has officially accepted his invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl! 👊#Hawkeyes | #ShrineBowlWHOSNEXT 😎 pic.twitter.com/B1BAfEcc3I
— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) January 5, 2026
Gronowski officially accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, one of the longest-running showcase events in college football.
Gronowski is the fourth Hawkeye to accept an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl, joining Max Llewellyn, Karson Sharar, and Kaden Wetjen.
The East-West Shrine Bowl has been played for over 100 years and brings together the most talented college football players to showcase their abilities in front of scouts and personnel from all 32 NFL teams.
Gronowski showcased what he is capable of on the biggest stage at the ReliaQuest Bowl, and he will get a few more chances to show what he can do in front of NFL scouts before potentially moving to the next level.