Chattanooga transfer WR Sam Phillips commits to Iowa

Iowa has picked up a commitment from former Chattanooga wide receiver Sam Phillips out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed the signing on Thursday.

Phillips is joining the Hawkeyes after leading Chattanooga with 823 receiving yards in 2024. He put up the impressive numbers, despite missing two games.

Phillips also finished second on the team with 50 receptions for the Mocs. He was named a Phil Steele FCS Freshman All-American in 2022 after setting a school freshman record with 44 receptions for 661 yards.

Phillips started all 11 games as a freshman that year, finishing with 100-plus yards in two contests. In 2023, he started 13 games, finishing with 60 catches for 624 yards and four touchdowns. He then entered the transfer portal and is now heading to Iowa.

As for the Hawkeyes, they are coming off of an 8-5 season in 2024. The Iowa offense greatly improved this past year. It will be interesting to see if Phillips can help take it to another level in 2025.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski expected to transfer to Iowa

In addition to landing Sam Phillips, Iowa also recently picked up a quarterback out of the transfer portal. South Dakota State star quarterback Mark Gronowski is headed to Iowa out of the NCAA transfer portal.

Gronowski has spent the past four seasons at South Dakota State, where he was one of the most prolific passers in the country. The 6-foot-3 quarterback amassed 10,330 yards passing and 93 touchdowns, against just 20 total interceptions. He also ran for 1,767 yards and 37 touchdowns.

In addition to the prolific numbers, Gronowski is a two-time FCS national champion and a two-time FCS Championship Game MVP. He was also named the 2023 Walter Payton Award winner, while receiving a slew of other recognitions.

Suffice it to say Gronowski should add some instant pop to an Iowa offense that could use it. Iowa ranked 117th in total offense last fall, averaging 328.8 yards per contest. The passing offense was even worse, checking in at No. 130 nationally, averaging 131.6 yards per game.

Simply put, that wasn’t going to cut it. Enter Mark Gronowski, a dual-threat quarterback who should spark the offense right away.

Gronowski is coming off a season in which he threw for 2,721 yards with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 380 yards and 10 touchdowns, the second time in his career he had recorded double-digit touchdowns in a season. Not only has he accomplished that as a runner, Gronowski has thrown for more than 20 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.