Iowa football depth chart takeaways: Mark Gronowski listed QB1

At long last, the bye week is finally over, and Iowa football returns this weekend.

The Hawkeyes will travel up to Madison on Saturday to take on Wisconsin for the Heartland Trophy. Iowa beat the Badgers 42-10 last year in Iowa City and will look to keep the Heartland Trophy where it belongs. But who will they have on the field in that game?

The newest depth chart revealed by the Hawkeyes on Monday answers a lot of those questions. From key players returning from injury to defensive question marks, here are the three biggest takeaways from Iowa's latest depth chart.

Mark Gronowski is present

Every Iowa fan held their breath when starting quarterback Mark Gronowski left the Indiana game with an injury and didn't return. There weren't any substantial updates last week on his health, but reports on Monday said that Gronowski is considered day-to-day. And he's on the latest depth chart, listed as the starting quarterback.

While this is a good sign for his availability on Saturday, it's not a given that he'll take the field in Madison. The Hawkeyes have put some players on the depth charts that are released Monday, and then had Kirk Ferentz rule out those players during his Tuesday press conference. It's a good sign for Gronowski's long-term availability, but Haweye fans should wait until Ferentz speaks before assuming Gronowski will play against Wisconsin.

Xavier Williams returns, Reece Vander Zee doesn't

The Iowa skill position groups got some good and bad news on Monday. The good news is that freshman running back Xavier Williams is back on the depth chart after missing the previous two games. He's listed as the backup to sophomore Kamari Moulton. Williams has 26 carries for 186 yards and a touchdown on the season and will be a huge part of the Iowa rushing attack this Saturday.

The bad news is that sophomore wide receiver Reece Vander Zee is still not on the depth chart. Vander Zee injured his foot just days before Iowa's season opener and has been out ever since. Most reports said he would be out a month, so many fans and analysts assumed that he would return after the bye for the Wisconsin game. That doesn't appear to be the case, as Vander Zee is absent from this latest depth chart. The Hawkeyes will have to wait another week to add their dynamic receiver back into the passing game.

Jaden Harrell absent

The Iowa defense is completely unchanged, except for the middle linebacker spot. Junior Jayden Montgomery is listed as the starter there, with senior Jaden Harrell absent from the depth chart. Harrell had started all five games this season, amassing 32 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and a sack. He left the Indiana game with an injury, but was able to return. It seems like he may not be fully recovered from that injury.

With Harrell out, the Hawkeyes will turn to Montgomery, who has three total tackles and a pass defense in reserve duty this season. Iowa will rely on incumbent starters Jaxon Rexroth and Karson Sharar to carry the load with Harrell out. That linebacking core will be super important against Wisconsin this weekend, and they'll have to do it without one of their senior starters.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football depth chart takeaways: Mark Gronowski listed QB1