FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU quarterback Josh Hoover doesn’t do much to wow you. It’s probably why he was a relative afterthought as a recruit.
His 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame is good. His arm is good. His high school numbers were good, but not elite. Indiana was the only other power conference school to give him serious attention, until TCU coach Sonny Dykes made Hoover his top priority right after he left SMU to take the job in Fort Worth.
“He was not particularly flashy,” Dykes told CBS Sports. “He was just a real solid football player who made great decisions, and just went out and executed at a high level.”
But despite entering a quarterback room stacked with blue-chips, Hoover has made himself one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Since wresting away the starting job as a redshirt freshman, Hoover has been one of the most productive passers in the sport.
The Rockwall, Texas, native threw for a Big 12-leading 3,949 yards and 27 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore while leading the Horned Frogs to nine wins. In a highly watched game against Bill Belichick debuting at North Carolina, Hoover diced up the greatest defensive mind in history to the tune of 284 yards and two touchdowns.
Over the offseason, it was enough that Hoover repeatedly got calls from other big-time programs vying for his services. He turned them all down. Hoover knows the opportunity he has at a surging TCU team, which has suddenly launched itself into Big 12 championship contention.
“I love TCU, I love Fort Worth,” Hoover told CBS Sports. “This is my family here. TCU is a top-caliber program in my eyes, so I don’t know why I would leave to go to another program when I’m already at one.”
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Addicted to improvement
By his own words, Hoover has been addicted to improvement since he first picked up a football. The son of a former Colorado State linebacker, he quickly learned what it took to compete at the highest level.
“Ever since I’ve been playing this game, I felt like I never left a practice where I felt satisfied,” Hoover said. “I always felt I could do something better. I think that’s part of playing quarterback, there’s kind of this perfectionist mentality that a lot of guys have.”
Hoover’s quiet ascent made him a star at Rockwall-Heath High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He threw for nearly 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter and was given the Landry Award as the top football player in DFW as a senior.
Dykes, then at SMU, saw the potential before anyone else. The Mustangs offered Hoover after his junior year when only a handful of schools were in the mix. At one point, Hoover was even crystal balled to SMU. However, the allure of playing at a power conference school was too great. At the time, the Mustangs were still in the American.
“We say it all the time, playing football is about being in the right place at the right time,” Dykes said. “It’s really that simple. Now some guys do it by just running past people, some people do it with technique. The flashy guys are the speed guys, but the other guys are sometimes just as effective. It just doesn’t look as easy. I think Josh is the same way.”
When Dykes went to TCU, he quickly scooped up Hoover, who fell in love with the atmosphere and flipped from Indiana. Normally, freshman enrollees struggle with the adjustment. Quickly, Dykes realized that Hoover was unfazed. He worked hard to understand a college playbook.
As a redshirt freshman, starting quarterback Chandler Morris went out with an injury. In came Hoover, who exploded for 439 yards and four touchdowns against BYU in his first career start. The next several weren’t as easy as the Frogs lost three straight games. Still, Hoover was relaxed. He knew the work would pay off.
“I think you just learn playing quarterback that there’s good times and bad times,” Hoover told CBS Sports. “I’ve experienced both. You can’t get too invested in the highs and the lows, you’ve got to stay in the middle and stay grounded and keep getting better.”
Star turn
Coming into the 2025 season, Hoover trailed only LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier for most returning passing yards. In a season-opening decimation of North Carolina, Hoover showed the nation what he could do.
Hoover evaded all six pressures and completed an adjusted 80% of his passes. He spread the ball to eight different receivers and defeated the Tar Heels with a thousand precise cuts. There was nothing special. Hoover just makes the right play again, and again … and again.
With the performance, Hoover has thrown for at least 250 yards and a touchdown in seven of his last eight games. His 310 yards per game, 76% completion rate and 9.9 yards per attempt all rank top 10 nationally. Still, Hoover remains addicted to improvement.
“I have things I’ve got to work on to get better,” Hoover said. “I’ve got to show up every Saturday and keep improving and be the best I can for our team. Going on my third year playing, there’s been ups and downs and I think learn through all that stuff you have to be the best you can for your team.”
Dykes has a long track record with pro quarterbacks, sending Jared Goff, Davis Webb and Max Duggan to the NFL Draft as a head coach. He saw even more pros up close during his time as an assistant at Texas Tech. Dykes knows what it takes to succeed at the next level.
There are physical freaks in the NFL at quarterback, to be certain. However, some of the best are processors who just make the right decisions. Dykes’ former protege, Goff, ranks No. 3 in passer rating. Brock Purdy and Baker Mayfield elevated themselves through decision making. The greatest of all time, Tom Brady, even made his legendary career through consistently being in the right place at the right time.
Maybe Hoover’s testing numbers won’t jump off the page. The film isn’t flashy. But Dykes is confident: Hoover will play on Sundays.
“He’s not 6-5 or anything, and he’s not what a lot of guys would consider to be dual-threat,” Dykes said. “In today’s world, those guys seem to get a lot of the attention. But there’s no doubt in my mind he can play at the next level. He can make all the throws, he should be the most prepared guy on the field and that’s a good combination.”
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