When a $2 million check comes calling from an SEC powerhouse like Tennessee, most QBs start packing. But that only made Josh Hoover double down on Fort Worth. The TCU QB, fresh off a 3,949-yard season under Kendal Briles, had every reason to leave. Nico Iamaleava’s surprise portal plunge had Tennessee scrambling for a plug-and-play starter. The Horned Frogs QB fit the bill with 27 TDs averaging 300+ yards per game. This Big 12 starter was target No. 1 for Josh Heupel and co. with their multi-million pitch. Turns out, staying back might’ve been the best career move he could’ve made.
Right now, Josh Hoover is a dark horse for the 2025 Heisman Trophy and not just in theory. When the hosts of the Cover 3 Podcast on June 17 discussed 2025 Heisman Trophy long shots, Chip Patterson didn’t hesitate to toss the TCU QB’s name into the mix. “I think Josh Hoover could put up crazy stats and put together one of those types of arguments,” he said. “When RG3 won the Heisman Trophy, I think that was 11 then it was followed by Manziel in 12, those were just overwhelmed by the offensive production at the quarterback position. It was just you. You were winning on stats.” Patterson’s argument is that it’s the individual performance that carries weight in Heisman conversations.
Back in 2012, Robert Griffin III won the Heisman playing for Baylor. It wasn’t a pedigree school, but pure jaw-dropping volume where he recorded 4,293 yards and 37 TDs that led the Bears to a 10-3 record. Similarly, Johnny Manziel followed the next season with raw chaos for Texas A&M with 4,600 total yards and 45 total TDs. “You can (win the Heisman) without being at one of the bluest of the blue bloods,” Patterson added. “You can put together the statistical argument. Josh Hoover of those quarterbacks down there in that range was one that definitely jumped out to me”
Even CBS Sports slotted Josh Hoover at No. 15 on their Heisman oddsboard at +25000. That’s a wild long shot but it also feels eerily similar. “I don’t think it’s a terrible call but I will point out Max Duggan put up those kind of numbers at TCU in 2022, a year that TCU actually reached the title game,” Tom Fornelli said. “Duggan still finished in second place but there’s a very large gap between him and Caleb Williams.“ But this time, if Hoover cuts down those 20 turnovers from the last two seasons and the Frogs flirt with the Big 12 crown, the numbers might just talk loud enough. And it all stems back to his loyalty for TCU.
Why did Josh Hoover reject the Tennessee offer?
“I love Fort Worth. I love TCU. This is the place I want to be,” Josh Hoover said Tuesday from inside TCU’s athletic facility, like a quarterback who knew exactly what he was walking away from. “I see TCU as a top program, and that’s why I came here. I came here to win a Big 12 championship, and I told my teammates I was going to be the quarterback here this year; the way I grew up your word means something. That’s all there is to it.”
TCU fans call it loyalty. HC Sonny Dykes couldn’t be prouder that he not only retained Josh Hoover, but also lost only three players to the offseason transfer portal. Because as of today where tampering is rampant and the portal spins like a slot machine, holding onto a legit QB1 is a miracle. “This is where I want to be. My family is close,” Hoover said. “I love the people here. I love my teammates. I love my coaches. I want to win the Big 12 championship.” This loyalty and a burning goal is better than the $2M pitch that Tennessee offered him.
As Josh Hoover put it, “I feel not expectations from the outside but internally. I want to get better.” And there’s no shaking that faith.
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