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2022 QB Josh Hoover Flips to TCU


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1 hour ago, Leathernecks said:

Great article by TDH. With the talent and numbers we have in our qb room, I like taking someone under the radar that shouldn't have expectations of playing early. A smart, competitive, big arm qb with a quick release is never a bad thing. As long as he has escapability to avoid sacks and create throwing lanes, I'm all for it.  If we find a diamond in the rough,  even better.

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He’s an exciting prospect for sure.  The way Sheridan found him on Twitter is an interesting back story.

Looking at his clips, you saw an arm, accuracy, and touch.  On some down the field throws he was dropping some in there nicely (touch).  His offense looked like it loved slants, throws up the seam, or some downfield.  He had good savvy and I love the arm angle thing from Mike’s (TDH) article.    

One barometer to me for legit arm strength is being on one hash and throwing an out pattern to the opposite sideline.  You’ve got to have legit arm strength to pull that off effectively.  The highlights Mike posted seemed to show a couple of throws like that.  

Interesting that some coaches blew him off because he doesn’t have prototypical size.  But 6’1 isn’t bad and some coaches never learn.  It’s not just Brees.  There is Kyler Murray, Mayfield, Tua, et al.  But some coaches can’t get past their desire for a 6’4 or 6’5, 225-230 lb guy.  We can take advantage of that.  

Edited by BobSaccamanno
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1 hour ago, BobSaccamanno said:

He’s an exciting prospect for sure.  The way Sheridan found him on Twitter is an interesting back story.

Looking at his clips, you saw an arm, accuracy, and touch.  On some down the field throws he was dropping some in there nicely (touch).  His offense looked like it loved slants, throws up the seam, or some downfield.  He had good savvy and I love the arm angle thing from Mike’s (TDH) article.    

One barometer to me for legit arm strength is being on one hash and throwing an out pattern to the opposite sideline.  You’ve got to have legit arm strength to pull that off effectively.  The highlights Mike posted seemed to show a couple of throws like that.  

Interesting that some coaches blew him off because he doesn’t have prototypical size.  But 6’1 isn’t bad and some coaches never learn.  It’s not just Brees.  There is Kyler Murray, Mayfield, Tua, et al.  But some coaches can’t get past their desire for a 6’4 or 6’5, 225-230 lb guy.  We can take advantage of that.  

Completely agree with the ending. Why Hackenberg was drafted so high... he flat out sucked but.. 6'4 230 so omg he must be good. Hackenberg couldn't hold Peyton Ramseys jock.  This kid has a big time arm. 

Keep em coming CTA

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  • KDB changed the title to 2022 QB Josh Hoover Commits to Indiana
3 hours ago, Hoosierinbham said:

Great article by TDH. With the talent and numbers we have in our qb room, I like taking someone under the radar that shouldn't have expectations of playing early. A smart, competitive, big arm qb with a quick release is never a bad thing. As long as he has escapability to avoid sacks and create throwing lanes, I'm all for it.  If we find a diamond in the rough,  even better.

This article says he's only been sacked 6 times in over 600 drop backs. That's in the largest division of football in Texas.

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23 minutes ago, Leathernecks said:

This article says he's only been sacked 6 times in over 600 drop backs. That's in the largest division of football in Texas.

Great find. The quick release and film prep obviously helps, but he has to be able to move around the pocket fairly well.  After watching video, his mobility seems pretty solid.

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Having lived in the DFW Metroplex for 20+ years now, I consider this commitment to be more significant than it might first appear.  I want to hit on the topic of recruiting in the SW and then focus on the level of competition Hoover faced.

1)  Cracking the nut that is the Southwest Region

I've been thrilled with IU's ability to recruit competitively in Florida, that's no small feat.  I don't want to suggest that the number of schools and level of competition we are battling for Florida kids is anything less than extremely high, but I actually think Texas might be on an even (slightly) higher plateau in terms of an uphill battle.  This is a result of both the number of top tier regional options as well as the perspective on playing anywhere outside of the SEC or BIG 12.

I think it's fair to say the out of region competition for Florida and Texas prospects is probably equivalent.  The difference comes into play for closer-to-home options.  The Florida list is impressive but I think the Texas list is higher.  It's not necessarily only about the relative status of the programs, it's also about the sheer number of programs, and willingness of recruits to leave the region.

Florida (11):  Florida, Florida St, Miami, South Florida, UCF, Georgia, Ga Tech, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and South Carolina

Texas (15):  Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, Houston, SMU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Tulsa, Arkansas, LSU, Louisiana- Lafayette, La Tech, Ole Miss, Miss St

Josh Hoover is the type of QB recruit that every school in my Texas list targets (excluding Texas, OU, and LSU).  I think it's a slighter bigger deal to beat out Arkansas, Houston, Tulsa, SMU, and La Tech for Hoover than it might appear for people living outside of the region.  Especially considering IU's profile in the SW has been virtually non-existent.

I unfortunately lived in Orlando for 2 years in addition to many years in Texas (San Antonio and Dallas) so I've had a chance to gain perspective on how a school like IU or the BIG 10 for that matter is perceived in these football hotbeds.  As a BIG 10 guy all the way, it's hard to accept/imagine that schools like Tulsa or La Tech are viewed on roughly the same level as middle and third tier BIG 10 programs within the region.  Unfortunately my disbelief doesn't make it any less true.  Let me rephrase what I said a moment ago, if we consider Tulsa a "Mid Major" the perspective around here until recently is that a school like Indiana or Minnesota is a "Mid Major".  Very few higher end 3-star and up recruits have historically given BIG 10 schools (outside of OSU, UM, PSU, and occasionally Wisconsin or Iowa) even a second thought.  The Florida kids seem to be a bit more open to out of region options although that didn't really include IU until recent years.

Opening up a "second front" in Texas might expand our pool of opportunity just enough to get over the hump and remain nationally relevant on a yearly basis.  ANY inroads we make in Texas are significantly important.

2) Josh Hoover's level of competition

Hoover put up those 3536 yards and 36 TDs in his Junior year against extremely stout competition.  He also started as a Sophomore passing for 2926 yards and 32 TDs. 

Rockwall-Heath plays in a 6A conference facing the likes of Southlake-Carroll (nationally ranked #15 in 2020), Cedar Hill (nationally ranked #26 in 2020), Rockwall-YJ (fringy top 100 nationally) and inner-city Skyline is no picnic either.  Against historical state and national powerhouse Southlake Carroll, Hoover passed for 405 yards and 4 TDs with a 126.5 QB rating.  His team would eventually lose in overtime 27-24 to state champion runner-up Cedar Hill and 247sports #47 recruit Kaidon Salter (QB) in the regional finals. This is big-time Texas football at the highest level.  Rockwall-Heath finished 2020 as the 17th ranked school in Texas with an 11-3 record.

After finishing last season as the 17th ranked 6a team in Texas, in 2021 Rockwall-Heath returns Hoover, 3 of his top 4 receiving targets, and a 1200 yard rusher.  I have a hard time gauging high school defenses when the average score is 43-30.  While the competition is immense, they are at least in the hunt for the state title.  A deep playoff run will likely increase Hoover's notoriety and national exposure.

I should mention the only time I've seen Rockwall play was in 2020 against #30 nationally ranked Highland Park... and it was Rockwall-YJ not Rockwall-Heath (i.e. I haven't seen Hoover play)!   I don't think this detracts from my perspective though, since my aim is to paint a picture of his competition.  Of the schools Rockwall-Heath is battling for a state title, 15 were ranked nationally inside the top 60 high school football teams in America last year.  When I watched video of Hoover I saw pocket presence, accuracy, and a strong arm... leaving me wondering if this guy is only the 36th ranked QB what are they feeding these kids.  

On a side note aimed at placing Rockwall-Heath in the overall hierarchy of Texas athletics, they won the 2021 Texas 6a State Championship in Baseball and finished as the 23rd ranked team in the nation.  Hoover was their top pitcher going 11-0 with an ERA under 1.00.  His fastball is in the 87-90 MPH range.  BTW, his younger brother is emerging as a pretty good athlete too.

Here's Josh Hoover's home field in Rockwall (10,000 capacity).

319.jpg

 

3) What is Hoover lacking compared to the QB's ranked ahead of him?

As a few others have mentioned, about 2 inches (I know what you're thinking... don't say it!).  However, don't mistake "short" with slight of build (see photo below).

If there is concern about his running ability, it's probably legitimate.  In his 24 starts he's rushed a grand total of 13 times for 58 yards.  When you look at how bulky he is it makes sense, but it might also make you think he'd be effective in short-yardage goal line situations.  You'd be right as 5 of those 13 carries were goal line plunges for TDs.

I'm not expecting Josh Hoover to come in and overtake the QBs currently in front of him but I don't think of him as some guy on the end of the bench holding a clip board either.  He could develop into a guy we'll be glad we have if our starter gets injured and possibly even emerge as our starting QB his last two years of eligibility.  Let's not sell him short.

Hoover is on right.

image.png.3c1bebae5f1c17be7e5b297cb529102e.png

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@olsontex Ole Miss has 6 players from TX and 8 from FL. The absolute majority of their players come from MS and 2nd most is TN. 

MSST has 3 players from TX and 2 from FL. 

GA, TN, and AL are all 3 more important states for the MS schools to recruit than FL or TX are. 

A LOT of really good football in MS, TN, AL, and GA. 

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9 minutes ago, btownqb said:

@olsontex Ole Miss has 6 players from TX and 8 from FL. The absolute majority of their players come from MS and 2nd most is TN. 

MSST has 3 players from TX and 2 from FL. 

GA, TN, and AL are all 3 more important states for the MS schools to recruit than FL or TX are. 

A LOT of really good football in MS, TN, AL, and GA. 

No doubt there is there is an abundance of talent all throughout the South, and I couldn't agree more that MS, TN, AL, and especially GA aren't far behind in terms of producing that talent.  I know I over-simplified the regional areas of recruiting emphasis by using state lines and in hindsight it's detracting from my actual point that just because Hoover didn't receive an offer from UT, OU, or A&M doesn't mean he wasn't highly sought after in this region.  It was a good win for IU.  I think Texas should be at least on equal footing with Florida in terms of priority for IU recruiting.

Someone commented earlier about the over-ranking of receivers compared to linemen (which I completely agree with and was the reason I pointed out Demon Moore as one of our most important targets).  I wonder if there's a similar dichotomy surrounding the state distribution of players in the rankings.  I don't think this is happening inside the top 100 but in the interest of keeping fans outside of the traditional hotbeds interested in their publications I think it might come into play for the remainder of rankings.  In my high school senior year, pretty much our entire starting lineup should have been selected to the season end all tournament team.  There were only a handful of players on other teams that would have even had a shot at breaking into our lineup.  However, that's not how things work because no one wants to face backlash.  Therefor we live in a world where creating the perception of "equitable" is often a goal that creates artificial bias.  What I'm getting at is I wonder how many kids in the South or California are being under ranked simply to squeeze in a bit a national balance.  Before anyone questions if I'm saying there isn't any talent outside of the South, of course I'm not saying that.  However, I am saying if these rankings were assembled by some omniscient entity instead of by a business aimed at generating revenue, I wonder if a player like IU target Cam Robertson (staring at another DFW powerhouse - Plano) would be ranked 783 instead of 1121.  If we land Robertson I wonder if we as a community would be more excited about him if he were ranked 783 instead of 1121, even though it changes absolutely nothing.  Playing against better competition generally leads to a better skillset.

All that said, believe it or not I was actually trying to move past this part of the discussion and share a bit more detail about Josh Hoover. 

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9 minutes ago, olsontex said:

No doubt there is there is an abundance of talent all throughout the South, and I couldn't agree more that MS, TN, AL, and especially GA aren't far behind in terms of producing that talent.  I know I over-simplified the regional areas of recruiting emphasis by using state lines and in hindsight it's detracting from my actual point that just because Hoover didn't receive an offer from UT, OU, or A&M doesn't mean he wasn't highly sought after in this region.  It was a good win for IU.  I think Texas should be at least on equal footing with Florida in terms of priority for IU recruiting.

Someone commented earlier about the over-ranking of receivers compared to linemen (which I completely agree with and was the reason I pointed out Demon Moore as one of our most important targets).  I wonder if there's a similar dichotomy surrounding the state distribution of players in the rankings.  I don't think this is happening inside the top 100 but in the interest of keeping fans outside of the traditional hotbeds interested in their publications I think it might come into play for the remainder of rankings.  In my high school senior year, pretty much our entire starting lineup should have been selected to the season end all tournament team.  There were only a handful of players on other teams that would have even had a shot at breaking into our lineup.  However, that's not how things work because no one wants to face backlash.  Therefor we live in a world where creating the perception of "equitable" is often a goal that creates artificial bias.  What I'm getting at is I wonder how many kids in the South or California are being under ranked simply to squeeze in a bit a national balance.  Before anyone questions if I'm saying there isn't any talent outside of the South, of course I'm not saying that.  However, I am saying if these rankings were assembled by some omniscient entity instead of by a business aimed at generating revenue, I wonder if a player like IU target Cam Robertson (staring at another DFW powerhouse - Plano) would be ranked 783 instead of 1121.  If we land Robertson I wonder if we as a community would be more excited about him if he were ranked 783 instead of 1121, even though it changes absolutely nothing.  Playing against better competition generally leads to a better skillset.

All that said, believe it or not I was actually trying to move past this part of the discussion and share a bit more detail about Josh Hoover. 

Brother.. you have given every bit of information available it seems, and it's impressive lol 

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  • 2 months later...
6 hours ago, btownqb said:

He threw that 52 yards on a dot. Look how early he gets rid of it, as well... lets his dude beat the corner in a foot race. 

If this kid doesn’t move up in the rankings, I’ll be surprised. He has all the tools and instincts to play at this level. I feel like being listed at 6’1 is why he’s not higher but if he can excel in top class Texas football, that’s obviously not an issue for him 

Edited by Hoosier82
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6 minutes ago, Hoosier82 said:

If this kid doesn’t move up in the rankings, I’ll be surprised. He has all the tools and instincts to play at this level. 

And he's playing in the largest division in Texas, so he's playing against great competition every week.

I really like that we have a lot of guys playing good competition. Payne's high school has one of the toughest schedules in the country. Our recruits from Texas and Florida play great competition all the time. Some of the Indiana guys play against some great teams.

I know somebody committed to the U of I, and his high school schedule is an absolute joke. So much easier to avoid busts when you've already seen them play against the competition they'll see in college.

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