Faith and football: What’s motivating TCU quarterback Josh Hoover through a tough season
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is a self-proclaimed glass half-full type of person.
Despite his individual struggles and the Horned Frogs’ three-game losing skid, the redshirt freshman quarterback remains upbeat and optimistic.
“I see everything as an opportunity,” Hoover said. “I know a lot of people see us losing a few games as failure, I don’t see it that way. I see it as an opportunity to grow, to continue to fight and scrap with our backs against the wall.
“That’s when you find out what people are really about, when their backs are against the wall.”
So what is Hoover really about?
Even after some of his lowest moments as an athlete, Hoover has continued to find the positives in those situations especially when it comes to his teammates. Take the Texas game for example, when Savion Williams broke out a career day with 11 receptions, 164 yards and a touchdown as TCU almost upset the No. 7 Longhorns 29-26 last Saturday.
Hoover made sure to let the media and the fanbase know how much Williams meant to him as a person more than a player.
“He’s a great person, that’s the first thing about Savion,” Hoover said. “He’s a team guy... Savion’s an unbelievable teammate, unbelievable player and a great dad. I’m thankful for that guy and what he means to me, he’s unbelievable.”
Teammates talk up their teammates all the time, but there’s something different about the way Hoover approaches it. It feels like he’s speaking directly from the heart and those words of appreciation make it back to the locker room and only deepen his bond with the rest of the roster.
“It means a lot, you expect that kind of thing from a kid like Josh,” receiver JP Richardson said. “I could go on and on about him as well. The amount of time he spends up here throughout the week watching the film, he texts the receivers pretty much every day. The kid just works his tail off and I think he’s getting better and better each week.”
Richardson added there are plenty of times when Hoover arrives at the facility at 7:30 a.m. and doesn’t leave until late in the evening.
That type of work ethic and dedication doesn’t go unnoticed, but Hoover also sees that same effort in his teammates which is one reason he makes sure to go out of his way to let them know how much he values them.
“I just appreciate guys that do the right thing and want to help us win,” Hoover said. “We do so much in the off-season that nobody really sees. Everyone just sees the fall and the results, but nobody sees us coming here five days a week at 5 a.m. and all the time we spend working hard and busting our tails.
“And so when you see guys that really just give everything to the program, you want to acknowledge them and let people know how much they mean to you.”
Leadership has different forms and styles. Some players let their actions do the talking for them like Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson.
Others can be more vocal like a Max Duggan or Steve Avila. Hoover is still trying to mold his leadership style on the fly in the hardest part of TCU’s schedule.
There have been some setbacks and mistakes, which happens for all young quarterbacks, but the leadership traits Hoover has already shown have impressed Sonny Dykes and those around the program.
“He’s kind of what you want your kid to be,” Dykes said. “He works really hard, all he wants is an opportunity. He doesn’t want anything given to him. He’s got a unique ability to inspire.”
When Hoover learned of what Dykes said, he said it was special coming from his head coach. His ability to lift those up around him is something Hoover believes is the most important trait of a quarterback.
More than just talent
Arm talent, mobility, accuracy are all crucial too, but the ability to lead, especially in adversity is what separates many quarterbacks.
“I feel like as a quarterback, your job is to make guys around you better,” Hoover said. “It’s going to be big to try and motivate and inspire guys around you to play the best they can because as a quarterback you’re only going to be as good as the guys around you.”
For that reason Hoover said football is the greatest team sport because of the chemistry and synergy it takes with 11 people on the field at once to make a play work.
It’s also why Hoover never shies away from pointing the criticism at himself.
“I have an analogy, people say quarterbacks are the MVPs, but it doesn’t stand for most valuable player,” Hoover said. “It stands for most visible player to me. When you win sometimes you get too much credit, when you lose sometimes you get all the blame.
“You have to take that responsibility of when you win to give credit to other guys and when you lose, take the fall. As a quarterback you have to set your ego and pride aside and take some of that heat.”
Dykes said after Hoover threw a costly interception late in the first against Texas that led to a touchdown, Hoover stood in front of the locker room and acknowledged his mistake in front of the team.
“A lot of kids in today’s world have a hard time saying I made a mistake,” Dykes said. “A lot of adults have a hard time saying it, but he doesn’t. He’s unique in that way and kind of different, he has a pro mentality. He understands the value and importance of relationships and the importance of bringing people with him.”
Faith and football
At the root of Hoover’s mentality and overall approach is his faith. A devout Christian, Hoover recalls spending almost every Sunday of his childhood at church with his parents.
In many ways he brings the principles of the religion to the gridiron. There’s a need to acknowledge and repent for his ‘football sins’ like he did in the second half against the Longhorns leading touchdown drive after touchdown drive.
One of the core principles of Christianity is bringing more people to Christ and on the football field for Hoover that means bringing more of his teammates around him to team and individual success.
“(My faith) is everything. You really find out about it when things go wrong,” Hoover said. “It’s easy when something goes right to say ‘Oh, I’m so great, we won this game, it’s all me.’ Then when something goes wrong as humans we don’t want to take any of the blame. It’s somebody’s else’s fault.
“As a Christian it gives me confidence that no matter what happens on Saturdays I’m still loved, I’m still cared for and my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life forever because of the decision I made to follow Christ.”
There’s an internal peace within Hoover that can’t be shaken by what happens on the field. It’s how he’s able to keep that next play mentality even after he or another teammate makes a mistake.
“My identity is not based on how I play on Saturday,” Hoover said. “It’s hard because you want to be so good at football, you want to be good at things you love, but at the end of the day that’s not what’s most important to me.
“What’s most important is to use this platform to impact people around me and just affect my teammates in a positive way.”
While Saturday’s game against Baylor won’t define him, make no mistake Hoover desperately wants to win this game not only for himself, but for those around him that put in the same blood, sweat and tears all year.
This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 2:24 PM.
