TCU quarterback Josh Hoover opens up about Kendal Briles and Alamo Bowl
The first practice of bowl season for TCU football was a different experience for quarterback Josh Hoover.
For the first time since his true freshman season in 2022, Hoover wasn’t getting coached up by Kendal Briles. Briles left Fort Worth to take the offensive coordinator job at South Carolina, a move that was formally announced by the Gamecocks on Thursday.
“It was different, it’s gonna be,” Hoover said. “We were used to his energy and who he is as a person, just having that consistency. When you don’t have that, it’s going to take a little time to get through that. We’ve got a great coaching staff here. Coach [Sonny] Dykes has done a good job.
“[Assistant tight ends coach] Jacob Oehrlein is coaching us right now. He’s doing an awesome job. I’ve been knowing him since my freshman year. He was here with [former offensive coordinator] Garrett Riley. We’ve got the right people in place to make it work.”
Hoover also opened up about his personal relationship with Briles as the Horned Frogs gear up to face No. 16 USC in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30 in San Antonio.
“It doesn’t matter what happens, nothing will change about how I feel about Coach Briles,” Hoover said. “It won’t change how I feel about him as a person. I’m not even talking about football. He’s a tremendous coach and an even better person that has a lot to do with who I am today. He’s been with me since I was 18, 19 years old, so I got to grow and mature and learn from him. I’m so thankful I had a chance to play for him.”
Briles made the move to Columbia after three seasons in Fort Worth, including helping Hoover set the TCU single-season passing record in 2024.
Hoover also threw a career-high 29 touchdowns this season, including four in Briles’ final game as offensive coordinator against Cincinnati. Hoover said Briles has what it takes to turn South Carolina’s offense around.
“I wish him the best of luck. I know he’s going to have success out there,” Hoover said. “He’s got a bright future as an offensive coordinator and I think as a head coach. I’m looking forward to watching him.”
While Hoover will miss Briles, he’s also looking forward to facing USC. The matchup with the Trojans will be a much bigger game for the program than last year’s blowout win over Louisiana in the New Mexico Bowl.
“It’s huge to put TCU’s brand against USC in that matchup,” Hoover said. “It’s a really big deal. I’m excited for the opportunity and excited for what it might bring to TCU.”
The history around the matchup and setting also adds importance to the game from Hoover’s perspective. TCU’s win over USC in the 1998 Sun Bowl is viewed by many as the launching point for the ascension of the Horned Frogs’ football program on a national scale.
Beyond that, the Horned Frogs have won their last two trips to the Alamo Bowl, including in 2016 when quarterback Bram Kohlhausen led TCU back from a 31-0 halftime deficit in its 47-41 win over Oregon. It’s a game that Hoover remembers from his childhood.
“We talked about the ‘98 game this morning in a meeting and the significance of it. Obviously most of us weren’t born, except for maybe Chase Curtis,” Hoover said jokingly about his tight end. “We’re educated on that game. I was also a little kid watching the Alamo Bowl when Bram came in and did his thing with the big comeback. It’s cool in that sense to bring some history back into and to go play the game.”
