Quarterback Josh Hoover is coming back to TCU, and Pete Thamel thinks the redshirt sophomore is a “perfect fit” for the growing program.
The ESPN college football senior writer revealed in an X post on Friday that Hoover didn’t hesitate to shut down a transfer proposal from a top program. According to Thamel, Hoover rejected Tennessee in just 30 seconds.
TCU QB Josh Hoover raises a horse, goats and steer. He’s the perfect fit at TCU, where he set the program’s single-season passing mark in 2024 and is poised for a national breakout. When Tennessee checked in, Hoover said ‘No’ within 30 seconds. https://t.co/pNzYT6xqEk pic.twitter.com/teWhiCpvkK
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 11, 2025
Thamel reports that Hoover was golfing this spring when he got a call from his agent, informing him that the Vols wanted to speak to him about being a replacement for Nico Iamaleava. However, Hoover wasn’t interested in hearing what Tennessee had to offer.
“He didn’t even say a number,” Hoover said. “I just said, ‘No, that’s not what I want to do.’ It was pretty simple.”
Hoover’s father Alex shared what his son said to him about the possibility of transferring.
“What kind of captain would I be?,” Hoover asked. “What kind of player would I be if I left? I gave my teammates my word that I’d be back.”
TCU coach Sonny Dykes didn’t speak to Hoover about transferring to Tennessee. He wasn’t concerned about his star quarterback leaving the Horned Frogs.
“He’s a really unique guy, and he loves TCU,” Dykes said. “It’s like he tells me all the time how appreciative he is to be there, and he’s kind of an old soul from that standpoint. And his parents are just unique people and so they’re big-picture people.”
Hoover isn’t going anywhere. His loyalty to his TCU team is on display with him refusing to even talk to a top program like Tennessee about transferring.
Josh Hoover’s standout redshirt sophomore season at TCU
After taking over the starting quarterback role at TCU halfway through the 2023 season, Josh Hoover proved he deserved to continue leading the Horned Frogs in his dominant 2024 campaign.
In his redshirt season, Hoover set a franchise record for single-season passing yards with 3,949. This value was fourth in the nation, as were his 313 pass completions.
Hoover threw for 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as he guided the Horned Frogs to a 9-4 record. He developed significantly this past season and has two years of eligibility remaining to lead TCU to greatness.
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