TCU Loses Josh Hoover to the Transfer Portal: Could the Hokies Be An Option?

The transfer from TCU is one of the most experienced signal-callers in the portal.

Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas; TCU quarterback Josh Hoover (10) comes off the field during the game vs. Cincinnati. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Following Kyron Drones exhausting his eligibility, Virginia Tech football is on the search for a new starting quarterback, a search that will likely take it to the transfer portal rather than relying on its internal signal-calling pool.

One of the options that could be available for Virginia Tech comes from TCU: Josh Hoover. The 2021 Landry Award recipient has one year of eligibility remaining after spending four years with the Horned Frogs. Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Hoover projects to possess the most passing yards (9,629) and passing touchdowns (71) of any expected returning signal-caller.

NEWS: TCU quarterback Josh Hoover intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN. He projects to have the most passing yards 9,629 and touchdown passes 71 of any quarterback in the sport expected to return in 2026. pic.twitter.com/ox4XvpyGuB

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 19, 2025

Some statistics:

Hoover, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound recruit, entered college as a member of the Class of 2022, rated an 87 on 247Sports' composite. He was rated as the No. 42 quarterback in the nation and the No. 102 player in Texas. initially committing to Indiana before flipping his commitment to TCU to join new Horn Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes. The then-true freshman scarcely saw the field in his opening campaign, only appearing in one game and completing a single pass.

In 2023, however, Hover was thrust into the spotlight, taking over for Chandler Morris, now Virginia's starting quarterback, midway through Week 6 when Morris went down. That day, Hoover went 11-for-19 for one touchdown and one interception.

However, in his first start the following week against BYU, Hoover completed 37 out of 58 passes in a blowout 44-11 win over the Cougars, rolling up 439 passing yards.

Though Hoover struggled the next week, tallying 187 yards and an interception vs. Kansas State in a 41-3 loss, the redshirt freshman threw for over 300 yards in all four of his remaining games, though the team lost all but one of those contests. Hoover threw for 353 yards against Texas Tech, 302 yards against then-No. 7 Texas in a narrow 29-26 loss, 412 yards against Baylor in a 42-17 victory, and 344 yards against then-No. 13 Oklahoma in a 69-45 shootout loss.

Hoover took a jump in 2024, finishing with the seventh-most passing yards in the FBS that season (3,949), breaking TCU's single-season passing yards record. Hoover threw for over 200 yards in every game, tallying six outings with 300 or more yards. The team captured six of its last seven games en route to a 9-4 finish, punctuated by a 34-3 rout in the New Mexico Bowl over Louisiana.

This year, Hoover threw for 3,472 passing yards, sixth-most in the FBS. His 29 passing touchdowns also ranked sixth, while his quarterback rating of 73.2 ranked No. 28 in the FBS and fifth in the Big 12, behind Utah's Devon Dampier (82.0), Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby (81.5), BYU freshman Bear Bachmeier (76.7) and Colorado's Kaidon Salter (73.3). Hoover threw for over 200 yards in every game but one, while notching five outings with 300 or more yards.

As a transfer this year, Hoover enters as a four-star, rated as the No. 12 overall player in the portal and the fourth-highest quarterback at the time of writing; in the latter, he sits only behind Sorsby (transferring from Cincinnati), DJ Lagway (Florida) and Dylan Raiola (Nebraska).

My thoughts:

Normally, I wouldn't be bullish on the outlook of a Hoover-to-Blacksburg move. However, due to the $229 million injection and James Franklin's introduction as the new head whistle, it feels like there's an easier avenue to securing top-level talent. That's already proven to be the case in the recruiting Class of 2026, which ranks at No. 24 on 247Sports at the time of writing.

Virginia Tech not only has more recognition, but also more straight-up money to wheel and deal with. Previously, entertaining multi-million dollar offers for prospects seemed to be a step too far for a program that always operated a tier below the sport’s true heavyweights. That gap has narrowed. With NIL infrastructure stabilizing and donors more willing to invest, the Hokies can now act with real leverage in the portal.

For a potential move to Blacksburg to make sense, Virginia Tech must represent a step up in ceiling, which I think that it can be if the athletic department invests its money in a smart manner. At TCU, he proved he can be a competent Power Four starter, but I think that the trajectory has flattened. Virginia Tech can sell upward mobility: a chance to elevate his profile, run an offense built around him and lead a program actively trying to climb.