Josh Hoover is Ready-Made to Dominate in Curt Cignetti's Indiana Offense
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
TCU coach Sonny Dykes did not mince words about his former quarterback’s turnover troubles after Josh Hoover transferred to Indiana.
“I mean, I think you that – look, numbers are numbers, and stats are stats. And I think you know, you look for us, and I think Josh (Hoover) started 31 games as a quarterback, and we turned the ball over 40 – he turned the ball over 42 times in those 31 starts,” Dykes said.
Hoover threw 33 interceptions across three seasons as the TCU starter, the third-most in the FBS over that stretch. But that is not where the story ends for Hoover.
Yes, the turnovers are a problem. And yes, it’s fair to assume Cignetti will not stand for such carelessness. But when you peel back the layers of Hoover’s game, the data paints the picture of a college quarterback who brings a ton to the table, arguably more than former IU transfer quarterbacks Kurtis Rourke or Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza when they first set foot in Bloomington.
Josh Hoover by the Numbers
During the 2025 season, Hoover threw for just shy of 3,500 yards and 29 touchdowns. The season before that, he threw for over 3,900 yards and 27 touchdowns. Compare that to Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns during his lone season as the starter at Cal, or Rourke, who threw for 3,257 yards and 25 touchdowns at the peak of his powers at Ohio.
Passing yards and touchdowns tell a portion of the story. So too does Hoover’s vastly inferior interception rate compared to the last two Hoosier quarterbacks. The advanced stats complete the story and give us insights into why Hoover is the most ready-made quarterback of the Curt Cignetti era in Bloomington.
According to Hudl IQ, Hoover notched a sky-high 51.4% pass success percentage last season at TCU. He also averaged 12.5 yards per completion and generated chunk plays (completions of 15 or more yards) on over 20% of his pass completions. These figures are strong indicators that Hoover’s gunslinger mentality paid off more often than not and led to lots of big plays for the Horned Frogs’ offense.
How do Hoover’s advanced stats compare to Rourke's in 2023 or Mendoza's in 2024?
In 2023, according to Hudl IQ, Rourke notched a 51.3% pass success percentage, averaged 11 yards per completion and had a 14.9% pass chunk percentage. During his lone season as the starter at Cal, Mendoza tallied a 50% pass success percentage, averaged 11.4 yards per completion and generated chunk plays on slightly over 18% of his pass completions.
You don’t need to be a college football advanced stats wiz to understand that 51.4% is greater than 51.3% and 50%, that 12.5 yards per completion is greater than 11 and 11.4 and that 20.4% is more than 14.9% and 18.3%.
No single stat encapsulates a college football quarterback’s value. But when a string of advanced metrics points in the same direction — pass success percentage, yards per completion and pass chunk percentage — that’s not a coincidence. That’s a statistical profile. And Hoover’s profile already looks better than the last two quarterbacks who walked into Bloomington and immediately won.
The numbers don’t guarantee anything. But they do tell us that Hoover arrives in Bloomington as the most statistically complete quarterback that Cignetti has ever coached – and that’s why he’s an early Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
Related: Curt Cignetti Q&A: Indiana Coach Opens Up on Challenge of Title Defense
Related: Big Ten Football Predictions for 2026
Related: 15 Teams That Won College Football's 2026 Offseason
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos