“Efficient” is defined as being “productive of desired effects,” especially “capable of producing desired results with little or no waste.” A thesaurus says that Josh Hoover’s debut for the Indiana Hoosiers suffices.
Making his first start at quarterback for the defending-champion Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon against the North Texas Mean Green, Hoover threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, posted a 285.0 passer rating and completed 81.2% of his passes (13 for 16). According to FOX Sports Research, it’s the first time in the 21st century a quarterback threw for four-plus touchdowns in their first start for Indiana.
Hoover even played through blood gushing out of his face following a second-quarter sack.
“Our goal today was to come out, operate, just compete and play our game at a high level, not hurt ourselves and take advantage of the opportunities we got, and I thought we did that today,” Hoover told FOX Sports Reporter Jenny Taft after the 52-16 Indiana win.
“Obviously, there’s going to be things to clean up, like there is every week, but I thought it was a good start for our guys. And I’m happy for everybody.”
So, who is the fifth-year senior quarterback?
Hoover, who grew up in Heath, Texas, was a consensus three-star recruit in the Class of 2022. He ranked 42nd among quarterbacks in his class, per 247Sports.Â
Ironically, Hoover originally committed to play for Indiana in 2021 before ultimately going to TCU.
Hoover transferred to Indiana in January after four years with the TCU Horned Frogs (2022-25).
After sitting behind Max Duggan in TCU’s run to the national championship in 2022, Hoover became the Horned Frogs’ primary quarterback for three seasons in the wake of starter Chandler Morris suffering a knee injury in Oct. 2023. Last year (2025), Hoover totaled 3,472 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 153.4 passer rating, while completing 65.9% of his passes.
Over Hoover’s three seasons as TCU’s starting quarterback, he averaged 3,209.0 passing yards, 23.7 passing touchdowns, 11.0 interceptions and a 147.8 passer rating per year, while completing 65.1% of his passes. The Horned Frogs went a combined 19-12 in the games Hoover started.
In each of Curt Cignetti’s three seasons as Indiana’s head coach (2024-26), the Hoosiers found their starting quarterback in the transfer portal, a pattern that Hoover’s arrival continues.
In 2024, Indiana had Ohio Bobcats transfer Kurtis Rourke under center for a season that saw the Hoosiers go 11-2 and reach the College Football Playoff. Rourke led the Big Ten with a 176.0 passer rating and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Then, Indiana turned to former California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went on to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy, lead the Hoosiers to their first-ever national championship and become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
