TCU Horned Frogs are No. 1 on Phil Steele’s Big 12 strength of schedule rankings. That’s bad news for them. It does nothing but set the tone for what TCU QB1 Josh Hoover and the Horned Frogs are walking into this fall. Sure, the schedule is littered with playoff hopefuls and non-conference landmines, but that’s not the kind of No. 1 you celebrate. If we were to tell you about one of their fearsome opponents, just look up the word “polarizing.” Chances are, you’ll see a team photo of the Colorado Buffaloes.

They are given the 11th hardest schedule in the nation in the country. The Buffs may be polarizing, but DNVR Buffs crew isn’t shy about tipping their hat to Josh Hoover. “As of right now, Josh Hoover is my pick for first team All-Big 12 at quarterback,” Jake said. “And I think part of the reason is that he’s going to have some real tough tests. Yeah. And if he comes out on top of those, he is going to be looked at as one of those guys.” They added that beyond Colorado, TCU’s non-conference slate stacks up impressively against anyone else in the league. North Carolina. SMU. Arizona State. There’s no easing in this year—just a dive straight into the deep end.

It begins Week One with Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels. Then comes a tricky Week Four SMU matchup. In Week Five, the Frogs take on an Arizona State team desperate to prove its rebuild is on track. All of that happens before Deion Sanders and the Buffs roll into Fort Worth in Week Six. And none of this even includes the Big 12 grind that follows. It’s the kind of schedule that forces quarterbacks to either grow up fast or get left behind.

That’s what makes Hoover’s presence so critical. He’s not just a piece of the offense—he is the offense. After nearly joining an SEC team in the transfer portal, Josh Hoover stayed. That decision alone might be Sonny Dykes’ biggest recruiting win since arriving in Fort Worth. Hoover threw for 3,949 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2024, averaging over 300 yards a game. Those numbers don’t happen by accident.

This year, there’s no guesswork. No wondering if Hoover’s ready. He’s ready. And that confidence bleeds into the rest of the team. Josh Hoover told reporters, “I feel no expectations from the outside but internally. I want to get better. That’s a big expectation for me—to get better. I think it’s going to be a great year.” He also praised the depth of the wide receiver room, saying TCU has “10 players that can make an impact.” That’s not something every Big 12 QB can say with a straight face.

If TCU can weather the schedule storm, Hoover’s name could be written in ink when it comes to postseason accolades. The matchups are brutal, but the platform is perfect.

Josh Hoover could’ve pulled an “Iamaleava”

Josh Hoover didn’t blink. When Tennessee Vols, one of the SEC’s glitziest programs, reportedly dangled a staggering $2 million NIL offer in front of him this offseason, the TCU quarterback didn’t hesitate. “This is where I want to be. My family is close,” Hoover said inside the Horned Frogs’ athletic facility. “I love the people here. I love my teammates. I love my coaches. I want to go win the Big 12 championship.”

That might sound like classic QB speak, but Hoover backed it up with more than words. He turned down a fortune and a fast track to the national spotlight in Knoxville. Sources say TCU sweetened its own deal to try and keep him in purple, but it didn’t match the Volunteers’ jaw-dropping offer. Still, the decision wasn’t difficult for the QB who threw for nearly 4,000 yards last season and now holds the keys to Sonny Dykes’ offense.

“I love Fort Worth. I love TCU. This is the place I want to be,” Hoover said. “I came here to win a Big 12 championship, and I told my teammates I was going to be the quarterback here this year; the way I grew up your word means something. That’s all there is to it.”

As Coach Dykes pointed out, “It says to me that it really starts with Fort Worth,” when asked about the team losing just three players to the portal.