Year 2 DC Andy Avalos is literally cooking in Fort Worth. Whispers coming out of fall camp say QB1 Josh Hoover’s been differently different. Sharper. Hungrier. Smarter. Word is, he’s been dissecting defenses like a surgeon on Red Bull. And Avalos? He’s finally pulled the curtain back on why Hoover’s got that dog in him heading into the season opener against the one and only Bill Belichick.

After a rollercoaster ride post-2022 natty run, TCU faceplanted to 5-7 in 2023. But the bounce back? Josh Hoover took over in 2024 like he’d been waiting his whole life for that moment. The kid put up 3,921 yards, 27 touchdowns, and brought the Frogs back to a solid 9-4. Now, in 2025, Hoover is the undisputed leader of the offense. But the secret sauce to his rise? Something has to do with TCU’s defense. The interviewer threw the question: “You guys look like you guys are a lot deeper at corner and defensive end. Having more bodies, more depth. What more does that allow you to do as a quarterback?”

Andy kept it real: “It keeps them fresh too. That’s the number one deal, It’s always nice to have depth, you know, that you can build dependable depth with,” he told reporters when asked about the defensive depth helping Hoover. “We got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football — and some young guys that we want to play a lot of football. So, you know, we’re in a position right now where the guys have been pretty consistent with how they’ve shown up to practice in all the different situations.” Translation? His defense is stacked and rotating like a Vegas blackjack dealer. That constant pressure, those situational drills—they’re shaping Hoover into a QB who doesn’t just react, he predicts.

Avalos has been running camp like it’s the fourth quarter of a playoff game. Third-and-longs. Two-minute drills. Sudden changes. All gas, no brakes. His young guns on defense are learning how to adjust techniques based on down-and-distance—kinda like teaching a pit crew how to operate mid-race. And for Hoover, facing that kind of chaos every day is molding him into a field general.

See, this is the type of development you see in the league. Think Eagles. Think Ravens. Fresh legs on defense, complex disguises, pressure coming from every angle—and quarterbacks left trying to solve a Rubik’s cube mid-play. Josh Hoover’s now in that lab. It’s not always pretty, but iron sharpens iron. Facing that every day? It’s turning him into the type of QB that doesn’t blink in the fourth quarter.

And let’s talk Avalos for a sec. The guy took over in 2024 and flipped the Frogs’ defense like it was a fixer-upper on HGTV. TCU opened the season against Stanford and treated ’em like tackling dummies: four sacks, ten TFLs. Ended the year stomping New Mexico 34–3. And while yeah, they still gave up over 400 yards per game, the progress was obvious. Especially in the secondary. They slashed almost 70 passing yards off their 2023 total and snagged ten picks in 2024.

By season’s end, the defense was locking folks up. Gave up 13 or fewer points in four of the last seven. Opponents scored 24.6 points on average down the stretch—a big jump from the shootouts they were giving up before. This version of TCU’s D? It bites. And going up against that every day is why Josh Hoover’s ready to square up against the greatest defensive mind in football.

Josh Hoover’s committed to defeating the great Bill Belichick!

Ever since Bill Belichick dropped the mic on the NFL and pulled up to Chapel Hill, fans have been circling September 1 like it’s Christmas morning. TCU vs UNC. In Ireland. Prime time. It’s not just football—it’s cinematic. And Josh Hoover? He’s gunning to spoil The Hoodie’s college debut like it’s a Netflix original.

When Hoover met reporters after day one of fall practice, there wasn’t any cocky energy. No flashy quotes. Just cold, focused intent. “I think just decision making and continuing to move forward in that area,” he said. “I mean, the more you play, the more you learn, the more you see things… You notice looks, you notice what’s about to happen.” That sounds like an evil man who plans to ruin someday’s big day.

And when the media tossed him a curveball—“Have you watched any Patriots tape this offseason?”—Hoover didn’t flinch. Just “Yes.” No details. Just enough to let you know, he’s peeped the playbook. Might even be drawing up counters in his sleep. Facing Bill Belichick without preparation? That’s suicide. But Hoover isn’t walking into a chess match with a checkerboard. He’s got film, reps, and a defense that’s been prepping him for this exact battle.

“Going out there today, I felt so much different than I did a year ago, two years ago,” Hoover said later. “Thinking back on it, it’s kind of funny, thinking about just what it used to be like. When you’re young, you don’t really understand. You’re just kind of out there, things just happen. And I feel like now I have a lot more control over what’s happening.” TCU better hope the rest of the country’s still sleeping on this kid. Because if Josh Hoover plays how he’s been talkin’? He might just be the first man to outfox Belichick on a college field. And that? That’d be one hell of a way to start the season.