Hogan is a pro-style quarterback
Despite being just a junior, Texas quarterback Deuce Hogan found the right fit early on in the recruiting process at the University of Iowa and committed to the Hawkeyes. We caught up with his father and head coach at Faith Christian, Kris Hogan, to talk about his progress this season and much more.
Q: How would you describe him as a player?
HOGAN: He is like a coach on the field. That is probably the simplest way to describe him. There are lot of times coaches will say quarterbacks gets us in the right play and things of that nature. Coach Brian Ferentz would tell you this as well, but most of what a quarterback does is keep you out of bad plays. Sometimes he can get us into a better play. For instance, during the state championship in 2016, Deuce was the first freshman I started in twenty years and I felt I didn’t have a choice. I’d have been an idiot not to play him. He has a brain like a coach and you have to play the best player. We were in the state championship game and I gave him exact instructions when we call this certain play to not audible out of it. It is the state championship game and we are pinned against the #1 defense on the 13-yard line. I called the play and see him yelling to both sides. It is clear that he is changing the play. My blood pressure shot out of my head and I was about to stroke out. He had changed it from a pass to a run into the short side of the field towards their best player. It would have been a problem, but we went 70-yards down the sidelines. It is a huge play and he runs across the field when he comes into earshot. He said I’m sorry, they were misaligned. I said forget it. His best attribute is that he is like a coach.
Q: What are his main strengths now as a player?
HOGAN: I would probably say his main strength from a skill perspective is his accuracy. That is his main strength.
Q: What is he working to improve on during the off-season?
HOGAN: I think probably getting his throwing platform back underneath him in case he has to leave the pocket. I’ll tell you why. If you think about Tom Brady, he doesn’t have to worry about his platform back under him because he is such a bad athlete. He has to be at a certain position to throw the ball. That has always been a struggle with Deuce. He can go into the gym right now wearing any shoes you give him. He can run and dunk the ball hard. He is a really good athlete. When he was in junior high, he played select baseball for probably the #1 team in the area. It is a very good area. He was their shortstop and was MVP. Right now, he is 6-4, and around 200 pounds. In basketball, he could sit at the 3-point line and murder you if you don’t cover him. He has such great hand eye-coordination, but he is also makes him think he can do anything at quarterback with throwing across his body. It is difficult as a coach, forget about the dad part. I can’t imagine coaching Brett Favre. He has a bazooka for an arm. Deuce does it with his athleticism. We want him to be Tom Brady, not just some guy who runs around. We want a Troy Aikman, Ben Roethlisberger, or a Tom Brady who wins. That is what he will work on the most. When he leaves the pocket, I need him to turn back into the pass profile before he makes the play.
Q: How much has it helped him to grow up around you as a coach around the game?
HOGAN: I think that has been a major factor in his development, but there are certain things that kids have that nobody can take credit for. I’ll give you an example. This may come from growing up around the program or knowing what is coming in a game and anticipating the flow. There is no pressure situation that will affect. It is like he is in the backyard during a game. That is a huge intangible as a quarterback. When everybody else can’t breathe, this guy is making decision and his heart rate never changes. A classic example is in the state title game as a freshman. It is overtime and we are in fourth down and 17. That is a bad place to be. He is over on the sidelines and we call the play. He starts back toward the field and I ask him what he is going to do. He says I know, shuffle left, look off the safety, and throw it. I look at the other coaches and shrug. That is exactly what he did. Then he jogged off and got a drink of water. I think some of that can be attributed to being around sports his whole life. I don’t care who house you grow up in.
Q: Why did he pick Iowa?
HOGAN: He had a certain criteria with what he was looking for. First, it starts off with the people you’ll love. You will be with them an incredible amount of hours. It is about getting along. When we visited Oklahoma, there was a clear difference between Baker Mayfield and the third string safety. He doesn’t like that, and I am not trying to rip on Oklahoma. He didn’t like it. The people at Iowa are all in the system whether you are first or second string. Brian Ferentz has worked with Bill Belichick and runs a pro style offense. We run a pro style offense and he is a pro style quarterback. His strengths are that, making decisions, and being an extension of a coach on the field. The people are the system are two major factors for picking Iowa. He is a huge believer in the systemic approach to the way Iowa does football. They have a similar system and similar people.
Q: Why did he decide to commit so early?
HOGAN: He is mature beyond his years and just an old soul. He is very mature and knows the people and the program at Iowa will never change. The second thing is I think the philosophy now a days is when you know, you go. It used to be waiting and seeing who will offer, but the criteria is pretty small. Oklahoma State and Coach Gundy wanted him super bad, but they will never have a pro-style offense. You can cross them off now. There were some different things at Boston College, so you can scratch them off. There were a lot of difference things at different Universities. What I’ve really seen in the last two or three years is when you know it is a match, you go right now. Now there is no pressure on where he is going to school and who will commit before him. He doesn’t have to worry about Iowa being a fit. They only have a certain amount of spots open and you don’t make a school like Iowa with such class sit around and wait if you know. We have had questions because recruiting doesn’t stop. Our mailman must think we are nuts. We get a shoebox of mail every other day and the phone blows up seven days a week. When we get the question that I get all the time about him possibly switching his commitment, the answer is there is no shot. He was raised where if he says something, it is as binding or more binding than any piece of paper. If he said he is coming to Iowa, he is coming Iowa.
