This time of year, with Spring practices a few weeks away and the previous football season deep in the rearview mirror, the college football media sites tend to get a little desperate in their attempt to generate relevant content. Lately, I've been noticing a lot of "breakout" player projections for the 2015 season (such as this one). Yet not once have I seen Hogan's name come up in any such conversations. While these types of prognostications tend to be geared towards underclassmen who have shown glimpses of greatness, I'm surprised that Hogan hasn't merited more mention given his hot finish to the 2014 season.
Sure, nobody's expecting Hogan to put up 1st Team All Pac-12 numbers next season. However, based on last year's finish, the personnel around him, and the fact that he'll be in his 5th year running the offense, I think the pieces are in place for Hogan to have the sort of breakout season we all expected from him in 2013/14. Many of the Pac-12's quarterbacks from 2014 have departed for NFL waters, leaving Kessler, Goff, and Hogan as the conference's most proven commodities under center. If either Kessler or Goff were to have a down year and Hogan really stepped up and delivered in his final season on the Farm, who's to say he couldn't take home 2nd Team All Pac-12 honors? Heck, even 1st Team All Pac-12 may not be entirely out of the question.
Up until the UCLA game last year, I think most of us would have agreed that while Hogan has certainly been a steady and dependable presence under center, he's never shown the ability to be great. But boy did that game change everything. The throws he made that day were reminiscent of those we became so accustomed to seeing during the Andrew Luck era. And on a day that was supposed to be all about Brett Hundley and his 1st round NFL potential, Hogan two times in which Hogan's made critical plays in crunch time to win us the game. But this season feels different. This time, it really feels like we've got a guy who's been in the program long enough that he can see the entire field and knows where to go with the ball. So as long as he makes all the throws (and we know Hogan has all the physical tools to succeed), I don't see why 2015 shouldn't be the year Kevin Hogan finally unlocks his full potential.
This post was edited on 2/18 6:15 PM by Card Tricks
Sure, nobody's expecting Hogan to put up 1st Team All Pac-12 numbers next season. However, based on last year's finish, the personnel around him, and the fact that he'll be in his 5th year running the offense, I think the pieces are in place for Hogan to have the sort of breakout season we all expected from him in 2013/14. Many of the Pac-12's quarterbacks from 2014 have departed for NFL waters, leaving Kessler, Goff, and Hogan as the conference's most proven commodities under center. If either Kessler or Goff were to have a down year and Hogan really stepped up and delivered in his final season on the Farm, who's to say he couldn't take home 2nd Team All Pac-12 honors? Heck, even 1st Team All Pac-12 may not be entirely out of the question.
Up until the UCLA game last year, I think most of us would have agreed that while Hogan has certainly been a steady and dependable presence under center, he's never shown the ability to be great. But boy did that game change everything. The throws he made that day were reminiscent of those we became so accustomed to seeing during the Andrew Luck era. And on a day that was supposed to be all about Brett Hundley and his 1st round NFL potential, Hogan two times in which Hogan's made critical plays in crunch time to win us the game. But this season feels different. This time, it really feels like we've got a guy who's been in the program long enough that he can see the entire field and knows where to go with the ball. So as long as he makes all the throws (and we know Hogan has all the physical tools to succeed), I don't see why 2015 shouldn't be the year Kevin Hogan finally unlocks his full potential.
This post was edited on 2/18 6:15 PM by Card Tricks
