Coaching Breakdown: Deuce Hogan

A look at the quarterback coming in with Iowa's 2020 recruiting class.

There are two things former Grapevine Faith head coach Kris Hogan pins as the most important qualities a quarterback can have: leadership and intangibles.

His son, Deuce, possesses both.

He showed it throughout his career as a four-year starter at Grapevine Faith where he threw for over 8,000 yards and 100 touchdowns. Now, Deuce is looking to bring those attributes to Iowa City.

“He’s always going to be the leader, and that’s what you want, right?” Kris Hogan said. “You want that guy to be a leader like Tom Brady or whatever. He’s always going to be the guy, so leadership is No. 1.

“The No. 2 thing I think he brings is something that you also want all quarterbacks [to have] — intangibles. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. If you’re playing football, three-on-three basketball, ping pong, dominoes, it doesn’t matter what it is. He brings some kind of intangibles where he just always wins.”

Rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Deuce held offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State, among others.

The offers make sense considering the fact that Deuce seems perfectly comfortable surrounded by pressure.

“It’s like he’s in his back yard,” Kris Hogan said.

Raised a winner

During his time at Grapevine Faith, a team statistician told Deuce an interesting stat.

He can’t remember the exact number, but his team came out on top in every game that was within either three or five points.

“It’s not a deal where he thinks he’s going to win, but you think you’re going to win — that’s not how it works,” Kris Hogan said. “Not only does he think he’s going to win, but everybody in the room thinks he’s going to win, so he seems to get every bounce.”

Bringing that 'special something'

When watching Deuce’s film, it’s apparent the quarterback isn’t scared to make something happen on the field.

Whether it’s tossing a deep ball with ease or running a defender over, he appears willing to make a play happen if it will help his team.

The way Deuce plays makes him an X-factor, according to his former coach.

“I’ve seen quarterbacks who couldn’t throw, but they all throw touchdown passes because they have that special something,” Kris Hogan said. “I’ve seen quarterbacks who were supposedly slow in the 40, but they ran for so many yards because they just have it.”

Improvements to make at Iowa

High school football doesn’t dig as deep as the college game. Kris and Deuce both know that, and they know Deuce will have some areas to improve on once he arrives in Iowa City.

Kris Hogan pointed to the game’s nuances.

While Deuce certainly understands the game, he could get away with things that won’t work as well in college.

“The Big Ten is a little bit different than your local high school,” Kris Hogan said. “So, there are some football-type of scenarios that while he was cognizant of them, he didn’t use them because it’s high school football. So, I think the next thing for him is understanding the mental preparation required at the college area.”

Deuce pointed out something for himself to improve on as well.

The first thing that came to his mind was footwork and gaining strength in the right places. Then, the rest could fall into place.

“I think I’ve been raised in a way where I’m going to come in and grasp the system really well, and I think I can make every throw on the field,” Deuce said. “But definitely got to work on getting stuff out on time and christening up all the little details I could get away without doing in high school.”

A long time coming

Deuce will arrive in Iowa City to begin his collegiate journey on June 12.

Kris Hogan takes solace in the Hawkeye staff watching over him, knowing it will be a good fit for his son and star quarterback.

“The closer the day gets for him to leave to go to Iowa, the clearer it seems that this was a great choice,” Kris Hogan said. “You got to keep in mind, people like Georgia and Baylor trying to flip him up to the last day. Then, you look up and all of a sudden, you’ve got quarterbacks transferring into Georgia and [former Baylor coach] Matt Rhule heading for the NFL. Deuce is pumped up, excited. He feels deep in his heart he made the right choice for him.”