Bio Blast: Deuce Hogan

Quite often, the backup quarterback is the most popular player on the football team. Nearly every fan knows who they are, and at some point, certain individuals from the stands will be calling for them to get into the game no matter who is quarterback ahead of them.

The newest QB2 at Kentucky is now a very big unknown.

Redshirt sophomore Beau Allen left the Kentucky football program on Wednesday. The Lexington (Ky.) Catholic product was a well-known figure as the son of a former Kentucky football player who went from local standout to the program’s first big high school QB recruiting win since Drew Barker. After one season as QB2, Kentucky must find a new option to backup Will Levis.

Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan (6-4, 207, RSo.) joined the Kentucky program in January without much fanfare. The Texas native accepted a walk-on opportunity to give himself a chance to compete in the SEC. Hogan will have to officially beat out redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron in fall camp, but the new quarterback will now have a lot of eyes on him following the latest transfer news.

Who exactly is Deuce Hogan? Let’s find out.

Top-500 recruit

Austin Kendall, Messiah deWeaver, Mac Jones, Jarren Williams, Paul Tyson, and Connor Bazelak. These are the names of former Kentucky QB targets who committed to other programs from 2016-19. Once Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw took over the offense in Lexington, the Wildcats had a very hard time closing on top-500 recruits.

Landing Beau Allen was such a big recruiting win because of all the previous misses. Deuce Hogan had the same recruiting profile.

Hogan was the No. 418 ranked prospect in the class of 2020 according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The No. 30 quarterback received some legitimate Power Five interest.

Following the end of his sophomore season at Grapevine (Texas) Faith Christian — located in between Dallas and Fort Worth — Hogan received nine reported Power Five offers. During the spring and summer, the quarterback took unofficial visits to Baylor, Iowa, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State. However, the Hawkeyes stuck out immediately and received a commitment from the quarterback in June just two months after issuing a scholarship offer.

Hogan would then go on to play a key role in helping Iowa build its 2020 recruiting class.

Two years at Iowa

Deuce Hogan enrolled at Iowa in 2020 and did not see any action as a true freshman. The Texas native served as the scout team quarterback as the Hawkeyes finished the COVID-19 shortened season 6-2 with a No. 16 ranking in the final AP poll.

With Spencer Petras returning at quarterback in 2021, Hogan entered a battle with Alex Padilla for the backup spot. However, Padilla was able to win that head-to-head contest and started three games for a struggling Iowa offense to end the season.

However, after a strange comment by Ferentz in a press conference after Iowa’s regular-season finale win over Nebraska, Hogan decided to move on from Iowa and entered the transfer portal.

The player-driven culture at Kentucky played a huge part in the transfer landing in Lexington.

Player background

While at Faith Christian, Deuce Hogan would start at quarterback for four seasons playing for his father. During his time at the private school, the quarterback would accumulate a 36-11 record as a starter as well as being a three-time captain.

During his career, Hogan would throw for 100 touchdowns and earn all-state honors. However, the pocket passer struggled with accuracy collecting just a 52.8 percent completion rate during his prep career.

The prospect has a big arm that could challenge defenses at every level, but decision-making and accuracy were two areas for improvement. At Kentucky’s spring game, Hogan flashed some surprising movement ability making some solid athletic plays out of the pocket.

Short-term outlook

When Deuce Hogan was added to the Kentucky roster heading into spring practice, not much thought was given to the newest walk-on. Nearly seven short months later, this is a player who could now have a prominent role on the team.

The transfer has prototypical size, a strong arm, and enough athleticism to make second-reaction plays out of structure. Hogan can threaten the defense in multiple ways due to these traits. There is upside here, but the quarterback must make some real strides before he’s ready to play winning football in the SEC.

The fall camp scrimmages could have some heated reps with the twos as Hogan looks to claim the QB2 spot at Kentucky after being buried on the depth chart at Iowa. A walk-on could be stepping into a prominent role for Mark Stoops and his program.