Tristen Hoge is an elite center recruit in the class of 2015.
Tristen Hoge recruit scouting report: Strong lineman
Hoge, out of Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho, stands 6’5 and weighs in at 287 pounds. As of June, he’s rated as a consensus four-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN. The 247Sports Composite, a compilation of data from the four major recruiting services, lists him as the 90th-best player in America, No. 1 center and No. 1 player from the state of Idaho.
Hoge has received interest from several top schools around the country. He holds scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Boise State, Florida, LSU, North Carolina, Oregon State, Penn State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington, among others.
Note: Recruits commit and decommit throughout the process. No effort is made to note commitments or decommitments in these scouting reports. All we note is claimed offers at the time of evaluation.
I wanted to see Hoge dominate his Idaho competition, and that is exactly what I saw on film. Idaho, of course, offers one of the worst levels of high school football talent in the country. A good BCS-type recruit should be immediately obvious against this level of opponent.
Hoge has a good, trim build for his size and has the potential to play north of 300 after a year or so of strength training in college. Having college-ready size is a big plus; it removes some of the variance and uncertainty for a college, as the staff does not have to figure out if a player can reach a certain weight, or if he’ll retain his agility at that weight.
Good coaching is evident in Hoge’s technique. He does a great job of centering up his target, which allows him to ensure that the defender does not slide off his block. He bends well, can anchor and has a nice punch. And Hoge shows good balance in the open field, sliding to second-level defenders and not whiffing very much.
The one thing I really want to see from Hoge is better hip roll. He needs to explode through his blocks, and not stop his feet on contact. If he wants to continue racking up roaches at the college level, this will be important. He won’t put college defenders on their back by stopping his feet and then resuming his block.
Hoge may have a steep learning curve when he gets to Notre Dame, as the talent he’ll face will be so much greater than what he sees in Idaho. Nonetheless, I believe he is one of the top interior linemen in the country and could blossom into a multi-year starter. Hoge is the type of center who can help a team pop big plays by executing blocks most centers cannot.
Fans can follow Hoge on Twitter @HogeTristen.
