TCU transfer Josh Hoover, the No. 4 player in The Athletic’s transfer quarterback rankings, has committed to Indiana, a source briefed on the decision said.

The arrival of Hoover gives Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers a talented successor to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who appears likely to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft and is a projected first-round pick. Hoover is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the transfer portal, with 36 games and 31 career starts under his belt, throwing for more than 9,600 yards and 71 touchdowns.

It will be the third consecutive season that Cignetti designates a transfer as Indiana’s starting quarterback. The first two were wildly successful. In 2024, the Hoosiers signed Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke, who led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff. In 2025, Cignetti signed Mendoza, a transfer from Cal, who has led the Hoosiers to a 14-0 season, a Big Ten championship and the CFP semifinals, where they’ll play Oregon on Friday.

Hoover, who has one year of eligibility left, threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns with 13 interceptions in 2025. In 2024, he set a TCU school record with 3,949 passing yards.

At TCU, Hoover was believed to be making around $2 million, according to a source briefed on his contract. He received a raise last spring, shortly after Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee because the Vols showed interest in Hoover before the spring transfer portal window closed.

Although the details of what Indiana offered Hoover are unclear, industry sources expected him to receive at least a seven-figure increase in his annual compensation from interested teams.

Hoover was the second major transfer the Hoosiers landed a commitment from on Sunday. Former Michigan State receiver Nick Marsh, The Athletic’s No. 2 receiver in the transfer portal, committed to Indiana earlier in the day.

Marsh and Hoover give Indiana a top-tier quarterback-receiver tandem to lean upon in 2026. Marsh, who has two years of eligibility left, had two productive seasons at Michigan State, catching 100 passes for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns combined in 2024 and 2025. Marsh was expected to draw offers of at least seven figures from interested teams.

Hoover and Marsh are among five transfers Indiana landed on Sunday. Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi also committed to the Hoosiers. Osunsanmi was K-State’s top pass rusher when healthy and one of the top Power 4 conference edge rusher transfers available. He recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss in six games this season, but suffered an undisclosed injury and October and missed the remainder of the year.

Indiana also landed commitments from Boston College’s leading rusher in 2025, Turbo Richard, and two safety transfers, Wisconsin’s Preston Zachman and Cincinnati’s Jiquan Sanks.

How does Hoover fit at Indiana?

The former TCU star should fit well into the IU offense. Like Mendoza, Hoover is accurate and possesses good arm strength and can deliver the ball effectively to any part of the field. Hoover is an effective scrambler, but it’s not the primary feature of his game. The same could be said for Mendoza.

Both quarterbacks operated in RPO-heavy schemes in 2025. Mendoza had the highest RPO rate in the FBS this season; Hoover was second, according to Sports Info Solutions.

The one area Hoover must improve is ball security. Since 2022, Hoover’s 41 turnovers are tied for the third-most in the FBS among active quarterbacks. But after seeing how Rourke and Mendoza thrived in Bloomington, it’s reasonable to expect Hoover to take another step in his development while keeping Indiana in Big Ten title and CFP contention in 2026.

Hoover also has familiarity with the school and program. Before he signed with TCU out of high school, he was recruited by and committed to the Hoosiers in the summer of 2021. He flipped to the Horned Frogs in December 2021, shortly before the early signing period, after Sonny Dykes took the TCU job and recruited him to Fort Worth.