Senior Gameday Program Feature - Matt Hoch
9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Matt Hoch
By Ben Yarrington, Mizzou Strategic Communications
Coming out of high school, Matt Hoch faced a uniquely challenging predicament. Hoch, who was the No. 3-ranked player in the state of Iowa according to Rivals.com, was a standout two-way player who had dominated the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker, and split time on offense between running back and tight end. Hoch's unique combination of athleticism, football skills, and size made him an invaluable asset to the Mizzou roster; the question was where would he make his impact?
Redshirting his first year at Mizzou, Hoch spent the majority of his time practicing with the offensive scout unit. His relentless motor and detailed preparation impressed the coaches, twice earning him the offensive scout team player of the week award during the 2010 season.
With future NFL third-round draft pick Michael Egnew as the primary target at tight end, and talented depth behind him, the coaches thought Hoch's skillset and athleticism could make a bigger impact on the other side of the ball. It was time for defense.
After the 2010 campaign concluded, Hoch began working with the defensive line unit in practice.
He credits the coaching staff's attention to detail and fundamentals as key components to what made his transition to defensive tackle so successful.
"Every day I came out focused, and the coaches would help me work on my hands and work on my agility," Hoch said. "I could tell the areas where I'm struggling, whether it's with my conditioning or my agility, and the coaches would get me doing my jump ropes or my plyometrics, or other stuff like that."
Hoch's team-first mentality and his respect for the coaches and their advice is a trait he shares with his fellow defensive linemen. Those characteristics have helped Mizzou produce one of the more dominant defensive lines in all of college football over the past few seasons.
"I've seen a lot of other programs where there are a lot of individuals and there are a lot of guys that are out there for themselves," Hoch said. "At the University of Missouri, we have a lot of guys here and we just band together. I don't care too much about stats, if you want to know the truth. I'm looking to help somebody else make a play, like Markus Golden or Shane Ray. That's how all of our mentalities are, not just me, and that's how we're successful."
The qualities of selflessness and sacrificing for one another are something that the coaching staff has emphasized, and Hoch and other senior leaders have taken notice.
"It's a family environment where everybody cares about each other," Hoch said. "They teach you how to be a man here, both on and off the field. We care about each other and we're going to do our jobs and we can count on everyone else doing their own jobs."
Despite not being driven by his own individual success, Hoch is hoping for improvement on his 2013 season, in which he produced career highs in tackles and sacks.
"With my body finally being healthy, I feel like I can have my best season overall," Hoch said. "I'm hoping to improve in sacks and tackles-for-loss this year. As long as I keep doing my job, I will improve and we will get the results that we want."
In addition to Hoch's success on the field, he's managed to be even more successful in the classroom. Hoch was Missouri's 2013 Scholar Athlete Of The Year and has a 3.97 GPA over his academic career.
"Part of the reason why I majored in education is because of how much I value academics and how much of a priority it has been in my life," Hoch said. "I love how much of an impact education can have on kids, especially the kids who don't have the parental support I had growing up. I want to have that role as an adult, especially going into my professional career soon."
After finishing his playing career at Mizzou, Hoch plans to consult with NFL agents to gauge his draft status, but conceded "preserving my body is ultimately more of a priority than the all-mighty dollar."
